Many years ago, way back in 1959, Aston Martin won the 24 Hours of Le Mans with a former Texas chicken farmer named Carroll Shelby. Famous today because of the Ford Mustangs and the famous fight he had against Ferrari with the Ford GT at Le Mans, he helped cement Aston Martin’s legacy as an endurance nameplate. Flash forward to 2025 and they’re taking the only road-derived Hypercar to the WEC / IMSA championships to try and recapture the overall victory they haven’t had since Shelby was at the wheel.
I think it’s important to emphasis the fact this car is road derived. While the word ‘homologation special’ isn’t used because that typically is for a race car turned to the road, the Valkyrie is the opposite being it was road-derived and put on the track. No other Hypercars are on the track doing what Aston Martin THOR (The Heart of Racing) Team is doing. The rest of the lot are sitting in their temperature-controlled environments, being carefully detailed and serviced, while Aston is taking theirs and writing it off as a racecar.
“As with every competition Aston Martin, ultimately we are taking an extremely performant vehicle and tailoring its characteristics and capabilities to the requirements of the regulations, and within that optimising the performance opportunities,” says Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport. “We have undertaken all of this work hand in hand with Aston Martin’s world-renowned design studio and with Aston Martin Performance Technologies taking a principal role in development.”
Highlighted by a modified version of the road-going car’s Cosworth 6.5l naturally aspirated V12, the racecar will be detuned from 1000 horsepower to 680 horsepower (500kW). The lower horsepower is a racing regulation and probably in the best interest of Aston Martin as the engine will endure the rigors of racing far longer with a lower power level. The engine is also ‘lean burning’ as fuel efficiency has been stated as important for Aston.
Additionally, the road-car is further enhanced for racing by allowing all the common quick-change parts we’re used to seeing. Body work is fitted for quick-changes, air jacks are equipped, a single-point rapid refueling coupling, and the cockpit is optimized for safety and quick driver changes.
Aston Martin THOR Team will be competing in the WEC (World Endurance Championship) and IMSA WeatherTech Sports Car Championship around the world and in the United States with the #007 and #009 Valkyrie. The first event is Qatar on February 28th in the WEC and soon followed by the Sebring 12 Hours on March 12-15th. The WEC season is made up of eight rounds: Qatar, Imola, Spa-Francorchamps, 24 Hours of Lemans, Interlagos, COTA in Texas, Fuji, and Bahrain on November 8th 2025. IMSA is made up of eleven rounds including the Sebring 12 Hours and Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta. Aston Martin has a busy schedule ahead of themselves! Here’s to hoping the spirt of Shelby can bring a historic victory for them this year!
Cheers!
M. T. Blake
