Aston Martin’s pioneering Valkyrie race programme, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, achieved second place in last year’s 10-hour race, narrowly missing out on a maiden win. Now, 12 months on, the team seeks to emulate that performance, aided by a real sense of momentum through the second half of the 2026 campaign.
Following another excellent showing in Round 6 of the FIA World Endurance Championship [WEC] in the 6 Hours of Fuji, in Japan last weekend, where the works Aston Martin THOR Team once again narrowly missed out on Valkyrie’s first pole position, and then went on to lead the race, Valkyrie returns to IMSA where it also carries strong competitive momentum.
The British ultra-luxury high-performance brand’s Valkyrie has finished in the top 10 in six of the eight races run so far this season, including fifth at Road America (having run second on the road) and two eighth-place finishes. This means that since making its IMSA competition debut at Sebring in 2025, Valkyrie has finished in the top ten 14 times from 16 starts.
In its previous IMSA race, at Indianapolis, regular-season drivers Ross Gunn (GBR) and Roman De Angelis (CAN) were challenging in the top five when contact with another car delayed the #23 Valkyrie’s progress. The crew recovered to finish eighth. This weekend they will be joined by Alex Riberas (ESP), fresh from his second WEC points finish of the season, where he and teammate Marco Sørensen finished ninth.
The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in IMSA’s premier GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. The British contender is also the first LMH car of any kind to compete in IMSA, and the only one contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) simultaneously.
Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition version 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 (671bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations.
Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I’m sure I’m not the only Aston Martin THOR Team member excited to return to the event where Valkyrie scored its first podium. The last few events have been frustrating, but they have only increased our motivation to secure a result for the team. We are looking forward to ending the IMSA season strongly.”
Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “Heading to Atlanta to complete the IMSA season always feels special. The Petit Le Mans race is one of the most important events for both the team and the drivers, and it’s incredible to put Valkyrie through its paces in front of a capacity crowd. This was also the scene of our first podium with the car, and we are pushing to go one better this year!”
Alex Riberas, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I’m very excited about Petit Le Mans. It’s obviously the only race where Valkyrie has finished on the podium so far, and even though it’s been a bit of a tough season for our IMSA team so far, what a perfect place it would be for us to turn the year around and deliver another strong result in Atlanta. I think the car can be competitive there and we know how to race, how to operate and how to execute that race to achieve a good result. We are going to give it all we have to finish the season on a high.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “At Petit Le Mans, the key is to make sure you’re on the lead lap when the sun goes down, then when the final hours of the race come about, you’re in a position to take advantage of whatever strategic possibilities the race offers up. We’ve had some bad luck recently, but we’ve also seen that if we can execute without error and focus on maximising any possibilities, Valkyrie should be in position to make the most of the chances that come our way.”
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “Valkyrie ran well at Road Atlanta in 2025 and given the progress we have made in understanding the car over the past 12 months, there is no reason to expect that it can’t do so again. But of course, we are up against tough opposition with considerably more experience of the championship, the circuit and these cars than we have and they will also have improved. We will bring all our focus to bear to ensure Valkyrie has the best chance possible to end the season on a high.”
Vantage takes IMSA title showdown to the wire in Petit Le Mans
The Heart of Racing Team heads to IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale as a GTD title contender for sixth consecutive year
THOR racer Dudu Barrichello aims to conclude first full IMSA season as IMSA GTD class drivers’ champion
Tom Gamble and Zach Robichon return to the #27 THOR Vantage alongside Barrichello fresh from 6 Hours of Fuji last weekend
Car Blanche adds works driver Mattia Drudi to an impressive GTD Pro entry that includes Marco Sørensen and Valentin Hasse Clot
YRB Racing’s Car Blanche to step up to GTD Pro full-time in 2027
Magnus Racing returns to the GTD class with Vantage for season finale
Aston Martin Vantage, the most successful racing car in the British luxury performance brand’s history, returns to the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship finale – the Motul Petit Le Mans – as a class title contender for the sixth consecutive season, at Road Atlanta this weekend.
Aston Martin Racing partner, the Heart of Racing Team, which claimed Aston Martin’s only IMSA GTD class championship title with Roman De Angelis (CAN) in 2022, once again heads into the finale with a realistic chance of winning the class season honours.
IMSA full-season rookie Dudu Barrichello (BRA) starts the weekend third in the GTD drivers’ standings, 116 points off the leaders with 385 points on offer if he can achieve pole position and the race victory. It’s the same points story for THOR, which lies third in the teams’ standings, while in the manufacturers’ points table, Aston Martin is second, 94 points off the leaders with again 385 points available for pole and win.
Barrichello is joined by works Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie driver Tom Gamble (GBR), his full-season partner, while Zach Robichon (CAN), who claimed pole position for the team at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona, returns for the final long-distance race of the season.
THOR is joined in the GTD class by AMR partner team Magnus Racing, which finished runner-up in the GTD class of the Rolex 24 and has contested the five-round IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup [IMEC] in 2026. The team will run regular drivers John Potter (USA), Spencer Pumpelly (USA) and double IMSA GTD champion Mario Farnbacher (GER), in search of its maiden Petit Le Mans win, having finished on the podium twice.
Works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA) will make his Petit Le Mans debut this weekend with the exciting new YRB Racing Aston Martin Vantage, entered in the GTD Pro class this weekend as the #68 Car Blanche Vantage GT3.
The team, which has finished twice on the podium in the GTD class, makes another GTD Pro appearance ahead of its full-time step up in 2027. Car Blanche fields an ultra-strong works line-up that also includes Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA) and three-time FIA World Endurance GT champion Marco Sørensen (DEN).
At the penultimate round of the series in Indianapolis two weeks ago, Car Blanche also became the first confirmed entry for the 2027 IMSA series, with a GTD Pro entry for Sørensen and Hasse Clot.
“Petit Le Mans always provides an exciting end to the IMSA season,” said Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, “and thanks to the competitive nature of Vantage, Aston Martin and the Heart of Racing Team – which was champion in 2022 – have been title contenders going into the weekend for the past six years. The team has shown time and again that they are capable of rising to the occasion, and we wish them well in their title endeavours. Aston Martin is also pleased to welcome the return of Magnus Racing this weekend. YRB Racing has set an impressive record since joining the Aston Martin ranks, and we applaud its ambitious approach to racing in the GTD Pro category. In Mattia, Marco and Valentin the team boasts a world-class GT line-up, and we have every faith they will not only shine this weekend but will also mount a strong challenge for GTD Pro honours in 2027 when they step up to the class full-time.”
All three partner teams, THOR, Car Blanche and Magnus Racing, have contributed to the tally of six podium finishes so far in 2026, including second and third in GTD at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3 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 Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta will begin at 1210 local time (1710 BST) on Saturday, 3 October, 2026. It will be broadcast live on NBC and Peacock in the US. Outside the US it will be live on IMSA.tv, the IMSA YouTube channel and via selected broadcasters in individual markets.
