Heart of Racing Completes Initial Test With Updated Valkyrie

Photo: Aston Martin

Heart of Racing Team completed an initial test with a development version of the Aston Martin Valkyrie ahead of planned Evo joker updates to the car for next year.

Ross Gunn and Harry Tincknell handled driving duties on Wednesday at Silverstone, in what was billed as a “comprehensive test” for the 6.5-liter V12-powered LMH-based prototype.

While specifics on the potential upgrades were not disclosed, the British manufacturer stated they assessed a “wide range of technical items” in order to evaluate the “future performance direction” of the car.

“This was a significant day for Valkyrie,” said Heart of Racing team principal Ian James.

“Some of the developments we tried today will fuel our thinking as we consider the technical direction we go next with Valkyrie.

“We have been able to evaluate lots of areas of performance on the car, so Silverstone has proved an interesting place to challenge ideas.

“There’s more to come, and I think it gives us reasons to be excited about what might be next for Valkyrie.”

As first reported by Sportscar365 in June, the car, which has yet to take any of the five available jokers that expire at the end of the 2027 FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship seasons, will be pursuing updates for next year.

Photos released by Aston Martin show notable aero changes, particularly at the rear of the car, which included an elongated rear wing endplate and re-profiled bodywork.

The updates would come ahead of the car’s third season in top-level prototype competition.

“We’ve been happy with Valkyrie’s performance characteristics in the first two seasons of competition,” said Aston Martin’s Head of Endurance Motorsport, Adam Carter.

“We’ve repeatedly said that we’ve entered an arena with a high level of formidable adversaries that are also several years further down the development track than us.

“So, we are now beginning to explore new areas of performance that we may gain through developing the base car, now that we understand its characteristics that much better after 18 months of racing it.

“We’re right at the beginning of that journey and this was a useful and informative start to that development process.”

The test also offered the team and manufacturer valuable mileage at Silverstone ahead of the WEC’s return to the iconic British circuit next April.

“We very much welcome Silverstone back to the calendar,” added Carter.

“It is not only the home of Aston Martin and British motorsport, but also the perfect opportunity for some of the best fans in the world to experience the raw and visceral joy that is the Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar.

“They have waited a long time to see Valkyrie competing at the highest level on British soil, and they deserve to be thoroughly entertained. We will do our best to contribute to that experience.”

Aston Martin the latest manufacturer to test proposed updates to its prototype machinery for next year, joining Ferrari and Peugeot, which both broke cover late last month.

It’s understood that both BMW and Cadillac will also likely be pursuing updates for next year.

Photo: Aston Martin

Photo: Aston Martin

Photo: Aston Martin

Photo: Aston Martin

John Dagys

John Dagys is the founder and Editor-in-Chief of Sportscar365. Dagys spent eight years as a motorsports correspondent for FOXSports.com and SPEED Channel and has contributed to numerous other motorsports publications worldwide. Contact John