The result, accomplished by Aston Martin THOR Team [THOR], was the best result yet by Valkyrie – the pure racing expression of the world’s ultimate road-going hypercar – and was secured after 10 hours of white-knuckle competition at the iconic circuit near Braselton, GA. It was the first outright podium for an Aston Martin in IMSA, and the first for a hypercar derived from a road-going counterpart in the top tier GTP class.
Valkyrie had already made headlines on Thursday by topping the timesheets in an official IMSA session for the first time as 2022 IMSA GTD champion Roman De Angelis (CAN) went fastest in night practice. This was followed by team-mate Ross Gunn (GBR) taking the hypercar’s best qualifying result to date with fifth place on Friday.
De Angelis and Gunn, THOR’S regular IMSA season drivers, were joined at Petit Le Mans by Alex Riberas (SPA); part of Aston Martin THOR Team’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) line-up and a multiple race winner in IMSA’s GTD classes.
All three drove magnificently and backed up by some clever strategic calls from the pit crew, raced Valkyrie #23 into a podium spot with two hours to go. An inspired decision to make a final pitstop with 50 minutes left, rather than speculatively staying out in case of a Full-Course Yellow period which could have allowed the car’s energy reserves to be stretched without an additional stop, meant that De Angelis ran at full attack to the end of the race.
Despite dropping to seventh, 50 seconds behind the leader, he charged back into contention while gaining positions as the track remained ‘green’ and others made their final fuel stops. The Valkyrie slotted into second with less than 10 minutes remaining. De Angelis closed to within six seconds of the victory while securing the best result for Valkyrie in all competitions, completing an IMSA season in which the car finished every race and completed over 4,300 miles of hard racing around eight of the most iconic North American motorsport venues.
The only entry derived from a road-going hypercar competing in either IMSA or the WEC, Valkyrie is developed from its production version by Aston Martin and THOR. The competition example blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations.
Valkyrie has positioned Aston Martin in the top division of US sportscar racing for the first time since 2011; a season in which five outright victories and seven podiums were achieved in the American Le Mans Series.
Alex Riberas, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I almost have no words to describe the feeling. What a way to finish the season in IMSA. It means so much for Aston Martin, for The Heart of Racing and for everybody that’s supported the Valkyrie project in the US and in the UK- based WEC programme. This is a huge result and it’s for everybody involved. Today we made a strategy call that was risky, but that was well thought-out by some of the best engineers I’ve ever worked with, and it paid off. I’m so proud right now.”
Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “This is a huge result for everybody, especially when you consider this was a brand-new project and a new car concept for 2025. We started the year super-focused on reliability, and it was only after the double-finish at Le Mans that we put some attention on performance. It’s been a privilege to be a part of a programme that's continuously improved. We targeted fighting for more than just a top-five finish by the end of the year and we’re very proud to have achieved it.”
Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I have so many emotions today. I finished on the GTD podium last year with this team, Ross and Alex, so to upgrade that to a GTP podium with Valkyrie is fantastic and something I’m very proud to be a part of. It’s been a tough first year with the car and we’ve had ups and downs, but this is a great way to finish that puts us in a good position to head into the winter and look towards 2026. A huge thank you to everybody that’s made this possible.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “What a day! To score the first podium for Valkyrie and finish second at Petit Le Mans is a testament to the hard work everybody’s put in, not just this year, but across the whole project from the group in the UK and the Aston Martin THOR Team here on the ground. The execution was pretty much perfect, and the drivers excelled. It’s been a great year in IMSA for Valkyrie, and I can’t wait for the new season to start at Daytona in January.”
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “Our aim for Motul Petit Le Mans was to finish the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship on a positive note and by scoring the first podium finish for Valkyrie in such a challenging event as this, we’ve certainly achieved that. The variety of circuits and differing race lengths in IMSA make it such a huge challenge for both a racing car manufacturer and a race team. But Valkyrie and Aston Martin THOR Team have faced it head-on with relish, made consistent improvements and now deservedly, Valkyrie, is a podium finishers. To achieve this on pace, rather than circumstance, is incredibly satisfying and a testament not only to the concept behind Valkyrie, but by the way everyone involved in the programme has executed their role. This is another fabulous milestone in the programme and one we can all be extremely proud of.”
