Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

Valkyrie painted green and blue

Aston Martin has unveiled the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, a prototype racing car developed in accordance with hypercar regulations. The company has declared the project’s official launch in preparation for the 2025 season. Aston Martin will aim to win the overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a racing car born from public roads, where manufacturers such as Toyota, Porsche, Ferrari, BMW, and Peugeot compete fiercely.

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH will be entered in both the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), which is primarily contested in the U.S. First, the works Aston Martin Heart of Racing Team will enter two cars in the 2025 WEC opening round, the 1,812km race in Qatar on February 28, making its world championship debut.

The Aston Martin Heart of Racing team will be fielding a single car in IMSA, sporting the iconic Heart of Racing blue livery rather than the WEC green, and will begin its programme at the second race, the 12 Hours of Sebring, which will be held from March 12th to 15th.

Commenting on the official launch of the WEC and IMSA programmes, Aston Martin Lagonda CEO Adrian Hallmark said:

“This is a proud moment for Aston Martin. Returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans and competing for overall victory represents our core values ​​and marks an important milestone in our motorsport history. As the only hypercar born for the road, Valkyrie embodies our sporting spirit as it challenges the pinnacle of sports car racing.”

Following its first test in July 2024, Heart of Racing has conducted an extensive test program with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, clocking up more than 15,000km. Initial tests took place at Donington Park and Silverstone in the UK, before moving to Vallelunga in Italy and Jerez in Spain. Testing continued at Bahrain, Qatar, Road Atlanta, Sebring and Daytona, exposing the car to a variety of tracks used in the WEC and IMSA.

WEC007 car has an all-British lineup

The Aston Martin Heart of Racing team will enter two Valkyrie AMR-LMH cars in the WEC. Car No. 007 will be driven by British duo Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell, while car No. 009 will be driven by triple FIA ​​GT World Championship winner Marco Sørensen and WEC LMGT3 class winner Alex Riberas.

In IMSA, Ross Gunn, who competed in the 2024 IMSA GTD Pro class, and Romain de Angelis, the 2022 GTD class winner, will drive the #23 car. Gunn and de Angelis will also be part of a WEC team at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gunn will drive the #007 car and de Angelis will drive the #009 car, with the #007 car being an all-British team aiming for the overall victory.

The team responsible for the field teams in both the WEC and IMSA series is the US-based Heart of Racing, which has experience competing in both series with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. Heart of Racing team principal Ian James expressed his enthusiasm:

“For someone who has been involved in sports car racing, Aston Martin represents the very best and is recognised as one of the most beautiful brands in the world. It is a real honour to be driving the only race car in the championship with road car pedigree. Being in charge of this programme will be the greatest experience of my career.”

Developed based on the road-legal Valkyrie

Developed in collaboration with Aston Martin Performance Technologies and Heart of Racing, the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is built on a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis and is powered by a Cosworth 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine, which in standard specification has a maximum speed of 11,000 rpm and produces over 1,000 PS.

The power unit has been strengthened and adjusted to meet the hypercar performance regulations so that it can compete over long distances under high loads. In terms of reliability and durability, the power limit of the hypercar regulations is 500kW (679PS), and the Valkyrie’s V12 engine has more than enough power, so fuel efficiency as a racing engine was a key point during development.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, explained the power unit development:

“The most important thing about a WEC power unit is that it is highly fuel-efficient and can generate the required amount of energy using a small amount of fuel. Hypercar regulations do not require as much power, so the engine is used at a lower load than its original performance. The low power limit imposed by the regulations gave us an opportunity. We were able to adjust the torque curve and reduce engine speed to reduce friction losses and improve fuel efficiency.”

Aerodynamics was developed by Aston Martin’s Chief Creative Officer, Marek Reichman, and legendary racing designer Adrian Newey, who will become the Aston Martin F1 Team’s Managing Technical Partner from March 2025.

The gearbox is equipped with a 7-speed sequential transmission made by X-Trak. The suspension consists of double wishbones, pushrod springs, adjustable side dampers and central dampers. The tires are equipped with 18-inch Michelin racing tires, which are mandatory under hypercar regulations.

“Regardless of development, absolute performance is limited by regulations, including minimum weight, power limitations through driveshaft torque control and strict aerodynamic limits. Every model car that races is measured in a full-scale wind tunnel. This meant we had to optimise the Valkyrie’s characteristics within the fundamental parameters of performance,” Carter added.

Check out the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH in the video!

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