Aston Martin’s Fast Car: Racing News!
Aston Martin had big plans for its speedy car, the Valkyrie. They wanted it to race in a special class called Hypercar endurance racing. However, these plans took a break in 2020 when a rich person named Lawrence Stroll became a part of Aston Martin. He also owned a Formula 1 team, which changed the original idea of working together with Red Bull Racing on the racing Valkyrie.
But in 2021, Aston Martin told us they still wanted the Valkyrie to race. Now, after waiting for a while, they’ve officially said that the hypercar will get the chance to be a part of motorsport competitions. Starting in 2025, the Valkyrie will be in the Hypercar class for both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech Championship in the U.S., known as GTP. A team called Heart of Racing, based in the U.S., will manage the entries, making the Valkyrie part of famous races like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Rolex 24 at Daytona, and 12 Hours of Sebring.
The Valkyrie AMR Pro, meant only for the track, was first designed for WEC’s LMH regulations and later joined IMSA’s LMDh rules. However, Aston Martin decided to keep it as an LMH entrant, giving more freedom in design. Unlike some competitors, the Valkyrie won’t have a hybrid system, even though it’s a bit different from the others.
Hypercar racing tries to make things fair by having Balance of Performance rules. These rules make sure that all cars have similar performance, with limits on things like downforce, drag, weight, and power. Aston confirmed that the racing Valkyrie will still use the 6.5-liter V-12 engine, although it might have less power than the AMR Pro’s 1001hp.
The Valkyrie will have strong competition in the Hypercar and GTP classes, with many big names joining the races. But Aston says the Valkyrie is special because it’s the “first purebred hypercar” in both championships, tracing back to an existing production car. Aston Martin has a good history in Le Mans, winning 19 times in different classes and once overall in 1959. The Valkyrie is gearing up to continue this legacy!
