Valkyrie ready to hit the tracks of both the WEC and IMSA within the next few weeks
Wednesday, February 05, 2025
Having already embarked upon and extended test and development programme around the world, both behind closed doors and more recently in public, the American based team has today confirmed its driver crews that will race in their three Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar/GTP cars in both the World Endurance Championship with two cars and the IMSA Weathertech Sportscar Championship of the third before the crews converged into a collective between the two WEC cars for the 24 Hours of Le Mans for that ultimate test of endurance in June.
After weeks of speculation and utilising events even as late as the Rolex 24 as their test bed, Heart of Racing has confirmed that their two car WEC driver line up will be that of Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble aboard the #007 car whilst Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen share the #009 car. Then in IMSA, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis will be the mainstay drivers in America before Gunn joins the #007 at Le Mans with De Angelis becoming the third driver within the #009.
First mentioned by Aston Martin in 2019 as a primary participant within the WEC’s then planned Hypercar class for the new season, those plans were later dashed mainly because of the state of finances for the parent organisation who were originally funding the project. Only after the intervention of the Gabe Newell financed Heart of Racing team did the project get its deserved resurgence of investment and development required to take the normally aspirated V12 street legal monster into the full homologated state of a modern endurance race car that we have come to recognise more recently.
Originally destined to compete upon the world stage at the recently completed Rolex 24 opener to the IMSA Series, a relatively late call was made by all involved to utilise the subsequent few weeks available from the Roar Before the 24 test at Daytona and the opening round of the WEC at Qatar at the end of February to iron out those little imperfections before that all important homologation process. That means that Qatar will now be the Valkyrie’s global launch event before its IMSA debut at the 12Hours of Sebring in just over a month’s time.
Livery wise – the IMSA based car retains the familiar blue shades of its Aston Martin Racing Vantage GTD that will also compete in that series (although sadly not in that multiple blocked camouflaged test livery) whilst the two WEC based entries will carry the more historically significant green from the Aston Martin stable of old.
With all other Hypercar/GTP entries already competing with at least part of one season already under their belts, the Valkyrie will need to hit both series running but with racing events for both championships fast approaching, it will not be too long before we start hearing the V12 wail of that engine around the world.
Photo credits – AMR / social media