Aston Martin on Monday gave a first look at its Valkyrie AMR-LMH race car being developed in time for the 2025 motorsport season, participation in this season’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.
As the call suggests, the car is evolving to comply with LMH rules, which will make it, along with cars built to comply with LMDh rules, eligible for the more sensitive categories of the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship. the Hypercar and GTP categories, respectively.
An initial set-up test has been carried out in the United Kingdom and, for the rest of the year, the car will be taken to major European circuits for further evaluation. Aston Martin works driver and Le Mans veteran Darren Turner is involved in the cheques.
Development is controlled through Aston Martin Performance Technologies, the consulting arm of the Aston Martin Formula 1 team. Heart of Racing is also involved in the order and will carry out a two-car attack with Aston Martin. The Phoenix, Arizona-based team, which is competing to raise funds for the Seattle Children’s Cardiology Research Fund, already effectively competes with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3 in the GT categories of the World Endurance and Sports Car Championship.
Aston Martin Valkyrie production in Gaydon, UK
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH will be the first LMH car to compete in the World Endurance Championship and the World Sports Car Championship. It is also the first of a road car.
However, the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is a very different beast from the Valkyrie road car. It features a unique chassis designed to be longer and wider than a road car chassis. It also keeps the 6. 5-liter V12 out of the road car, but features modifications to meet the regulations of balance of functionality and durability needed to last a 24-hour run. The soft hybrid formula of the road car has also been removed for the race car.
FIA homologation of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH is scheduled for autumn.
With the car’s competitive debut next year, Aston Martin will be the only carmaker competing in F1, as well as at the top of the World Endurance and Sports Car Championships. The automaker also plans to maintain its existing GT program, making its racing calendar one of the most varied in motorsport.