Aston Martin To Compete At The 24 Hours of Le Mans

This year, Aston Martin is returning to the 24 Hours of Le Mans intending to win the race hands-down for the first time in almost 65 years.

The 24 Hours of Le Mans is an endurance-focused sports car race that takes place close to the French town of Le Mans.

It is widely considered to be one of the world’s most prestigious races that make up the informal Triple Crown of endurance racing.

To achieve that lofty goal, Aston Martin intends to enter the race using a hypercar powered by a V-12 engine based on the Valkyrie.

Aston presented the car’s sleek green paint job on Wednesday, drawing inspiration from its British auto racing tradition.

Since it started testing in July of last year, the Valkyrie hypercar has driven more than 9,300 miles on tracks in Bahrain, Qatar, and the United Kingdom.

Additionally, Aston Martin tested the Valkyrie hypercar in the United States at Daytona, Atlanta, and Sebring.

The Valkyrie hypercar is the only vehicle in the competition that is based on a road-legal vehicle, something that Aston is very proud of.

“To be returning to the fight for overall honors at the 24 Hours of Le Mans exists at the very core of our values and marks a key milestone in our motor racing heritage,” Aston Martin CEO Adrian Hallmark said in a statement.

Aston Martin’s Competitive Ambitions

The Valkyrie hypercar will participate in the 24 Hours of Le Mans in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the IMSA WeatherTech Sportscar Championship, where it will race in the 12 Hours of Sebring and the Rolex 24 at Daytona.

Aston’s competitive aspirations are demonstrated by the fact that the Aston Martin is the first vehicle to participate in both racing series.

The field, which consists of six other manufacturers competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship, may temper those aspirations.

These manufacturers include Alpine, BMW, Cadillac, Ferrari, Lexus, Porsche, and Toyota, who each have a track record of winning races, and many have much more recent experience.

According to Aston, the Valkyrie hypercar for Le Mans will be driven by British drivers “Harry Tincknell” and “Tom Gamble.”

Then, a sister Valkyrie hypercar will be driven by Danish driver “Marco Sørensen.” Two other drivers, Britain’s “Ross Gunn” and Canada’s “Roman De Angelis,” will also drive at Le Mans and compete in IMSA.

Since nearly the beginning of racing, automakers have said, “Win on Sunday, sell on Monday.”

However, for an Aston squad competing at Le Mans for the first time since 2011, they would likely be content with the win portion.