A few years ago, the WEC Hypercar and IMSA LMDh classes were created to invigorate the top tiers of endurance racing. Aston Martin originally committed to delivering a race-prepped Valkyrie for the 2020/21 World Endurance Championship, but alas, the British automaker did not deliver on its promise due to immense financial pressures and the company's switch to new ownership under Lawrence Stroll's consortium of investors.
The announcement came in February 2020. However, the Gaydon-based automaker published a release in October 2023, confirming that its hypercar program is back on track for the 2025 season of the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
Nine months later, Aston Martin's challenger has a name: Valkyrie AMR-LMH. The V12-powered thriller has also started testing, with the attached video showing the newcomer doing its thing at Donington Park in the United Kingdom. Said circuit hosted a single Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1993, with Ayrton Senna dominantly winning that event by 1 minute 23 seconds from second-placed Damon Hill.
Aston Martin couldn't bother publishing an official shakedown video, with the photo gallery for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH numbering a meager five pics. Uploaded to YouTube by Pescara Productions, the attached video confirms that Valkyrie AMR-LMH uses the very same Cosworth V12 as the road-going model and the Valkyrie AMR Pro track car.
Under the skin, the biggest difference between Valkyrie and Valkyrie AMR Pro is the lack of hybrid assistance for the latter. Be that as it may, the Valkyrie AMR Pro develops in excess of 1,100 ponies from its naturally aspirated V12, a screamer of an engine that revs to a staggering 11,100 revolutions in road-going form. It's also 380 millimeters (make that 15 inches) longer in wheelbase, and it features slightly wider front and rear tracks to boot.
Photo: Aston Martin
“The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the program," said The Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James. Developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and the aforementioned works team, Valkyrie AMR-LMH targets the first outright win at Le Mans after Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori won the 24-hour endurance race with the DBR1/300 back in 1959. A long time ago, for sure!
FIA homologation is due this fall, whereas the competitional debut is listed as early 2025 in attached release. A quick search on Google reveals that IMSA will open the 2025 season in Daytona Beach with the Roar Before The Rolex 24 on January 17 through 19 and the Rolex 24 At Dayona on January 23 – 26.
Organized by the Federation Internationale de l'Automobile and the Automobile Club de l'Ouest, the next season of the World Endurance Championship will kick off with the Prologue and the Qatar 1812 km in February 2025. Next season will see hypercar teams fielding at least two vehicles, with this rule also applying to teams competing in the GT3 category. What's more, the maximum grid size will increase from the current 37 to 40 cars.
As for the elephant in the room, both WEC Hypercar and IMSA LMDh regulations cap the maximum output. Add some Balance of Performance requirements to the mix, and you'll easily understand why the Valkyrie AMR-LMH isn't as powerful as the Valkyrie and the track-only Valkyrie AMR Pro.
After a 1:43 scale model of a Ferrari 250 GTO sparked Mircea's interest for cars when he was a kid, an early internship at Top Gear sealed his career path. He's most interested in muscle cars and American trucks, but he takes a passing interest in quirky kei cars as well. Full profile
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