- Aston Martin’s Valkyrie LMH race car impressed during the official pre-season test of the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship
- The Valkyrie LMH will also be entered in the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship
- The car’s first race will be the Qatar 1812 km on Feb. 28
This past weekend, the 2025 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) held its Prologue event at Lusail International Circuit in Qatar.
Serving as the official pre-season test, the Prologue saw 36 cars take to the track in preparation for the opening round, the Qatar 1812 km, set to take place on Feb. 28.
One of the most anticipated aspects of the Prologue was the debut of Aston Martin’s two Valkyrie LMH race cars, which will run in the premier Hypercar class. Aston Martin’s partner team for the endeavor is The Heart of Racing (THOR), the U.S.-based team that competes to raise funds for the Seattle Children’s Cardiology Research Fund.
The Aston Martin THOR team’s Valkyries—powered by Cosworth 6.5-liter V-12 engines—completed 549 trouble-free laps, showcasing their reliability ahead of the grueling endurance season.
Though the engine used is the same as the road-going Valkyrie, it has been modified to meet WEC regulations, running at lower revs with a leaner fuel mixture to comply with the 670-hp cap while maintaining fuel efficiency. The power is delivered through an Xtrac 7-speed sequential transmission, keeping the drive exclusively to the rear wheels.
Aston Martin THOR’s WEC driver lineup consists of Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble, Marco Sørensen, and Alex Riberas. Additionally, the team will enter a single Valkyrie LMH in the GTP class of the 2025 IMSA SportsCar Championship, with Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis behind the wheel. Both Gunn and De Angelis will also join forces with their WEC counterparts for the prestigious 24 Hours of Le Mans in June.
The Prologue also provided insight into the competitive landscape of the 2025 season. BMW M Team WRT’s M Hybrid V8 LMDh, driven by Robin Frijns, posted the fastest lap of the event, while Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA’s V-Series.R LMDh cars also delivered impressive performance.
The presence of these strong contenders suggests that the Hypercar class will no longer be dominated solely by Toyota, Ferrari, and Porsche. Instead, the Prologue demonstrated that the competition is now tighter than ever, setting the stage for an exciting WEC season ahead.
