Aston Martin and official partner team HoR (Heart of Racing) announced their return to the top class of the Le Mans 24 Hours in 2025 with two Valkyrie AMR-LMH (Valkyrie AMR-LMH) cars. This can be interpreted as a signal to reclaim victory for the first time since 1959.
Aston Martin plans to enter two Valkyrie AMR-LMHs in every round of the FIA World Endurance Championship scheduled for 2025. This is contingent upon approval of the entry application and follows changes in regulations by the ACO (Automobile Club de l’Ouest), which organizes the Le Mans 24 Hours, and the FIA (Fédération Internationale de l’Automobile), the governing body of motorsports.
On the 14th of this month, French local time, the ACO and FIA held an official press conference before this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours, announcing new regulations. Starting in 2025, all manufacturers participating in the hypercar class must enter at least two vehicles. Aston Martin and their partner team, HoR, are more than willing to accept this regulatory change and will actively cooperate for the development of motorsports. Aston Martin plans to continue the Valkyrie AMR-LMH program while maintaining close cooperation with the two organizations.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s endurance sports chief, stated, “The roots of Aston Martin’s endurance racing go back to the brand’s early days, having raced for the first time at Le Mans 95 years ago. We are proud of the historic relationship between the legendary race and Aston Martin, and we are dedicated to bringing ‘Aston Martin’s wings’ to the forefront of the sports car stage with the WEC hypercar concept.” He continued, “In 2025, we will strive to have two Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercars on the grid, competing against the best sports car manufacturers in the world. Development work on the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is currently progressing smoothly and is confidential, with track debut testing planned for late summer and certification preparation in the fall.”
The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH features a carbon fiber chassis optimized for racing. The engine is set to be an enhanced 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine developed by Cosworth for the Valkyrie road car. Even the base model revs up to 11,000 rpm, delivering over 1000bhp, ensuring its compatibility with the critical BoP (Balance of Performance) in the hypercar class, while also being fortified to endure the grueling conditions of top-class endurance racing. Similar to the Valkyrie AMR Pro track car, the hybrid system seen in the road-going Valkyrie will be omitted. The development of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is considerably advanced, with recent integrated system track evaluations conducted at Aston Martin’s Silverstone testing facility and the Portimão circuit in Portugal.
HoR has also recently established a UK team headquarters for the WEC program, located near Silverstone, where Aston Martin Performance Technologies handles the design and development of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, enabling seamless collaboration. Aston Martin and HoR are planning to enter the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in the North American endurance racing series GTP class under the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar program, operated from HoR’s Phoenix headquarters in North America.
Ian James, team principal of HoR, remarked, “In light of the new regulations in the WEC, we had to accelerate our plans to operate multiple vehicles in the WEC hypercar class. While the preparation process has been condensed, we are excited about fielding two cars and proud to be part of a top class that has seen incredible growth in recent years.”
Aston Martin’s entry into the hypercar class signifies that they will stand out in every category of endurance racing, from amateur racers to the top class. In fact, starting in 2025, Aston Martin will be the only manufacturer competing at all levels of sports cars, from hypercars to GT4, as well as in GT racing and the FIA Formula 1® World Championship.
Over the past 95 years, more than 240 drivers have raced Aston Martin vehicles at the Le Mans 24 Hours, each with different chassis and engine combinations. No other venue has brought greater success to Aston Martin than Le Mans, and at the same time, it stands as the most definitive proof of how Aston Martin’s DNA was born from the essence of competition.
Lee Sang-jin daedusj@autodiary.kr