Vantage in hunt for success at legendary US venues at Watkins Glen and Pikes Peak

Following its first appearance at the world’s most prestigious motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, last weekend, the spectacular new Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar continues its strong debut season in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA), at Watkins Glen International (NY) on Sunday.

The Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen is not only a round of the regular IMSA season, but also counts towards the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup. The five-event miniseries comprises all IMSA races of six hours’ duration or longer – and is the second Valkyrie will have contested having finished in the top 10 on its series debut at the Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring in March.

Valkyrie’s debut US campaign, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team, has so far been coloured by robust reliability. The British ultra-luxury high performance brand’s all-new Valkyrie has achieved encouraging top-10 results in each of the four races including a pair of eighth-place finishes on the street circuits at Long Beach (CA), and Detroit (MI).

Drivers Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Ross Gunn (GBR), both have enviable records at the circuit. Gunn has two GTD Pro class wins at the track plus two further podiums in five starts while De Angelis was victorious in his GTD title-winning season in 2022 and has finished on the podium on a further two occasions.

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, having made its debut in the Qatar 1812km in February.

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 (680bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations. Valkyrie positions 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.

Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie, says: “I’m super-excited to get to Watkins Glen. For me it’s one of the most enjoyable events of the year, purely because the track is exhilarating to drive and in general, we have always been very successful there with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. This year we take the Valkyrie there for the first time.

“We had a successful test there recently and our aim is to keep fighting up the order and become more competitive. At that time of the year weather can throw a spanner in the works, so we need to be on top of everything from an operational side and make sure we make the most of any opportunity we can get.

“Bring on the second half of the season!” Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie, said: “Watkins Glen is always a race I look forward to, but that is especially the case this year as we take the Aston Martin Valkyrie there for the first time.

“We had a promising test there a few weeks back, so we’re once again looking to continue building from that and making steps forward up the grid.” Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team, said: “The Aston Martin Valkyrie has proven robust everywhere we have raced it, and in IMSA it’s been a points-scorer from every start it has made in the championship so far. We’re still learning so much about the car and so every lap is a lesson.

“That said, we’re going to a track that suited Valkyrie well in testing and there is no reason to believe we will not be more competitive at Watkins Glen than we were in Detroit last time out.” Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport, commented: “With four races complete, Watkins Glen International represents the halfway point of Valkyrie’s first season in IMSA.

“We’ve seen gathered critical data so far on circuits as wide-ranging as Laguna Seca and Long Beach, but Watkins Glen is a traditional North American sportscar track in the mould of most of the remaining circuits on the schedule. This means that this weekend’s race should generate relevant learnings that we can apply directly to the car’s performance for the rest of the season.

“The reception to Valkyrie in the USA has been fantastic so far and a real indication of the global appeal of Aston Martin in a country that has such a rich automotive heritage of its own. After four encouraging race results so far, I’m looking forward to seeing what Valkyrie and the Aston Martin THOR Team can achieve this weekend.”

Aston Martin is set to battle for victory in the GTD category as the latest iteration of the ultra-luxury performance brand’s most successful racing car – the Vantage GT3 – is fielded by The Heart of Racing (THOR), Van der Steur Racing and Magnus Racing. Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa – the world’s most prestigious GT3-only event – is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Watkins Glen International is a happy hunting ground for Vantage and the THOR team in past years. It was at the circuit in upstate New York where the team enjoyed one of its finest achievements; a magnificent double win in the GTD Pro and GTD classes in 2022; the latter kick-starting a run of four podium finishes in the final six races that would yield both a famous Teams’ Championship success as well as the Drivers’ title for Roman De Angelis (CAN).

These were Aston Martin’s first IMSA titles.This weekend the #27 Vantage GT3 will be driven by Casper Stevenson (GBR) – who is currently fourth in the drivers’ points standings – Tom Gamble (GBR) and Zacharie Robichon (CAN), the 2021 GTD champion.

As this weekend’s event is the third of five races that make up the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, Van der Steur Racing returns with the Vantage GT3 which the GTD newcomer used to finish an impressive sixth on debut at the Rolex 24 Hours of Daytona in January. Rory van der Steur (USA) and Anthony McIntosh (USA) are joined in the #19 Vantage by Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA), the 2023 Le Mans Cup LMGT3 champion.

Another successful Aston Martin partner, Magnus Racing, returns to action after a self-imposed hiatus following this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona. Team owner John Potter (USA) will be joined on the driving strength by regular teammate Spencer Pumpelly, and for the first time, Aston Martin’s most successful works driver Marco Sørensen (DEN).

Another legendary North American venue plays host to Vantage this weekend as the Broadmoor Pikes Peak International Hill Climb takes place in Colorado, USA. First held in 1916, the 12.42-mile ascent has featured some of motorsport’s most iconic figures; the immense challenge of the 156-turn, 1,440m climb, known as the ‘Race to the Clouds’ has captured the imagination of competitors from across the globe.

Aston Martin will be represented at Pikes Peak for the first time with a Vantage GT4 to be raced by Steve Wetterau (USA). The circuit racer is making his event debut aboard the #85 entry in the Pikes Peak GT4 Trophy by Yokohama class.