Aston Martin Valkyrie chases maiden IMSA win at Petit Le Mans

Aston Martin’s Valkyrie hypercar returns to Road Atlanta this weekend for the Motul Petit Le Mans, the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale, where it finished second last year and will seek to break through for a maiden victory in the championship. The works Aston Martin THOR Team enters the race with momentum after leading the 6 Hours of Fuji in the FIA World Endurance Championship the previous week.

The Valkyrie is the only hypercar competing in both IMSA’s premier GTP category and the World Endurance Championship simultaneously. Since its IMSA debut at Sebring in 2025, it has finished in the top ten in 14 of 16 starts. The car represents Aston Martin’s first Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) production and the first LMH of any kind to compete in IMSA.

The Car and Its Power

Developed from the road-legal Valkyrie production model, the race version combines a carbon-fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 engine that revs to 11,000 rpm. While the engine produces over 1,000 bhp in standard form, hypercar regulations impose a strict 500 kW power limit, equivalent to 671 bhp.

Lineup and Recent Form

Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis return as the regular-season drivers for the #23 Valkyrie, joined by Alex Riberas, who recently scored his second World Endurance Championship points finish at Fuji alongside teammate Marco Sørensen. At Indianapolis, IMSA’s previous round, Gunn and De Angelis were running in the top five before contact delayed their progress; they recovered to finish eighth.

De Angelis said of the return to Road Atlanta: “The last few events have been frustrating, but they have only increased our motivation to secure a result for the team.” Gunn added that “it’s incredible to put Valkyrie through its paces in front of a capacity crowd,” while Riberas noted that “even though it’s been a bit of a tough season for our IMSA team so far, what a perfect place it would be for us to turn the year around.”

IMSA Championship Bid with Vantage

Aston Martin enters the finale as a GTD class title contender for the sixth consecutive year through the Heart of Racing Team. IMSA full-season rookie Dudu Barrichello starts third in the drivers’ standings, 116 points behind the leaders with 385 points available for pole position and the race win. Tom Gamble and Zach Robichon return alongside Barrichello in the #27 THOR Vantage.

Aston Martin as a manufacturer sits second in the standings, 94 points off the leaders with the same 385 points on offer. The Heart of Racing Team claimed Aston Martin’s only IMSA GTD class championship in 2022 with Roman De Angelis. Magnus Racing also competes in the GTD class with a Vantage, while YRB Racing enters the new #68 Car Blanche Vantage in the GTD Pro category, featuring works driver Mattia Drudi in his Petit Le Mans debut.

Strategic Challenges Ahead

Team Principal Ian James outlined the weekend’s objective: “At Petit Le Mans, the key is to make sure you’re on the lead lap when the sun goes down, then when the final hours of the race come about, you’re in a position to take advantage of whatever strategic possibilities the race offers up.” Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, acknowledged that the team faces rival competitors with greater experience in the championship, circuit and hypercar racing, but noted that the progress made over the past 12 months should support a competitive showing.

This article was compiled by the CityLifeBytes editorial desk from the official announcements and reporting listed under Sources.