Cross-Continent Voyage Begins in Earnest Next Weekend Before Sebring
By Tony DiZinno
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. – Sound check… on. The Aston Martin Valkyrie’s shrieking 6.5-liter V12 engine is unmistakable at-track.
And now, travel schedule… on.
Starting with next week’s FIA World Endurance Championship opener in Qatar, the cross-continent voyage of the new Valkyrie run by the Aston Martin THOR Team will take place in nine countries in 16 weekends in two series, between both the FIA WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
That’s just with the Valkryie, not including Heart of Racing Team’s regular GT presence in IMSA, WEC and elsewhere with its armada of either GT3 or GT4-specification Aston Martin Vantages.
Not bad for a team that just five years ago reveled in its first WeatherTech Championship Grand Touring Daytona (GTD) podium achieved in the darkness and rain of the Charlotte Motor Speedway “Roval.”
“We started with one GT3 car in 2020,” said Aston Martin THOR Team Principal Ian James, who shared the podium that October day in Charlotte with longtime team driver Roman De Angelis. “Our goal was to maybe we get one top five, one podium, and we’d be happy. A win we’d be ecstatic. Now we’re a regular contender for wins in GT classes and we’re respected for that.”
The rise since has primarily come in the GT ranks, usually with one and expanding to two Vantage GT3 cars, through original and Evo models.
With double-digit IMSA wins since that initial podium finish, De Angelis’ 2022 GTD championship and Ross Gunn’s near-miss by just four points in the 2024 GTD PRO title battle, the team has clearly established its bona fides in GT.
Make no mistake, the Valkyrie project is a huge undertaking, but the GT evolution over time provides a road map for how James wants this team to progress. He took a step back to reflect on the journey to this point since testing commenced in July, following Aston Martin’s years of buildup and anticipation.
“It’s the biggest undertaking I’ve ever been involved in,” said James, who drove regularly over parts of two decades in IMSA and still competes in the WEC. “From conception through design to testing and now the first race. It’s monumental.
“Hypercar racing is the pinnacle of sports car racing. It’s one of the top echelons of motorsport in the world. For everyone involved, it’s a proud moment. Everyone has to be on their A-game. We’re not underestimating it.”
The run of more than 15,000km since July 2024 started in the U.K. at Donington Park and Silverstone before further runs at Vallelunga, Jerez, Bahrain, Qatar, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway.
At the IMSA-sanctioned test in mid-February at Sebring, the Valkyrie completed 170 laps in two days, showing sustained and continuous improvement from the trio of De Angelis, Alex Riberas and Tom Gamble (pictured with James) who turned laps.
De Angelis and Gunn will share the blue No. 23 Valkyrie in IMSA, then join their globetrotting FIA WEC teammates in Britain’s traditional, green-colored cars for selected races including the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Gunn will share an all-British No. 007 lineup with Gamble and Harry Tincknell; De Angelis will join Riberas and Marco Sorenson in the No. 009 car.
Mileage, more than results, mean more to the Valkyrie program at this stage.
“All the other manufacturers have multiple cars in multiple championships, so you’re learning a lot,” James explained. “The more miles you do, the engineering shared, resources shared, will help tremendously. It’s a massive undertaking. To have a couple cars there and a car here in year one is only going to be good for the program.”
That said, the goal is to improve daily.
“This is day one of our 2025 season in terms of GTP,” James reflected at the Sebring test. “We’ve done lots of testing on our own, we did the Daytona test, but this is the first time we’re running here.
“It’s day one of a long season. It’s in its infancy. We’ll keep a realistic brief, take it day-by-day, get better every session and learn more about the car and the environment. It’s daunting, but we’re ticking a lot of boxes.”
The Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring kicks off the Valkyrie’s North American presence. The green flag at Sebring will fly just after 10 a.m. ET on Saturday, March 15, with live flag-to-flag streaming coverage on Peacock and internationally via YouTube.com/@IMSAOfficial.