Now, 12 months on, the team returns to the evocative, iconic venue, set in the foothills of Mount Fuji, on a run of eight consecutive points finishes. At least one Valkyrie has finished in the points in every FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] round since Fuji last year.
This outstanding run of form, which culminated in its best race yet – at the Circuit of The Americas, in Austin, TX, three weeks ago – where British duo Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell finished less than three seconds behind the podium positions in fourth place. Having also missed out on pole position by fractions of a second, this strong form means that Aston Martin finds itself in a pitched battle with Alpine for fifth place in FIA Hypercar World Endurance Manufacturers’ Championship.
Gamble, a former European Le Mans Series champion, and Tincknell, a double 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, are on an extraordinary run of consistency of their own with #007 Valkyrie and are now one of only two driver crews in WEC to have finished in the points in all five rounds of the eight-race schedule so far in 2026.
Meanwhile their team-mates, multiple WEC and IMSA GT class race-winner Riberas, and triple WEC GT champion Sørensen, who claimed their first points of 2026 in the 6 Hours of São Paulo in July, will be seeking to repeat their extraordinary performance last time they raced at Fuji with perhaps an even more positive result.
The competition variant of Valkyrie – the pure racing expression of the world’s ultimate road-going hypercar – is developed from its production sibling by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing [THOR] and 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 the WEC’s hypercar rulebook and IMSA’s GTP regulations.
Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Always enjoy going to Fuji. Japan is a fantastic country, it has such a different culture but it is so cool to experience it. We’re coming off the back of one of the best weekends we’ve had with the #007, with a P4 in qualifying and again in the race. We’ve shown with our pace in practice and again in the race that we can fight at the front. When I look back to last year we were strong as a team in Fuji and the car was running near the front. I think that shows that with the improvements we’ve made that, on paper, it should be a strong track for the Valkyrie. This is a good opportunity for us to gain more points.”
Tom Gamble, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I’m really excited to be going back to Fuji. We’re coming off the back of our equal best race result in the championship, at COTA and we narrowly missed out on our first podium. That has only made us more determined to achieve a good result in Japan. It’s going to be a fun race and with the track being one that suited our car last year, I’m really looking forward to seeing what we can do with Valkyrie this time.”
Alex Riberas, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Looking forward to bouncing back on the #009 side of the garage at Fuji after Austin. This race presents a great opportunity for us. We were fifth in the race last year, our first points for the Valkyrie in the programme. We have so many good memories already and we have a foundation for us to build upon when we get to Japan. I see no reason why we shouldn’t be competitive and that makes me excited.”
Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Obviously looking to Fuji, as I have said many times before, Japan has a special place in my heart. I love coming to Japan and seeing the fans, they are very passionate. With the pace that we had last year, I obviously hope we can do the same this year, when it comes to that. Let’s see what we can do, but if all goes well, I know that the car and the team are capable of a good result.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “We came away happy with our performance from COTA, last time out. To be so close to pole position, and just a fraction away from a podium finish after six hours of racing, speaks volumes about how far we have come as a team, and how much our understanding of Valkyrie has progressed as a platform in 18 months. Fuji, last year, was a breakthrough event for us, and some of that was how the car behaved on the circuit. We’d like to be able to recreate that level of competitiveness this weekend. But we cannot be complacent, the championship and our rivals have moved on considerably in the last 12 months and it will take our very best efforts and performance to achieve a similar result this weekend.”
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “As I said after COTA, our recent results are a demonstration of how much further along we are in understanding how to get the most out of Valkyrie. But one weekend is not the same as the next and while we have come a long way in 12 months, we cannot assume that we will be as fast as we were last year, or even last month. Especially when you take into consideration the level of the championship and the competition we face. That said Valkyrie’s consistency has been rewarded with an extraordinary run of points finishes, especially with the #007 car, and our focus is very much on achieving similar this weekend, and to assist the #009 in building on its own points tally for the season.”
Aston Martin Vantage on peak form ahead of 6 Hours of Fuji
Vantage aiming for eighth win at Fuji Speedway
Aston Martin’s most successful racing car, Vantage, returns to Fuji Speedway for the 6 Hours of Fuji, Round 6 of the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC]. The 2.835-mile circuit has consistently proved to be a triumphant stomping ground for Aston Martin, which returns to action in Fuji after a glittering performance in the Lone Star Le Mans at the Circuit of The Americas [COTA], where it locked out the LMGT3 class front row, won the race, with another Aston Martin also finishing third.
That latest victory, for Aston Martin Racing partner the Heart of Racing Team, ensures that through five iterations, spanning more than 13 seasons, the glorious Vantage has now claimed 54 GT class victories – the second highest of any manufacturer. It has won races in every WEC class it has contested (LMGTE Pro, LMGTE Am and LMGT3), and with every version of Vantage that Aston Martin has introduced.
Vantage has also claimed 73 class pole positions, including the last three, which is a consecutive record in the LMGT3 class, and a high watermark for the THOR team.
Team principal Ian James, who claimed his second career WEC victory in COTA, will be joined in the #27 THOR Vantage GT3 by regular co-drivers Mattia Drudi (ITA), the double 24 Hours of Le Mans pole-winner, and former IMSA GTD champion Zach Robichon (CAN), who both celebrated a maiden win in WEC. The trio’s victory means they have now amassed 44 points in FIA Endurance Trophy for LMGT3 Drivers, and trail the leader by 32 points, with 78 available from the last three rounds (25 are awarded for victory, with another for pole).
Even closer to the points leader are Gray Newell (USA) and Jonny Adam (GBR), who form two thirds of THOR’s other ultra-strong Aston Martin Vantage GT3 line-up. They are joined in the sister #23 by Dudu Barrichello (BRA).
With two consecutive pole positions and two third places in three races, Newell (who makes his Fuji debut this weekend) and Adam have scored 49 points putting them well within striking distance of second place in the standings this weekend, and very much still in the title hunt. Barrichello, who missed Spa-Francorchamps and São Paulo because of IMSA commitments, is on 46 points and is eighth overall, one place in front of the #27 crew.
The Vantage GT3 shares the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car and is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
How to follow
The 6 Hours of Fuji will begin at 1100 local time (0300 BST) on Sunday, 27 September. Final practice, qualifying and the race will be broadcast live on FIAWEC+ online with a choice of English or French-language commentary and via selected broadcasters at a national level.
