Valkyrie proves itself with Petit Le Mans podium

After its first IMSA WeatherTech GTP podium finish at Petit Le Mans, the V12-powered Aston Martin Valkyrie has taken a huge step forward heading into 2026.

The loudest cheers in victory lane at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta on Saturday night didn’t go to the winners of the 28th Motul Petit Le Mans, but instead, they went to the runners-up.

Because in the last two hours of Petit Le Mans, the No. 23 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyrie AMR-LMH was pushing hard for its first-ever podium, and potentially an upset victory which would have shaken the sports car racing world.

Ross Gunn, Roman de Angelis, and Alex Riberas would finish second behind the winning No. 31 Cadillac Whelen V-Series.R, an incredible achievement in the grand scheme of how the V12-powered Valkyrie’s first season has progressed.

“It's huge for everybody,” Gunn said. The young Englishman really turned heads after sunset when he drove the No. 23 Aston Martin up to the back of the eventual championship-winning No. 6 Porsche Penske Motorsport 963, drawing closer every lap.

That’s a scenario which probably seemed like a fever dream after the Valkyrie spent its first few races in IMSA and the FIA WEC lagging behind the pace of its more tenured and conventional rivals.

“There were a few teething issues, as you expect from a new program, but we worked super hard at the start of the year on the reliability. We didn't really focus on anything performance-wise until after Le Mans.

“Then to be finishing with two cars at Le Mans was a huge, huge achievement for everybody,” he added. “Our aim at the start of the year was to try and achieve that.”

Having two Aston Martin Valkyries finish their first Le Mans 24 Hours was a huge achievement, but as 2025 has wrapped up, the car has pushed further forward: Sixth at the IMSA Road America sprint race, fifth at the WEC 6 Hours of Fuji (following a third-place qualifying run), and now its first IMSA podium.

It was a first podium for th epopular Aston Martin machine. Michael L. Levitt/IMSA

Not bad at all for a car that spent years on the cutting room floor: The Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar was first announced in 2019, then cancelled in February 2020, but revived in October 2023 as The Heart of Racing Team (THOR) stepped up to lead Aston Martin’s renewed commitment to top-tier prototype racing.

“To be honest, it's been a privilege to be a part of something that's been continuously improving. I think for us the main thing was that come the end of the season, we wanted to be fighting for something a bit more than just a fifth or a sixth,” Gunn said.

“I think this weekend is definitely something that we can be proud of, and then hopefully use that going into next year and be fighting for more.”

De Angelis was trusted to drive the final stint. After a quick splash-and-go to top off the Valkyrie’s tank with 50 minutes left, the young Canadian drove forward to take the checkered flag just 5.1 seconds adrift of the winning Cadillac.

“I was told before I got in the car that P3 is where we were fighting based on fuel strategy,” de Angelis recalled. “The No. 31 and the No. 6 were quite a bit ahead of us and had a lot less fuel to put in, so kind of just thought that I was managing P3 and hopefully getting our first podium of the Valkyrie program, which is obviously an exciting day for all of us on the IMSA side as well as the WEC side.

“I don't think I realized until 15 minutes to go that we were kind of in the shot for the win. Obviously, we had a few cars that were locked down between us and the No. 31, which is unfortunate, it would have been fun to at least have a chance to fight.

“But I think based on where we've been all year and the progress that we've made from the start, obviously we're racing against manufacturers that have been in the top category for two or three years now, lots of experience at every track.

“It's been a tough year from our position, but I think if you’d have told me this morning that we were going to be second, I probably would have laughed. Not because the effort wasn't there, but just based off Indy, which was a pretty hard weekend for all of us – I mean, to be second in our first season at Petit Le Mans, which is normally one of the hardest races of the season, is pretty special. So honored to be a part of that.”

The Valkyrie was greeted warmly upon its arrival, with its striking appearance and incredible naturally-aspirated V12 engine note. And as the season’s gone on, it’s become more than just an audiovisual spectacle, but a genuinely capable car that will be one to watch in its first Rolex 24 At Daytona run in January.