This thing is fantastic; I would take race cars like this everyday of the week over the snooze fest turbo 4/6 cylinder hybrids from F1 and cars like the 919.
Photography Courtesy Aston Martin
One way to get more bang for your buck? Just use the same car to compete in two separate racing series.
That’s what Aston Martin is planning to do: fielding a Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar in IMSA’s GTP class.
Through the invaluable support and backing of Aston Martin’s championship-winning endurance racing partner Heart of Racing [HoR], at least one Valkyrie racecar will be entered by Aston Martin in the top Hypercar class of each of the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championships [IMSA] from 2025. This means that the prototype Valkyrie will participate in three of sportscar racing’s most prestigious events; Le Mans, the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the 12 Hours of Sebring.
Aston Martin has also announced that new GT3 and GT4 race cars–based on the Vantage–are in the works for the 2024 season.
For those keeping track at home, this means Aston Martin will be competing in GT and Prototype racing as well as Formula 1.
Aston Martin’s entry into the Hypercar class ensures that the British ultra-luxury sportscar manufacturer will have a presence in all aspects of endurance racing from the gentleman racer through to the very pinnacle of the sport. Indeed, from 2025, Aston Martin will be the only manufacturer competing at all levels of sportscar and GT racing (from Hypercar to GT4) and the FIA Formula 1® World Championship.
We’re keeping our fingers crossed that the WRC is Aston Martin’s next venture.
This thing is fantastic; I would take race cars like this everyday of the week over the snooze fest turbo 4/6 cylinder hybrids from F1 and cars like the 919.
Another NA entry to the mix, with a 6.5-liter V12. I wonder if it will thunder like the Cadillacs. The Cadillacs rumble the ground as they go by.
Back in the Golden Era of GTP the variety of engines going around the track were mesmerizing. Everything from turbo 4's to NA V-12's. The Jag 12's would scream thru Daytona NASCAR T1 and T2, while the V8's rumbled, the turbo v6's and turbo 4's wailed. It was awesome falling asleep listening to all that noise deep into the night.
The current sportcar racing entries are getting that variation back, mostly. Not likely to see many 1000HP turbo 4's anymore. The Gurney Eagles were 2.2L with boost to nearly 7 atmospheres (90+ psi). We prepped one for Goodwood several years ago and had to remap the entire fueling system because the guy that mixed the fuel had passed away.
When LMH was getting off the ground Aston Martin asked to raise the power limit because they claimed it was too difficult to limit the Cosworth V12. I guess they found the motivation to make it work. Might be a challenge without hybrid power.
In reply to stafford1500 :
2015 was a good year for a variety in LMP1, too bad only Porsche and Audi were truly competitive.
YES! Now GMA do a T.50 or T.33
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