Aston Martin Valkyrie Returns to Road America for IMSA Endurance Grand Prix

Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar returns to Road America for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship 6-hour Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is set to compete at Road America this weekend, from July 31 to August 2, as the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship nears its conclusion. Only three races remain in the GTP Class schedule. The Valkyrie, fielded by the Aston Martin THOR Team, aims to build on its recent success in the 6 Hours of São Paulo, where both cars scored FIA World Endurance Championship points for the first time. The team now targets a strong finish in North America's top sportscar series.

Key Highlights

• Aston Martin Valkyrie returns to Road America for the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
• Valkyrie achieved top-ten finishes in five of six IMSA races this season.
• The Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix adopts a six-hour format for the first time in modern IMSA.
• Valkyrie is the only road-legal hypercar-derived entry in IMSA's GTP category.

IMSA Endurance Race Details

The Motul Sportscar Endurance Grand Prix, round eight of the 11-race IMSA series, features a new six-hour format this year. This is the first time in modern IMSA history that the race near Elkhart Lake will last six hours, echoing the event's origins in the 1950s. The race is not only part of the regular IMSA season but also serves as the penultimate round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC). The IMEC includes five long-distance events, each lasting six hours or more, and concludes with the Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta on October 3.

Valkyrie’s Performance and Team Progress

The Aston Martin THOR Team has achieved notable improvements in the Valkyrie’s U.S. campaign compared to its 2025 debut season. The Valkyrie has finished in the top ten in five of the six races it has entered this year. GTP cars do not participate in two races on the calendar. Notable results include an eighth-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca and a sixth-place qualifying result at the same venue. Since its competition debut at Sebring in 2025, the Valkyrie has secured 12 top-ten finishes from 15 starts.

Drivers Roman De Angelis from Canada and Ross Gunn from Great Britain have played key roles in the Valkyrie’s progress. The car achieved a sixth-place finish during its Road America debut in 2025, marking one of its most competitive performances. Both drivers have significant experience at Road America. Gunn previously won in the GTD Pro class with the Aston Martin Vantage, while De Angelis has also claimed victories at the circuit in other GT series with the Vantage.

Technical Features and Racing Milestones

The Aston Martin Valkyrie is the first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) produced by the brand and the only car in IMSA’s GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. It is also the first LMH car to compete in IMSA and the only one racing in both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship simultaneously.

Developed by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition version of the Valkyrie uses a race-optimized carbon fibre chassis and a modified 6.5-litre V12 engine. The engine revs up to 11,000 rpm and produces over 1000 bhp in standard form. However, it complies with hypercar regulations, limiting power output to 500 kW (680 bhp).