Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar set for IMSA debut at Sebring

Aston Martin is gearing up to bring its Valkyrie LMH prototype to the IMSA SportsCar Championship this weekend.

Having already made its World Endurance Championship debut in the Qatar 1812km at the end of last month, the Valkyrie will now head stateside for the Sebring 12 Hours.

Aston Martin is the latest manufacturer to have been enticed by the new golden era of sportscar racing and is mounting twin programmes in the WEC and IMSA this year.

It has entered two cars in the full WEC season and a single entry in IMSA, starting with the second round of the season in Florida on 15 March.

Its hypercar contender is based on the Valkyrie AMR-Pro track-day car, which in turn was developed from the original Valkyrie racing car project that was unofficially canned in 2020.

Aston Martin was originally due to build an LMH car based on the Adrian Newey-inspired Valkyrie road car but that programme was scrapped in the wake of Lawrence Stroll’s purchase of the British car manufacturer and the subsequent rebranding of the Racing Point Formula 1 team.

The hypercar project was revived in 2023, but this time Aston chose the prototype set of regulations within the LMH formula. As such, the new Valkyrie is a thoroughbred race car.

Power is provided by a massive 6.2-litre V12 engine developed by Cosworth, and its loud roar has proved to be an instant hit with the fans.

Unlike the majority of other cars in Hypercar/GTP, the Aston doesn’t feature hybrid power.

However, the Valkyrie’s entry is significant because it makes it the first car designed to LMH rule to join IMSA’s burgeoning GTP class.

Until January’s Daytona event, all cars entered in the top category were built to the LMDh ruleset, which is a successor to IMSA’s own DPi formula.

The WEC, on the other hand, has a healthy mix of both LMH and LMDh cars, and their performance is balanced by the series.

While the new Valkyrie programme got off to a difficult start in Qatar, with the best of Aston’s two hypercar entries finishing 23 laps down in 17th, it is expected that the car will pick up pace as the year goes on.

Roman de Angelis and Ross Gunn will drive the #23 Valkyrie in IMSA, with Alex Riberas joining the duo at Sebring and the season-ending Petit Le Mans.

“With Aston Martin returning to top-flight endurance competition in the US with such a breathtaking hypercar, the first of its kind to race in IMSA and the only one developed from a road car, this is clearly a landmark step for the Valkyrie programme,” said Adam Carter, the head of Aston Martin Endurance Motorsport.

“We all know the challenges Sebring offers, both as a venue and as a race, but these are important tests for Valkyrie and every mile builds data and understanding as we build on the car’s debut in Qatar.

“The car cuts a striking silhouette in its blue livery, and with its unique sound from the V12 6.5-litre engine, I am certain this car will win the hearts and minds of the American racing fans.”

The Valkyrie is Aston’s first prototype racer since the ill-fated AMR-One developed by Prodrive in 2021.

With the Valkyrie, Aston is aiming for its first outright victory at the Le Mans 24 Hours since 1959, as well as success in other major endurance races such as Sebring and Daytona.