Aston Martin Valkyrie to debut at COTA in FIA WEC with THOR Team

Aston Martin Valkyrie debuts at Circuit of the Americas in FIA WEC, THOR Team drivers Gamble, Tincknell, Riberas, Sorensen aim for top ten finish in Austin.

Aston Martin is set for a landmark weekend in Texas as the Valkyrie makes its debut at the Circuit of the Americas during the six-hour Lone Star Le Mans. The race coincides with the brand’s 75th anniversary in the Americas, adding symbolic weight to its FIA World Endurance Championship campaign.

The Aston Martin THOR Team will field two Valkyries: the #007 car driven by British pairing Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell, and the #009 by Spain’s Alex Riberas and Denmark’s Marco Sørensen. For Gamble, it will be his first race at COTA, while Riberas describes the event as a homecoming, having previously lived in Austin.

From a technical standpoint, the Valkyrie stands out. Its 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in road form, but in Hypercar competition it runs under a 500kW (680bhp) cap. Aston Martin remains the only manufacturer competing with a road-derived hypercar across both WEC and IMSA.

Recent months have shown steady progress. Both cars completed the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 12th and 14th, achieved a strong top-ten finish at Road America, and delivered improved qualifying runs in São Paulo. At COTA, the team is targeting a first top-ten WEC finish, and drivers believe the track’s long straights and flowing sections could play to the Valkyrie’s strengths.

The historical backdrop adds another layer. Last year, on this very circuit, the Heart of Racing—now the backbone of the THOR programme—took its first WEC win in the LMGT3 class. This time, ambitions lie in breaking into the points consistently in the Hypercar category.

Team Principal Ian James stresses the importance of incremental progress and flawless execution, while Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter, points to the reliability already proven by the car and the growing understanding of its potential. Austin could well be the stage where Aston Martin confirms its long-term vision in endurance racing.