The Aston Martin Valkyrie will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025

A few years later than expected, Aston will compete with the big boys in the Hypercar class

Nearly four years after Aston Martin backtracked on plans to join the Hypercar class, the brand has finally given the go-ahead for its return to the top of endurance racing. In addition, Aston promises to enter at least one car in both the World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship in America.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie will compete for victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring. Aston will go head-to-head against Ferrari's Le Mans-winning 499P and several other contenders, including Toyota, Porsche, Peugeot, Glickenhaus and Cadillac; plus newcomers Alpine and Lamborghini in 2024. The era in which Toyota had free reign is officially over.

Lawrence Stroll about the Valkyrie's Le Mans participation

“Aston Martin's return to the pinnacle of endurance racing allows us to connect more deeply with our customers and community. Many of them have found their passion for the brand through our success at Le Mans,” said Chairman Lawrence Stroll. The father of F1 driver Lance Stroll hopes to use the knowledge AM has gained in F1 for the competition version of the Valkyrie.

Aston Martin of course already has an extensive history at Le Mans. The British brand has achieved nineteen victories in a century of racing. Aston Martin's first victory dates back to 1959, with the DBR1. The drivers of that time? Roy Salvadori and a certain Carroll Shelby.

Aston Martin must scale back the Valkyrie for the 24 Hours of Le Mans

We probably don't need to remind you of the Valkyrie AMR Pro's specs, but we'll do it anyway. Cosworth's 6.5-litre V12 engine produces over 1,000 hp and spins at up to 11,000 rpm. Unfortunately, the Hypercar class is limited to 680 hp, so the engine will be heavily throttled. Despite the reduction in power, it should sound quite spectacular on the Mulsanne straight. Bring earplugs. And hearing protectors.

Aston continues to work with Cosworth

“Cosworth has been an integral partner in the programme: we will continue that and bring all their knowledge of the engine to bear,” explains Adam Carter. He is the boss of endurance racing at Aston Martin. “[Cosworth] is obviously a company with a long, successful history in motorsport and is therefore a great partner to take on this challenge.”

Meanwhile, Aston Martin is also working on new homologated GT3 and GT4 racers, with the former meeting the new LMGT3 rules that will replace the outgoing GTE regulations next year. No doubt more about that later. We are now going to google 'has anyone ever won in every class at Le Mans'...

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