After a long journey, Aston Martin’s return to Le Mans and the top levels of endurance racing is now in the spotlight, thanks to the impressive performance of the Valkyrie AMR-LMR in its initial tests. The concept, resembling a road car version of the Valkyrie with enhanced aerodynamics, is a testament to how a Le Mans hypercar should be designed. This achievement is a source of pride and inspiration for the entire automotive industry. When the new Hypercar rules were first announced in 2018, the idea was that the concept race cars that would follow would be a lot more like production cars like the Valkyrie. Aston Martin was one of the first names in the business to join. That bond, though, was broken when the new class became official. Because of this, almost every HPercar that raced at Le Mans last month had nothing to do with a production car. Before the project was over, Toyota was known for making the GR010 Hybrid for the road. But it looks like Ferrari is trying to make its next “halo” car by combining parts of the 499P, which has won Le Mans twice. Aston also stopped competing with prototypes when the rules changed not to allow a clear production link. Instead, the company focused on GT racing with Vantage, as it had done for decades. This choice was made at the same time that Aston Martin made its full commitment to Formula One, so it’s likely that the company needed more money to afford the extra costs that would have come with competing with the Valkyrie. That being said, the British brand is back in the game, and the Hypercar looks properly scary in tests. Darren Turner, who works as a development driver for Aston Martin, went to the UK to try the AMR-LMR with Mario Farnbacher and Harry Tincknell from The Heart of Racing. The Heart of Racing works with Aston Martin to make GT and Hypercars. Aston Martin said in a news release that the two groups have started “a full development schedule to prepare the car ahead of FIA homologation in the autumn and its competitive debut in early 2025” in both the International Motor Sport Association and the World Endurance Championship. It’s very exciting to think that fans on both sides of the Atlantic could see and hear the 6.5-liter Cosworth V12 engine in action. We’ve already said it, but we’ll say it again: right now, extreme sports are at their best.
