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Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH

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Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH
The No.009 Valkyrie AMR-LMH at the 2025 6 Hours of Imola
CategoryLe Mans Hypercar
ConstructorAston Martin (Multimatic)
Designer(s)Marek Reichman (Chief Creative Officer)
Miles Nurnberger (Director of Design)[1]
Adam Carter (Head of Endurance Motorsport)[2]
PredecessorAston Martin AMR-One
Technical specifications
EngineAston Martin-Cosworth RA 6,499 cc (396.6 cu in) 65° V12 Naturally Aspirated (NA) mid-mounted longitudinal
TransmissionXtrac 7-speed sequential manual
Power500 kW; 680 PS (671 bhp)
TyresMichelin slicks
Competition history
Notable entrantsUnited Kingdom Aston Martin THOR Team
Notable driversCanada Roman De Angelis
United Kingdom Tom Gamble
United Kingdom Ross Gunn
Spain Alex Riberas
Denmark Marco Sørensen
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell
Debut2025 Qatar 1812 km
Last event2025 6 Hours of São Paulo
RacesWinsPodiumsPolesF/Laps
100000

The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH[3] is a sports prototype developed by Aston Martin Racing and Multimatic to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship in the Hypercar category and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in the GTP category respectively.[4][5] The car is a heavily modified racing version fitted to Le Mans Hypercar regulations based on Aston Martin's Valkyrie AMR Pro track car.[6]

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH made its debut at the 2025 Qatar 1812 km.[7] The car was originally slated to make its first appearance at the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona, however, Aston Martin opted to skip the event in favour of completing more internal testing.[8] It is the first sports prototype to race with a V12 engine in top class endurance racing in 14 years since the Peugeot 908 HDi FAP and the Lola-Aston Martin B09/60 raced in the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.

Background

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Initial plans

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The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is based on the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR Pro.

Aston Martin was one of the first manufacturers to commit to the Le Mans Hypercar class in 2019, with plans to start competition with at least two factory cars in the 2021 FIA World Endurance Championship. The car was planned to compete without a hybrid system, despite the road car containing one.[9] Alongside the factory entries, two further cars were planned to be fielded by R-Motorsport.[10]

In February 2020, Aston Martin announced that they would be cancelling the project, following the decision of the Automobile Club de l'Ouest to allow LMDh vehicles to participate in the Hypercar project. The brand also joined Formula One around this time, meaning they had limited finances to support their Hypercar programme. The manufacturer stated to still be open to joining in the future.[11]

2023 revival

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In October 2023, Aston Martin officially announced the return of the Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar project. They planned to enter at least one car in both the FIA WEC and the IMSA SportsCar Championship in 2025, run by The Heart of Racing.[4][5] This would make Aston Martin the first Le Mans Hypercar manufacturer to enter the IMSA series, which up to that point only had LMDh cars participate.[12]

The original plan to compete without a hybrid system was carried over to the new car. The car uses the same 6.5-litre Cosworth RA V12 used by all versions of the Valkyrie sports car, but is extensively modified to run leaner in order to meet the Le Mans Hypercar class performance window and to stay reliable throughout all stages of an endurance race.[3][13] The gearbox is a 7-speed sequential manual developed by Xtrac.[14]

The car, officially named the Valkyrie AMR-LMH,[3] was rolled out in the summer of 2024, ahead of an extensive testing program by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing at Silverstone Circuit and Donington Park, alongside drivers Darren Turner, Harry Tincknell, and Mario Farnbacher.[15][16] The team also participated in sanctioned tests with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH later that year, testing at Bahrain International Circuit and Daytona respectively.[17] On November 2024, Aston Martin announced that the Valkyrie AMR-LMH would make its global racing debut at the 2025 Qatar 1812 km, opting to skip the 2025 24 Hours of Daytona to perform further testing and development.[8] They also announced that both cars that would be racing in the FIA WEC would be using numbers #007 and #009, both taken from their Le Mans-winning Aston Martin DBR9.[18]

Valkyrie LM

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In celebration of their return to top class endurance racing at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin introduced an unrestricted track-only version of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in June 2025 called the Valkyrie LM.[19] The car is nearly identical to its racing counterpart, with only certain racing equipment removed such as ballast and the mandated electronics required for competition in both the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA SportsCar Championship. The Cosworth V12 powertrain was carried over from the race car, reconfigured in order to use standard fuels.[20] Production is limited to 10 examples.[21] Through Aston Martin's 'Unleashed' program, owners of the Valkyrie LM are able to drive the car on different racing circuits worldwide with comprehensive support from Aston Martin engineers.[22]

Competition history

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The driver lineups for all three cars were confirmed in February 2025, primarily consisting of drivers from Aston Martin Racing, The Heart of Racing, and Multimatic Motorsports, as well as those with previous experience in GT racing. Two cars were entered for the FIA World Endurance Championship; the #007, driven by Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble, and the #009, and Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen.[18][23] Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis were set to drive the #23 car in the IMSA SportsCar Championship.[18]

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH finished towards the back in its respective series debuts at the 2025 Qatar 1812 km and the 2025 12 Hours of Sebring, though the team was encouraged by the car's potential.[24][25] In its first Le Mans race at the 2025 24 Hours of Le Mans, both cars successfully made it home to the finish without fault.[26]

