Aston Martin will run an all-British line-up in one in every of its Valkyrie AMR-LMHs on the Le Mans 24 Hours and throughout the complete World Endurance Championship this season.
The double Le Mans class winner Harry Tincknell, who was introduced as a part of The Coronary heart of Racing Hypercar class line-up final November, might be joined by 2018 McLaren Autosport BRDC Younger Driver Tom Gamble for the complete marketing campaign.
Lengthy-time Aston manufacturing unit driver Ross Gunn will be part of them within the #007 entry for Le Mans in June and different chosen races.
Gamble and Gunn have been revealed on Wednesday together with the complete line-up for Aston’s return to the head of sportscar racing for the primary time since 2011 in each the WEC and North America’s IMSA SportsCar Championship.
The announcement was accompanied by the primary photos of the Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar in its WEC and IMSA liveries.
The complete-season accomplice in #009 for Alex Riberas, who was revealed together with Tincknell final yr, might be Marco Sorensen, a two-time WEC GTE Professional title winner with Aston.
They are going to be joined by Roman De Angelis for Le Mans. De Angelis might be partnered by Gunn for THOR’s single-car IMSA marketing campaign, which kicks off with the Sebring 12 Hours on 15 March.
“Whereas we’re dictated by efficiency, the prospect to subject an all-British automotive at Le Mans was a implausible alternative,” mentioned Adam Carter, head of endurance motorsport at Aston.
“When the names went down on paper and we began to rearrange them, the chance arose.”
Carter acknowledged that each one the drivers along with Gunn and Sorensen have current hyperlinks with Aston and THOR.
Tincknell received the 2020 GTE Professional class at Le Mans in a Vantage GTE and has lengthy been contracted to Multimatic Motorsports, a key accomplice within the Valkyrie programme.
Gamble contested three IMSA long-distance races with THOR in a GT Daytona class Vantage in 2022, whereas Riberas and De Angelis have pushed for the workforce since its first season of competitors in 2020.
Carter confirmed that Gunn and De Angelis will be part of the 2 WEC crews for the season-opening Qatar spherical on 28 February.
He outlined an intent for THOR to contest the common six-hour races, beginning with Imola in April, with two drivers per automotive.
Carter careworn, nonetheless, that the plan might evolve via the season – there is just one conflict between WEC and IMSA.
The V12-powered non-hybrid Valkyrie has to date accomplished upwards of 15,000km (9,000 miles) of testing because it hit the observe in July.
Testing started in Europe earlier than a second automotive got here on stream in North America in October. Carter expressed satisfaction with the mileage undertaken.
“We have now accomplished ample endurance relative to this stage within the programme and we’ll proceed to establish the necessity for additional growth mileage because the programme evolves,” he mentioned.
Requested about Aston’s plans for endurance simulations forward of Le Mans on 14/15 June, he said: “We’re approaching the calls for of doing Le Mans with the mandatory preparation.”
It’s identified that Aston and THOR will stay on the Sebring Worldwide Raceway after spherical two of the IMSA collection to place additional mileage on the Valkyrie.
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Gary Watkins
Le Mans
WEC
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