• Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar set for global race debut at FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) opener – the Qatar 1812km
• Valkyrie is the only road-born hypercar to contest the world's two premier sportscar series, WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship
• The Aston Martin THOR Team takes the Wings back to the 24 Hours of Le Mans to fight for its first overall victory since 1959
• Triple FIA GT world champion Marco Sørensen and rising star Tom Gamble join Alex Riberas and Harry Tincknell in full-season, two-car, line-up
• Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis confirmed to compete in Qatar ahead of IMSA programme start at Sebring
A thrilling new chapter in the Aston Martin story begins next weekend as the British ultra-luxury performance brand gives the all-new Valkyrie hypercar its debut in the opening round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the Qatar 1812km at Lusail International Circuit.
The first 'Le Mans Hypercar' (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in the WEC's premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar. Its global debut, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team in Qatar, begins an historic season for the British challenger, which will be the only LMH to compete in both the FIA WEC and in North America's IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Directed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and The Heart of Racing, and bred from the Valkyrie production model, the competition version blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre, Cosworth-developed, V12 naturally aspirated engine that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations.
Valkyrie positions Aston Martin – present in the FIA WEC every year since the series' inception in 2012, and one of its most successful manufacturers with 11 championship titles – in the top class of world championship sportscar racing for the first time since the AMR1 Group C challenger of 1989. It also provides the opportunity to challenge for a first outright victory at the world's greatest endurance race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since Carroll Shelby (USA) and Roy Salvadori (GBR) triumphed in the Aston Martin DBR1 in 1959.
The driver roster for the two-car programme features a fascinating blend of experience and youth within the Aston Martin works driver ranks. The #007 Valkyrie comprises an all-British line-up as Harry Tincknell, the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) overall champion and 2020 Le Mans LMGT3 winner, is joined by rising star Tom Gamble, ELMS LMP3 title-winner in 2020, for the full, eight-race, season. Ross Gunn, a race-winner in IMSA's GTD and GTD Pro categories in each of the past four seasons, joins the duo for the longer-distance races, including the Qatar 1812km and Le Mans.
Marco Sørensen (DEN), three times an FIA WEC title-winner in GT classes, is joined in the sister #009 Valkyrie by long-time THOR racer Alex Riberas (ESP); a GTD Pro winner in IMSA in each of the past three seasons as well as part of the team's FIA WEC LMGT3-winning line-up at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last year. Roman De Angelis, the 2022 IMSA GTD Champion, strengthens the line-up for the longer-distance races, including the Qatar 1812km next weekend and Le Mans.
Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'I'm massively looking forward to Qatar, to get to race the new Valkyrie Hypercar for the first time and to return to Aston Martin. The world is waiting with anticipation to see the car 'in the flesh' and it's amazing to be a part of a programme that has generated such interest. We know we're starting two or three years behind our competition so the learning curve is going to be steep. Everyone's worked so hard and we're all ready for what is such a big moment for Aston Martin.'
Tom Gamble, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'I'm very excited for the opening round of the FIA World Endurance Championship in Qatar and have been counting down the days since I found out I was going to be a part of this incredible Aston Martin Valkyrie project. There's a lot of learning to do but we have an amazing team of people behind us, so hopefully, come the race, we can be in a strong position to challenge for a solid result on our debut. It's a dream come true to make my Hypercar debut with Aston Martin THOR Team, so I'm going to love every minute.'
Ross Gunn, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'This is a huge moment for Aston Martin and THOR. The debut of the Valkyrie has been hugely anticipated and as a driver who has been with Aston Martin for 10 years, this is a giant step for my career. It's great to be back in the FIA WEC for the first round of the championship. We're here to learn as much as we can and try to have as strong a package as possible heading into the 10-hour race.'
Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'I'm looking forward to getting to Qatar, seeing the Valkyrie and the team in the garage and bringing this whole programme forwards. Qatar is the opening round and we're going to be on a steep learning curve, but we have the right people on board so there's only one way to go and that's to get everything started. I'm proud to be a part of this journey coming up so let's make it a great one.'
Alex Riberas, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'Making my Hypercar debut with Aston Martin THOR Team in Qatar is a huge milestone for me and for everybody involved in this project. It's been an incredible journey of many months and a lot of long days developing this race car. Now we finally get to see it race on the world stage for the first time. It's a privilege to be involved and I know that Qatar will leave me with memories that I'll cherish for a very long time.'
Roman De Angelis, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie: 'It's hard to explain all the emotions I have heading to the first event for the Aston Martin THOR Team Hypercar programme. I've been super-fortunate to be a part of some of the early testing and have spent a year hoping to be in the position I'm now in. So much effort has gone into this programme from all involved and we're all looking forward to making our mark in Qatar.'
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: 'To be running at world championship-level with a manufacturer like Aston Martin, with the car acknowledged as the ultimate hypercar – and the only one that has gone from road to track – is a 'pinch me' moment. It's Year One and we have to be realistic about what we can achieve so our goal initially is just to go out there and get better every time, but if I didn't think we could reach the summit of the mountain, we wouldn't be doing it. I'm confident in the abilities of all involved and our ambitions are incredibly high.'
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: 'The Valkyrie Hypercar is a moment in time in automotive history, and as part of that, it should race to underline and cement its place in history and its technological achievement. By adhering to the Hypercar rules, it has a very strong association to the DNA of the Valkyrie road car, featuring at its heart the same V12 power unit and the iconic Aston Martin design presence. The competition in the FIA WEC is of such a high level and we have a lot of respect for that, but it's why we want to be here. Of course we want Valkyrie to win, but winning is only worth it when you beat strong competition. With the roles that both THOR, Aston Martin Performance Technologies (AMPT) and partners have played in developing the car, we can be confident that we have all the right ingredients in place.'
Photo credit: Aston Martin posted on conceptcarz.com
