Report: Aston Martin cancels plans for Valkyrie Le Mans entry
Rumours suggest development of a WEC racing version of the Valkyrie hypercar has ended
Aston Martin is reportedly set to announce its withdrawal from the World Endurance Championship’s new hypercar class, in which it had planned enter a racing version of the 1160bhp Valkyrie.
According to motorsport website Racer.com, the decision has been made to cancel development of the Valkyrie racing project, which was being readied as a competitor to the Toyota GR Super Sport, a new Peugeot hypercar and potentially entrants from Lamborghini and Porsche in the new top-rung endurance category, which replaces the LMP1 class.
Autocar reached out to Aston Martin for confirmation, but a company representative declined to comment. Racer claims an official announcement is imminent.
Aston’s exit from the hypercar category leaves reigning Le Mans champion Toyota as the sole manufacturer to have confirmed its entry for the 2020/2021 season. Peugeot has announced an intention to race in 2022, while American manufacturer Glickenhaus plans to compete with its new SCG007 racer from 2021 onwards.
It remains to be seen if the FIA racing body, which oversee the World Endurance Championship, will reconsider the launch date for the new class.
Rumours of the racing Valkyrie’s cancellation come amid a significant shake-up at Aston Martin. Last month, Lawrence Stroll, owner of the Racing Point Formula 1 team, took a 16.7% stake in the sports car manufacturer for £182 million, prompting the firm to radically overhaul its future product plan.
*Billionaire Stroll takes major stake in Aston Martin*
In the wake of the investment, Aston reaffirmed its commitment to launching the road-going Valkyrie this year, and just today (18 February) released images and video of prototypes being tested by F1 drivers Max Verstappen and Alexander Albon.
The Valkyrie is the result of a joint venture between Aston Martin and Red Bull Advanced Technologies, which will be maintained “until Aston Martin Valkyrie is delivered”. It is unclear if the withdrawal from WEC is linked to Stroll’s investment.
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