While it bears the appearance of a street-legal racecar and was crafted in compliance with the World Endurance Championship (WEC) Hypercar rules, the Aston Martin Valkyrie wasn’t initially drafted for a motorsports berth. However, that narrative is changing.
The automotive giant has recently proclaimed its intention to roll the Valkyrie into the racing arena. This move is being orchestrated in collaboration with Heart of Racing.
The entry strategy encompasses premier racing events like the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona, and the 12 Hours of Sebring. This participation is projected to kick off in 2025. What’s more, the Valkyrie is set to mark its territory in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportCar Championship circuits.
Lawrence Stroll, the executive chairman at Aston Martin Lagonda, remarked,
“Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of endurance racing will allow us to build a deeper connection with our customers and community, many of whom found their passion for the brand through our past success at Le Mans. The complex knowledge-base we are building through our F1 team is data that Aston Martin Performance Technologies can harness to further enhance the capabilities of the Valkyrie racecar at Le Mans, in WEC and IMSA.”
The blueprint for this racecar is rooted in the Valkyrie AMR Pro model. Aston Martin envisions fine-tuning its performance dynamics at their state-of-the-art technology facility in Silverstone, England – also the hub of their F1 squadron. Paradoxically, the preliminary goal may entail reducing its prowess.
Racing mandates necessitate substantial downscaling of the Valkyrie’s engine output. While the existing engineering marvel couples a naturally-aspirated engine to an electric motor, revving up to 11,000 RPM with an impressive horsepower, regulatory standards restrict it to a modest 671 hp.
Furthermore, the racecar must align with the stringent aerodynamic benchmarks laid out by WEC and IMSA, ensuring no considerable loss in lap timing.
Adam Carter, the spearhead of motorsports at Aston Martin, expressed confidence in the endeavor, stating,
“Together with our partners we are absolutely confident that we can deliver a race car with the potential and the performance capabilities to fight alongside the benchmark machinery in the class. It’s a fascinating program, given that this is the only hypercar in the class with direct synergies to its road car counterpart, but the Valkyrie concept was always intended to break through boundaries, and now we have the opportunity to show what it can do on a track.”
On another significant note, Aston Martin disclosed plans for new GT3 and GT4 racecars inspired by the Vantage blueprint. These vehicles are crafted in adherence to prevailing GT regulations, inclusive of the forthcoming 2024 LMGT3 guidelines, promising a strong presence in diverse global racing series.
