Aston Martin’s Valkyrie Le Mans contender hits the track

©AstonMartin

Aston Martin has ripped the curtain off its future Le Mans weapon, the Valkyrie AMR-LMH, which made its track debut last week in the UK.

The hypercar beast, whose efforts in the World Endurance Championship and in the IMSA SportsCar Championship will be overseen by US outfit Heart of Racing, will roar on to the scene in 2025.

However, the team’s development and testing programme will soon kick off in earnest, after “shakedown and initial evaluation” runs were conducted at Silverstone and at Donington.

Behind the wheel last week were Aston Martin's own Darren Turner, Mario Farnbacher, a regular with Heart of Racing, and Harry Tincknell who works with Multimatic Motorsports, a big player in the Valkyrie project.

As a reminder, the Valkyrie is powered by a glorious-sounding Cosworth-developed 6.5-litre naturally-aspirated V12.

©AstonMartin

“The first runs for the Valkyrie AMR-LMH have been an immensely proud moment in the programme,” commented Heart of Racing team boss Ian James.

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 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.”

Phillip van Osten

Motor racing was a backdrop from the outset in Phillip van Osten's life. Born in Southern California, Phillip grew up with the sights and sounds of fast cars thanks to his father, Dick van Osten, an editor and writer for Auto Speed and Sport and Motor Trend. Phillip's passion for racing grew even more when his family moved to Europe and he became acquainted with the extraordinary world of Grand Prix racing. He was an early contributor to the monthly French F1i Magazine, often providing a historic or business perspective on Formula 1's affairs. In 2012, he co-authored along with fellow journalist Pierre Van Vliet the English-language adaptation of a limited edition book devoted to the great Belgian driver Jacky Ickx. He also authored "The American Legacy in Formula 1", a book which recounts the trials and tribulations of American drivers in Grand Prix racing. Phillip is also a commentator for Belgian broadcaster Be.TV for the US Indycar series.