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Aston Martin said today that this weekend its Valkyrie hypercar makes its European race debut at the second round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Imola to be contested on 20 April 2025.*
“The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in the WEC’s premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar. Its global debut, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team in at the Qatar 1812km of Qatar in February, began an historic season for the British machine. Valkyrie is the only LMH to compete in both the FIA WEC and in North America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and scored a top-10 finish on its US debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring – renowned as North America’s toughest endurance race – in March,” Aston Martin claimed. (It was an all Ferrari at Qatar in February with the Italians Placing One, Two and Three after the 1812km race. Moreover Imola is Ferrari’s home circuit. – AutoCrat)
Developed by Aston Martin and THOR from the Valkyrie production model, the LMH version blends a race-optimized carbon fiber chassis with a modified 6.5-liter V12 powerplant with an 11,000 rpm limit. It makes more than 1000 horsepower in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680 bhp) regulation power limit.
Valkyrie positions in Aston Martin’s view, as an entrant in the FIA WEC every year since the series’ inception in 2012 and one of its most successful manufacturers with 11 championship titles, a contender to challenge for its first outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since Carroll Shelby (USA) and Roy Salvadori (GBR) won in the Aston Martin DBR1 in 1959.
As Imola’s race lasts six hours, the traditional length for an FIA WEC event, rather than the 10 ours of the Qatar event, both the #007 and #009 Valkyries will have two-driver line-ups rather than the trios that competed at the disappointing opener.
The #007 Valkyrie contains an all-British line-up as Harry Tincknell, the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) overall champion and 2020 Le Mans LMGT3 winner, is joined by Tom Gamble, the ELMS LMP3 title-winner in 2020. Tincknell’s first sportscar victory came in the ELMS at Imola in 2014, while Gamble was a podium-finisher there in the same series in 2022.
Marco Sørensen (DEN), three times an FIA WEC title-winner in GT classes, is joined in the sister #009 Valkyrie by long-time THOR racer Alex Riberas (ESP); part of the team’s FIA WEC LMGT3-winning line-up at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last year and of the crew that finished fourth in the class at last year’s Imola race.
“I’m looking forward to Imola. It’s an iconic track and one at which I’ve had some good successes – including my first sportscar win. It’s been a steep learning curve since Qatar, as we knew it would be with a brand-new program, but we’ve had some good tests since, learned a lot and the car finishing where it did at Sebring [on its IMSA debut] was really encouraging. Testing has shown that we’ve improved our processes and I’m sure that if we can have a good, reliable race then we’ll learn even more and put ourselves in an improved situation for the run-in to Le Mans,” said Harry Tincknell.
“Valkyrie has now completed three race weekends and each session we have run has given us more valuable information about the car and how it behaves. Of course, as a team, we are learning all the time about the car and operationally, so the objective this weekend is to minimize mistakes, maximize potential and come away with both cars finishing the race. Imola is a very different track to the ones we have raced on so far, and it offers new challenges, which at this stage of the program is most welcome as we begin to build towards Le Mans,” said Ian James, the optimistic Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team:
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
FIA WEC – Aston Martin Valkyrie Makes EU Debt at Imola
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Aston Martin said today that this weekend its Valkyrie hypercar makes its European race debut at the second round of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the 6 Hours of Imola to be contested on 20 April 2025.*
“The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in the WEC’s premier category derived from a road-legal hypercar. Its global debut, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team in at the Qatar 1812km of Qatar in February, began an historic season for the British machine. Valkyrie is the only LMH to compete in both the FIA WEC and in North America’s IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and scored a top-10 finish on its US debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring – renowned as North America’s toughest endurance race – in March,” Aston Martin claimed. (It was an all Ferrari at Qatar in February with the Italians Placing One, Two and Three after the 1812km race. Moreover Imola is Ferrari’s home circuit. – AutoCrat)
Developed by Aston Martin and THOR from the Valkyrie production model, the LMH version blends a race-optimized carbon fiber chassis with a modified 6.5-liter V12 powerplant with an 11,000 rpm limit. It makes more than 1000 horsepower in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680 bhp) regulation power limit.
Valkyrie positions in Aston Martin’s view, as an entrant in the FIA WEC every year since the series’ inception in 2012 and one of its most successful manufacturers with 11 championship titles, a contender to challenge for its first outright victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, since Carroll Shelby (USA) and Roy Salvadori (GBR) won in the Aston Martin DBR1 in 1959.
As Imola’s race lasts six hours, the traditional length for an FIA WEC event, rather than the 10 ours of the Qatar event, both the #007 and #009 Valkyries will have two-driver line-ups rather than the trios that competed at the disappointing opener.
The #007 Valkyrie contains an all-British line-up as Harry Tincknell, the 2016 European Le Mans Series (ELMS) overall champion and 2020 Le Mans LMGT3 winner, is joined by Tom Gamble, the ELMS LMP3 title-winner in 2020. Tincknell’s first sportscar victory came in the ELMS at Imola in 2014, while Gamble was a podium-finisher there in the same series in 2022.
Marco Sørensen (DEN), three times an FIA WEC title-winner in GT classes, is joined in the sister #009 Valkyrie by long-time THOR racer Alex Riberas (ESP); part of the team’s FIA WEC LMGT3-winning line-up at the Circuit of the Americas (COTA) last year and of the crew that finished fourth in the class at last year’s Imola race.
“I’m looking forward to Imola. It’s an iconic track and one at which I’ve had some good successes – including my first sportscar win. It’s been a steep learning curve since Qatar, as we knew it would be with a brand-new program, but we’ve had some good tests since, learned a lot and the car finishing where it did at Sebring [on its IMSA debut] was really encouraging. Testing has shown that we’ve improved our processes and I’m sure that if we can have a good, reliable race then we’ll learn even more and put ourselves in an improved situation for the run-in to Le Mans,” said Harry Tincknell.
“Valkyrie has now completed three race weekends and each session we have run has given us more valuable information about the car and how it behaves. Of course, as a team, we are learning all the time about the car and operationally, so the objective this weekend is to minimize mistakes, maximize potential and come away with both cars finishing the race. Imola is a very different track to the ones we have raced on so far, and it offers new challenges, which at this stage of the program is most welcome as we begin to build towards Le Mans,” said Ian James, the optimistic Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team:
*AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, publisher (kzhw@aol.com), is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. Zino is at home on test tracks, knows his way around U.S. Congressional hearing rooms, auto company headquarters, plant floors, as well as industry research and development labs where the real mobility work is done. He can quote from court decisions, refer to instrumented road tests, analyze financial results, and profile executive personalities and corporate cultures. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.