Aston Martin could race the Valkyrie at Le Mans
13th Dec 2017 7:00 am
An adapted version of the road-spec hypercar could race in the 24-hour event if the rules change.
Aston Martin could race an adapted version of the Valkyrie at Le Mans if the regulations are rewritten to allow race-modified versions of hypercars to compete at the top level of the sport, according to CEO Andy Palmer.
Speaking to our sister publication, Autocar UK, Palmer said he had been consulted by motor racing’s governing body, the FIA, on future regulations for sportscar racing.
The sport is currently in a state of flux because Toyota is the only works team confirmed to compete at the top LMP1 level following the withdrawal of Porsche, Audi and Nissan in recent years.
When asked directly if Aston Martin would compete with the Valkyrie if the rules were changed, Palmer said: “Watch this space.”
The Valkyrie is the result of a collaboration between Aston Martin and Red Bull Racing, with the technical design led by renowned Formula 1 designer Adrian Newey. The partners have already confirmed that they will develop a race version with less weight and more power than the road car for a launch in 2020, although it is thought that a sportscar racing version would have to be more extreme again.
The Valkyrie AMR track model, of which just 25 will be made, costs more than £3 million – around £1m more than the standard road Valkyrie – with all cars already sold out. Aston Martin famously won Le Mans outright in 1959, when Carroll Shelby and Roy Salvadori took victory in the Aston Martin DBR1.
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