The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH has made its debut on the track, marking the beginning of an extensive testing programme as Aston Martin, in collaboration with The Heart of Racing, gears up for a bold bid to win the 24 Hours of Le Mans for the first time since 1959.
Developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies and The Heart of Racing, the new Hypercar recently completed its initial shakedown and evaluation tests in the UK. Behind the wheel was Aston Martin’s High-Performance development driver Darren Turner, The Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher, and Harry Tincknell, who clinched the LMGTE class win at Le Mans with Aston Martin in 2020.
With testing now underway, Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing will embark on a comprehensive development schedule leading up to FIA homologation this autumn, aiming for a competitive debut in early 2025. The Valkyrie AMR-LMH stands out in the Hypercar class as it is the only car built from an existing production model—the Aston Martin Valkyrie, known for its exceptional performance.
“The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR- LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the programme. We are at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the competitors are formidable, and they have been doing it a long time. Some of them have endless resources. We know we are going up against the best, so we intend to represent Aston Martin at the same level,” Ian James, Team Principal at The Heart of Racing, reflected on the significance of the car’s first runs.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH is poised to compete in both the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, with plans to enter two cars in WEC and one in IMSA starting in 2025. The car features a race-ready carbon-fibre chassis and a modified version of the Cosworth-built 6.5-litre V12 engine, tailored for top-level endurance racing.
In addition to its WEC efforts, Aston Martin will also compete in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship’s GTP class with the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, managed from The Heart of Racing’s Phoenix base in North America.
Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, shared his enthusiasm: “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”
From 2025, Aston Martin will have a presence across all levels of endurance racing, from Hypercar to GT4, alongside its participation in the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. With over 240 drivers having raced Aston Martins at Le Mans over the past 95 years, the brand’s legacy in endurance racing is both rich and enduring.
