Ahead of its 2025 debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH has begun extensive track tests. Built as the first-ever racing car under hypercar regulations, the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH will be able to compete in the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] and the US-based IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship [IMSA].
The Heart of Racing team will be entering two AMR-LMH cars into the World Endurance Championship and one AMR-LMH racing in the IMSA Championship next year. As for the new AMR-LMH racer, it is based on its road-legal namesake – the Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar. Aston Martin Performance Technologies and the Heart of Racing team have developed the car.
Before its FIA homologation can take place in the autumn, full-blown development of the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH will commence. Since the AMR-LMH racers are being built in cooperation with Aston Martin Performance Technologies at Silverstone, Heart of Racing has now headquartered its U.K. team nearby as well.
At present, the Heart of Racing team is supervising the development and testing of the Valkyrie AMR-LMH in the United Kingdom. As the car gets closer to its performance evaluation phase, the team will go through various other circuits in Europe for further testing. Then there is the IMSA Championship, which will witness the AMR-LMH participating in the GTP class endurance series in the U.S.
The Valkyrie AMR-LMH underwent its initial evaluation phase in the U.K., with Britain’s Darren Turner representing Aston Martin High Performance. Also from Great Britain, but representing the Heart of Racing team, was Harry Tincknell. Tincknell is credited with winning the LMGTE class of the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans with Aston Martin. Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher also put the AMR-LMH through its paces.
While most of the details regarding the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH are unknown, we know that it boasts a custom carbon fiber chassis that is tuned specifically for racing. Similarly, its suspension and braking components will likely not be identical to that of the road-going Valkyrie hypercar. However, the most sensational conversation around this racer will revolve around its 6.5-liter naturally aspirated V12 engine.
Built specifically for the new Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH by Cosworth, this twelve-cylinder marvel of engineering has been designed to last long & grueling hours while being belted around the track. This means the motor has to be reasonably reliable and durable, but it also needs to generate lots of power. In this case, the 6.5-liter Cosworth engine will pump out over 1,000 horsepower and rev to an incredible 11,000 rpm!
When asked about the Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH, this is what the Heart of Racing Team Principal Ian James had to say, “The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the programme. The birth of this project has been a couple of years in the making, so to get it to the track and to see it going around in the flesh, feels momentous for The Heart of Racing. We’re looking forward to the journey ahead – it’s a steep hill to climb for everyone involved in this project.”
“We are at the pinnacle of sportscar racing, the competitors are formidable, and they have been doing it a long time. Some of them have endless resources. We know we are going up against the best, so we intend to represent Aston Martin at the same level. I believe, from what we have seen so far, and with the DNA of where this car came from, I think we have the right tools to be able to do this successfully,” Ian James continued.
Meanwhile, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter said, “The Valkyrie AMR-LMH sets its own standard as a thoroughbred endurance competition car. It is a pure, leading edge racing machine, and while it is very early in the testing cycle, from what we have witnessed so far, we are satisfied that it is achieving the targets and criteria we have set out for it to accomplish.”
Next year onwards, Aston Martin is set to become the only manufacturer competing at all levels of sportscar and GT racing (from Hypercar to GT4), along with the FIA Formula 1 World Championship. Over the years, Le Mans has provided Aston Martin with more racing success than any other form of motorsport. If all goes according to plan, 2025 will continue this envious streak for the famed British marque.
