--- title: "Aston Martin Valkyrie Le Mans Race Car Stuns in Testing Debut" date: "2024-07-22" modified: "2024-07-22" authors: - name: "Adam Ismail" job_title: "Senior Editor" link: "https://www.thedrive.com/authors/adam-ismail" url: "https://www.thedrive.com/news/aston-martins-valkyrie-le-mans-race-car-stuns-in-testing-debut" categories: - "Aston Martin News" - "News" - "News by Brand" - "Racing" tags: - "Aston Martin" - "race car" - "valkyrie" --- # Aston Martin Valkyrie Le Mans Race Car Stuns in Testing Debut ![2024 Aston MArtin Valkyrie Testing Donington, England 18h July 2024 Photo: Drew Gibson]() *\Drew Gibson/Aston Martin\* [Aston Martin's]() long road back to Le Mans and top-class endurance racing has come into focus, as the Valkyrie AMR-LMH began testing at [Silverstone]() and Donington Park last week. Aston has released photos, showing a prototype that looks quite literally like an amped up [Valkyrie]() road car, only with better aero. In other words, precisely how a Le Mans Hypercar should look. See, when regulators first publicized the new Hypercar ruleset in 2018, the resulting prototype race cars were intended to have a much closer link to production vehicles, like the Valkyrie. Aston Martin was, in fact, one of the first manufacturers on board. But then, as the new class was formalized, that link was obscured. As a result, practically all Hypercars that competed at Le Mans last month have no direct link to a production vehicle. Toyota was famously working on a road version of its GR010 Hybrid until that project [mysteriously went up in smoke](). However, Ferrari appears to be working to distill aspects of its [two-time Le Mans-winning 499P]() into its [next halo product](). ![2024 Aston MArtin Valkyrie Testing Donington, England 18h July 2024 Photo: Drew Gibson]() [![2024 Aston MArtin Valkyrie Testing Donington, England 18h July 2024 Photo: Drew Gibson]()]() [![2024 Aston MArtin Valkyrie Testing Donington, England 18h July 2024 Photo: Drew Gibson]()]() [![]()]() **Drew Gibson/Aston Martin** When the rules moved away from an overt production link, Aston likewise canceled its prototype competition efforts, choosing instead to concentrate on GT racing with the Vantage, as it has for decades. [This decision]() also coincided with Aston Martin involving itself fully in [Formula 1](), so it's likely that it couldn't spare the extra expense to take the Valkyrie racing. But [the game's now back on]() for the British marque, and the Hypercar looks appropriately mean in testing. Aston Martin's development driver, Darren Turner, joined The Heart of Racing’s Mario Farnbacher and Harry Tincknell to sample the AMR-LMH in the U.K. The Heart of Racing is Aston's partner through both its GT and Hypercar endeavors, and the two entities have begun "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 World Endurance Championship and IMSA, per an Aston Martin [press release](). It's tremendously exciting that fans on both sides of the pond will be able to see this thing and [hear its 6.5-liter, Cosworth-built V12]() in action. We've said it before, and we'll say it again: we're living in a true golden age of endurance racing. *Got tips? Send ’em to tips@thedrive.com* ## Author Adam is a Senior Editor at The Drive, concentrating on curating and developing the site's slate of daily journalism, from initial pitch to final copy edit. When he's not at his desk researching leads and working with writers, he's testing vehicles or reviewing racing games, new and old. He joined The Drive in 2023, following seven years of covering consumer technology and cars. A car lover and gamer since his earliest memories, Adam came to know the automotive world through video games. First it was Daytona USA, Sega Rally, and Ridge Racer; then came Need For Speed, which inspired an encyclopedic knowledge of '90s supercars, and, of course, Gran Turismo. If not for them, he'd assuredly be doing something else right now. Adam is based in the suburbs outside Philly, where there are ample roads for his hot hatch to stretch its legs. In his car, he's probably listening to indie rock, drum and bass, or Yankees baseball. ### Author social links [Bluesky]() [Instagram]() [LinkedIn]()