Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH
A hypercar developed based on a road-going vehicle
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH was developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and Heart of Racing based on the road-going Valkyrie and in accordance with Le Mans Hypercar regulations.
Aston Martin has officially announced its participation in the World Endurance Championship (WEC) in October 2023. The Valkyrie AMR-LMH, developed based on a road-legal super sports car, will finally make its debut at the opening race, the 1,812km Qatar race, held at the Lusail International Circuit.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH, Aston Martin’s first Le Mans Hypercar (LMH)-spec car, will compete in both the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, and with the Heart of Racing team in charge of race operations, Aston Martin will have a busy year running both programs simultaneously.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is based on the road-going Valkyrie and was developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and Heart of Racing, with a carbon fiber chassis designed for endurance racing. The power unit is a Cosworth 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine, optimized to meet the hypercar regulations, which limit maximum output to 500kW (679PS).
This will be Aston Martin’s return to the top category of endurance racing since the 1989 AMR1, which was developed under Group C regulations. In 1959, the duo of Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with the DBR1, and the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is aiming to achieve its first overall victory in 66 years.
Six drivers with extensive endurance racing experience
For its dual WEC and IMSA programme, the team will field six drivers with extensive GT and endurance racing experience, and will also field two Vantage AMR LMGT3 Evos in the LMGT class.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH #007 will be driven by British duo Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell, who will be joined by IMSA driver Ross Gunn for the long-distance events (the 1,812km Qatar Race and the 24 Hours of Le Mans). Tincknell, who has extensive experience in endurance racing, spoke of his enthusiasm for the opening race in Qatar:
“I’m delighted to be returning to Aston Martin to debut the newly developed Valkyrie AMR-LMH. The world is excited to see this car in action and it’s fantastic to be part of such an exciting programme.”
“We started our program two or three years later than our rivals, so to be honest, it will be a tough battle. But everyone on the team has been working hard, and we are fully prepared for our debut.”
Meanwhile, the No. 009 car will be driven by triple FIA GT World Championship winner Marco Sørensen, Alex Riveras, who has won the WEC LMGT3 class, and Romain de Angelis, who also has an IMSA main program, and will compete in Qatar and Le Mans. Riveras, who will be making his WEC top category debut, shared his thoughts as follows:
“Making the hypercar debut in Qatar with Aston Martin marks a major milestone for me and everyone involved in this project. This race car has been many months in the making and now we can finally race it on the world stage. It’s been an honour to be involved in this project and Qatar will be a fond memory for me.”
