Aston Martin has revealed the race car with which it will aim for its first overall victory in the Le Mans 24 Hours in more than 60 years.
Based on the road-going Valkyrie, it has been developed to the Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) rulebook, which allows entrants to use a higher proportion of bespoke content than the Le Mans Daytona Hybrid (LMDh) alternative.
It will be the only car in the top flight of endurance racing to be powered by a V12 engine; all other competitors use either a V8 or a V6.
It will also be one of just two naturally aspirated engines in the class, joining the V8 of the Cadillac V-Series R.
The Valkyrie’s hybridised 6.5-litre Cosworth V12 has, however, been redeveloped to better suit endurance racing.
It’s detuned from 1140bhp down to the 680bhp mandated by the rulebook and Aston Martin has fettled it to produce a more even spread of torque through the rev range.
Moreover, the rev limit has been reduced and the air-fuel ratio made leaner to improve efficiency and therefore require less fuel (and thus less weight) on board between pit stops.
Meanwhile, the Valkyrie’s bodywork has been redesigned to allow any damaged components to be removed and replaced more quickly, as well as for better aerodynamic performance – sprouting a prominent rear fin.
A pneumatic jack system has been added to the chassis to speed up tyre changes.
The car will be entered into this year’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the US-based IMSA Sportscar Championship.
At Le Mans, the flagship car – numbered 007 – will be piloted by Brits Harry Tincknell and Tom Gamble. Danish driver Marco Sørensen and Spaniard Alex Riberas will take charge of the #009 entry.
