Aston Martin Valkyrie to Tackle 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans with British Hopes Riding High

Aston Martin Valkyrie Returns to the Sarthe Circuit with Aston Martin THOR Team to Make History in Motorsport

The hypercar Valkyrie aims for an overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans—the first for British luxury high-performance brand Aston Martin since 1959

Mark Cavendish, Aston Martin’s High-Performance Ambassador, to be the Official Starter at the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans

Valkyrie, the only Le Mans hypercar based on a road-legal production model, enters the 2026 race on a winning streak

The Aston Martin THOR team, carrying the hopes of a large British racing fanbase at Le Mans, competes with a special new livery

Car #007 reunites British drivers Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble, and Ross Gunn

Car #009 features three-time FIA WEC GT champion Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas, and Roman De Angelis aiming for their first season points

Valkyrie is the only 'Hypercar' competing in both IMSA and the World Endurance Championship (WEC)—two of the world’s premier sports car series—in 2026

Le Mans, France – June 8, 2026:

This June, Aston Martin returns to the Circuit de la Sarthe—the site of its greatest motorsport glory. The extraordinary hypercar Valkyrie will once again challenge for victory at the 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans, aiming to join the ranks of legendary race winners.

One year after its Le Mans debut and exactly 67 years after Aston Martin’s iconic DBR1 secured overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Roy Salvadori (UK) and Carroll Shelby (USA), the Valkyrie—born as the ultimate road-legal hypercar—returns to contest the top class of the world’s most prestigious endurance race.

The 94th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans will begin on June 13 at 16:00 Central European Time, with the start signal given by Mark Cavendish, Aston Martin’s High-Performance Ambassador and former professional cyclist who holds the record for most stage wins in the Tour de France. A total of 62 cars will take the grid, including two specially liveried Valkyries from Aston Martin’s factory team, THOR. Riding high on strong early-season points finishes at Imola (Italy) and Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium) in the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), the two British-built Valkyries, powered by 6.5-litre V12 engines, head into the season’s most crucial race with hard-earned momentum.

Adrian Hallmark, Chief Executive Officer of Aston Martin, said: "More than a year into Aston Martin’s Hypercar endurance racing program, we can confidently say that the Valkyrie is beginning to show its potential and gaining competitive momentum in the WEC. The 24 Hours of Le Mans is arguably the most important race in international motorsport. Naturally, we feel immense pride in competing in this prestigious 94th edition, carrying the hopes of Britain. The Valkyrie embodies Aston Martin’s uncompromising approach to performance engineering, and the race-spec Valkyrie encapsulates the very spirit of the brand’s founding principles. Le Mans is the perfect stage for the Valkyrie to express its true character."

"Aston Martin’s heritage at Le Mans is a source of pride in every class we enter, and it comes with responsibility to the many fans who travel great distances to support us in France. The Valkyrie has already captured hearts with its thunderous V12 sound and breathtaking silhouette. Thanks to the outstanding work and dedication of our works team partner, The Heart of Racing, we are steadily progressing toward race results worthy of the Aston Martin name—results that will endure in history. We hope this journey continues for many years to come."

The 2026 Le Mans livery for the Valkyrie features the Union Jack on the front splitter, honoring British racing tradition at Le Mans while expressing the pride of Aston Martin THOR as it carries British hopes in the top class of this legendary race.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin’s Endurance Motorsport Director, said: "The spectacle and prestige of the 24 Hours of Le Mans are unparalleled in motorsport. It is only right that Aston Martin stands shoulder-to-shoulder with the world’s greatest sports car manufacturers, all fielding formidable competitors. We are proud to represent British fans and Aston Martin enthusiasts worldwide in this year’s race."

"Aston Martin’s DNA has been shaped in motorsport. Though interrupted at times, we have participated in the 24 Hours of Le Mans for nearly a century. Competing in the top class is only natural. We come with the intention to win. That is our goal, and the reason we are here."

"But as we always say, racing is only worthwhile when your opponents are worthy. And today, the competition has never been stronger. Just as in WEC and IMSA, at Le Mans we have much more to learn compared to our main rivals—some with over a decade of racing experience—and we do not underestimate this at all. For us, learning and competing in the Hypercar class is an ongoing journey. As the team grows, we continue to discover new ways to unlock the platform’s full potential and fight at the front."

The two Aston Martin Valkyries fielded by the factory team The Heart of Racing (THOR) mark Aston Martin’s first factory Hypercar entries in the top class (Hypercar) of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC). The 24 Hours of Le Mans has been part of the WEC series since its inception in 2012.

The Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) version of the Valkyrie, developed by Aston Martin and THOR based on the production model, is the only machine in the WEC’s top category derived from a road-legal hypercar. It is also the only car built under Hypercar regulations competing in both the WEC and the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.