Following a new regulation by motorsports governing organization the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA) and Le Mans event organizer the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), ultra-luxury British performance car brand Aston Martin announced its return in 2025 to the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Along with the Heart of Racing works team, Aston Martin will field two race-optimized versions of its Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar for the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) racing schedule, including Le Mans.
Why Aston Martin’s return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans matters
Aston Martin’s racing history at Le Mans began in 1929. In the 95 years since that initial outing, more than 240 drivers have piloted 27 different Aston Margin chassis and engine configurations at Le Mans. An Aston Martin last won at Le Mans in 1959.
The new ruling by the ACO and the FIA requires that manufacturers who participate in the World Endurance Championship Hypercar class (the highest class) enter at least two cars starting in 2025. Aston Martin’s long history of racing at Le Mans is a point of pride. Aston Martin and the Heart of Racing factory-sponsored works team look forward to racing two Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercars in the full WEC schedule, pending the car’s acceptance.
What Aston Martin will race at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 2025
Aston Martin reports that development and testing of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercar are already in progress, with on-track evaluations at its headquarters testing facility in Silverstone, England, and in Portugal at the Algarve International Circuit in Portimao.
The track-version Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercar will not have the road car’s hybrid system but will use an enhanced version of the 6.5-lite Cosworth-built V12 engine, which revs to 11,000 RPM and cranks out more than 1,000 horsepower. The racecar engine will be strengthened to tolerate the strains of 24-hour endurance racing.
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