Aston Martin Valkyrie Makes History in IMSA: First LMH Car to Score at Sebring
The Aston Martin Valkyrie continued its remarkable debut season by becoming the first car built to ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) regulations to compete in an IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA) race, and the first to score points. In Saturday’s Mobil 1 12 Hours of Sebring – the second round of the 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship – the #23 Valkyrie from the Aston Martin THOR Team delivered a strong North American race debut. Driven by Ross Gunn (GBR), Roman De Angelis (CDN) and Alex Riberas (ESP), it secured ninth place on what many consider one of the world’s most challenging endurance circuits.
As the first LMH car produced by Aston Martin, and the only one in IMSA’s premier GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar, Valkyrie performed consistently throughout the 73rd running of this prestigious event to claim its inaugural points finish in only its second competitive appearance.
This achievement follows Valkyrie’s completion of the eight-hour Qatar 1812km race just two weeks earlier, when it successfully made the finish on its FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) debut with De Angelis, Riberas and Marco Sørensen (DEN). Valkyrie remains the only LMH-regulation car contesting IMSA and WEC, highlighting the programme’s ambitious global scope.
Renowned for its punishing, bumpy surface, Sebring ranks among the most demanding challenges in world endurance motorsport. After qualifying 12th in Florida, Valkyrie ran smoothly throughout, climbing as high as sixth place and consistently battling against cars boasting years of development.
“This was a satisfying performance from Valkyrie and fully demonstrates the programme’s steady progress with each lap,” said Aston Martin Head of Endurance, Adam Carter. “Sebring is famous for its ability to break cars, yet we believed in Valkyrie’s capability to go the full distance. The fact it did so with minimal issues is a credit to everyone on the programme and a clear indicator of the car’s inherent potential. We are in the early stages of our journey with Valkyrie, and while improvements will come, we have already learned an enormous amount that we can apply ahead of the next race at Long Beach.”
Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, this competition version combines a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant. Although it can produce more than 1000bhp in standard form and rev up to 11,000rpm, current LMH regulations limit power to 500kW (680bhp).
Valkyrie’s presence elevates Aston Martin to the top tier of US sportscar racing for the first time since 2011, when the marque secured five outright victories and seven podiums in the American Le Mans Series.
Ross Gunn, driver of the #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie, said: “Everyone on the team did a superb job to reach the end of what may be the toughest race in the world. We overcame a few hurdles, but Alex and Roman put in excellent stints. We stayed out of trouble, and the Valkyrie ran strongly throughout.”
Also in the #23 Valkyrie, Roman De Angelis added: “It was an emotional rollercoaster and one of the hardest races I’ve experienced. It was physically demanding from start to finish. I’m proud of The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin for bringing Valkyrie home. We built on what we learned in Qatar and made excellent progress here, which makes me eager for Long Beach.”
Alex Riberas, driver of the #23 Valkyrie, commented: “It feels incredible. Our expectations were modest because we knew Sebring would be one of our most difficult tests in such a new car. We never imagined we could finish, let alone secure a top-ten result. I’m thrilled and proud of the entire team at The Heart of Racing and Aston Martin. This is only the beginning.”
Ian James, Team Principal of the Aston Martin THOR Team, remarked: “We hoped for a top-ten finish, and we achieved exactly that. We outpaced some outstanding competitors, and completing 12 hours at Sebring represents a huge step forward for this programme. Every lap increases our knowledge, and we will return stronger every time.”