Racing results

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Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
2025 Aston Martin THOR Team Hypercar QAT IMO SPA LMN SAO COA FUJ BHR 0* 8th*
United Kingdom Tom Gamble[18] 007 Ret 18 13 14 16
United Kingdom Harry Tincknell[18] Ret 18 13 14 16
United Kingdom Ross Gunn Ret 14
Spain Alex Riberas[18] 009 17 17 14 12 13
Denmark Marco Sørensen[18] 17 17 14 12 13
Canada Roman De Angelis[18] 17 12

Complete IMSA SportsCar Championship results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
2025 Aston Martin THOR Team GTP DAY SEB LBH LGA DET WGL ELK IMS ATL 877* 11th*
Canada Roman De Angelis[18] 23 — 9 8 10 8 10
United Kingdom Ross Gunn[18] — 9 8 10 8 10
Spain Alex Riberas — 9

Complete IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup results

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Year Entrant Class Drivers No. Rounds Pts. Pos.
1 2 3 4 5
2025 Aston Martin THOR Team GTP DAY SEB WGL IMS ATL 0* 13th*
Canada Roman De Angelis[18] 23 — 9 10
United Kingdom Ross Gunn[18] — 9 10
Spain Alex Riberas — 9

* Championship ongoing.

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See also

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References

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  1. ^ Miles Nurnberger (2024-07-23). "Fantastic witnessing the Valkyrie LMH car run at Donington Park last week..." – via Instagram.
  2. ^ Kilbey, Stephen. "Carter (AMR): Valkyrie A "Very Capable Package" After Development Programme". Sportscar365. Retrieved 2025-04-28.
  3. ^ a b c "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercar hits the track | Aston Martin". www.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  4. ^ a b Dagys, John (2024-06-14). "Heart of Racing Set for Two-Car Valkyrie Hypercar Effort – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  5. ^ a b "Heart Of Racing Confirms GTP Aston Martin Valkyrie For 2025 IMSA Season". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-10-09.
  6. ^ "Aston Martin returns to Le Mans to fight for overall victory with Valkyrie hypercar". media.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  7. ^ "Aston Martin names first drivers for Valkyrie LMH race car". Motor Authority. 2024-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  8. ^ a b Dagys, John (2024-11-21). "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Set for Qatar Race Debut – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  9. ^ "Aston Martin To Bring Valkyrie Hypercar To FIA WEC & Le Mans". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  10. ^ "Hypercar/ DPi 2.0/ Class One & All That". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2023-12-13.
  11. ^ "Aston Martin Has Cancelled Its Valkyrie-Based WEC Entry | News | CarThrottle". www.carthrottle.com. 2020-02-19. Retrieved 2023-12-12.
  12. ^ "Aston Martin to return to Le Mans 24 Hours in 2025 with Valkyrie LMH". www.autosport.com. 2023-10-04. Retrieved 2023-12-02.
  13. ^ "Reborn to race: the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH". Rush Magazine. Retrieved 2025-01-30.
  14. ^ "The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Is Here To Fill Le Mans With Glorious V12 Noise". www.carthrottle.com. 2025-02-05. Retrieved 2025-03-17.
  15. ^ "Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH Completes First Shakedown Runs". www.dailysportscar.com. Retrieved 2024-09-12.
  16. ^ Euwema, Davey (2024-07-22). "Valkyrie AMR-LMH's First Runs an "Immensely Proud" Moment – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-09-14.
  17. ^ Grace, Jonathan (2024-11-15). "James: Heart of Racing 'Hitting Milestones' With Valkyrie Testing – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  18. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l Euwema, Davey (2025-02-04). "Heart of Racing Locks in Valkyrie LMH Lineups – Sportscar365". sportscar365.com. Retrieved 2025-02-05.
  19. ^ "You could own* this Le Mans-spec Aston Martin Valkyrie LM". Top Gear. 2025-06-09. Archived from the original on 2025-06-09. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  20. ^ tdizinno (2025-06-09). "Aston Martin Reveals Ultra-Exclusive Valkyrie LM for Customers". IMSA. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  21. ^ "Aston Martin Valkyrie LM Gives Customers Their Own Le Mans Car". Motor1.com. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  22. ^ Bharath, Khris (2025-06-08). "Aston Martin Valkyrie LM Unleashed: Track-Only Hypercar Limited to Just 10 Units". duPont REGISTRY News. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  23. ^ "Aston Martin THOR Team confirms Riberas and Tincknell for 2025 Valkyrie world title assault". media.astonmartin.com. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  24. ^ Parmentier, Morgan (2025-03-20). "The Aston Martin Valkyrie continues its progress". Motors Inside. Retrieved 2025-07-18.
  25. ^ "Aston Martin says Qatar showed 'real evidence' of Valkyrie's potential | FIAWEC". www.fiawec.com. Retrieved 2025-06-12.
  26. ^ "2025 24 Hours of Le Mans: Robert Kubica lifts Ferrari, AF Corse to historic win | Crash.net". www.crash.net. 2025-06-15. Retrieved 2025-06-15.
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