Aston Martin and works team Heart of Racing will return to the top class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025 with two Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercars as the ultra-luxury British sportscar brand bids to win the famous race outright for the first time since 1959.
Aston Martin intends to enter two of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercars in all rounds of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC], subject to its entry being accepted. This follows a regulation change by Le Mans event organiser, the Automobile Club de l’Ouest [ACO], and the sport’s governing body, the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile [FIA], stating that each participating manufacturer must enter at least two cars in the Hypercar class from 2025 onwards. The new rule was announced this morning during the official press conference ahead of this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans race.
Aston Martin and its work partner, Heart of Racing, are delighted to support this change in the regulations. They want to work together to improve the sporting environment for the benefit of all. Aston Martin will continue to work closely with both organisations moving forward and throughout the duration of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH programme.
The race-optimised carbon-fibre chassis Valkyrie AMR-LMH will use a modified version of the sensational Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine originally produced for the Valkyrie road car, which in standard form revs to 11,000rpm and develops over 1000bhp.
The power unit is being enhanced further to incorporate the critical Balance of Performance requirements of the Hypercar class and developed to withstand the rigours of top level long-distance competition. As with the Valkyrie AMR Pro track car, the battery-electric hybrid system on the road-specification Valkyrie is absent from the race car.
The development of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is already well-advanced. The recent on-track evaluation of integral systems took place at Aston Martin’s Silverstone testing facility and the Portimao circuit in Portugal.
Heart of Racing also recently established a UK team headquarters for its WEC programme near where the racing cars are being constructed in cooperation with Aston Martin Performance Technologies, based at Silverstone. Aston Martin Performance Technologies oversees the design and development of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH.
Aston Martin with Heart of Racing also plans an IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Programme for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH to run the US-based endurance series’ GTP class. This programme will be run out of Heart of Racing’s Phoenix HQ in North America.
Aston Martin’s entry into the Hypercar class ensures that the British ultra-luxury sports car manufacturer will be present in all aspects of endurance racing, from the gentleman racer to the very pinnacle of the sport. Indeed, starting in 2025, Aston Martin will be the only manufacturer competing at all levels of sportscar and GT racing (from Hypercar to GT4) and the FIA Formula 1® World Championship.
In total, more than 240 drivers have raced Aston Martins at Le Mans over the past 95 years in 27 different chassis and engine combinations through virtually every era. No other venue has given Aston Martin so much success or more steadfastly proven that our DNA is forged out of the essence of competition.
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