Indianapolis, USA – 8 October 2025 – Aston Martin’s 2025 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship campaign reaches its dramatic conclusion this weekend at the Motul Petit Le Mans, Road Atlanta’s iconic 10-hour endurance classic. The marque arrives with dual ambitions: to cement the impressive debut season of its Valkyrie hypercar while chasing fresh title glory with the proven Vantage GT3.
Valkyrie’s Maiden IMSA Campaign Reaches Its Climax
The Aston Martin THOR Team-run #23 Valkyrie, the only entry derived from a road-going hypercar competing in either IMSA or the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) this year, has enjoyed a landmark first season. Since its debut at the 12 Hours of Sebring in March, the Valkyrie has amassed six top-10 finishes from seven races, including a standout sixth-place overall at Road America in August. Across 3,300 miles of racing at North America’s most celebrated circuits, the hypercar has repeatedly showcased its pace, resilience, and potential for podium contention.
Returning to pilot the #23 car for Petit Le Mans is works WEC driver Alex Riberas (ESP), reuniting with IMSA regulars Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Ross Gunn (GBR). Riberas arrives fresh from a brilliant fifth-place finish in the 6 Hours of Fuji, sharing the #009 Valkyrie with Marco Sørensen. The trio previously combined efforts at Sebring, finishing ninth in the gruelling 12-hour classic.
Developed from its production counterpart by Aston Martin and THOR, the Valkyrie marries a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 engine capable of revving to 11,000 rpm. While the road version produces over 1,000 bhp, the IMSA GTP hypercar adheres to the 500 kW (680 bhp) power limit dictated by regulations.
Team Principal Ian James reflected on the season ahead of the finale: “To step into the GTP class with a brand-new car as conceptually unique as Valkyrie, and to have scored points in every race while sometimes challenging deep into the top ten, proves we belong in this class. Petit Le Mans offers us the opportunity to underline a promising first season with a strong result, and we are fully focused on delivering that this weekend.”
Driver Alex Riberas added: “It’s going to be a brutal 10-hour race, it always is at Petit. There is an extra level of tension being the season finale, but I am looking forward to finishing the IMSA season on a high.”
Vantage GT3 Chases IMSA GTD and Michelin Endurance Cup Titles
Alongside the Valkyrie, Aston Martin’s celebrated Vantage GT3 heads to Road Atlanta with strong championship ambitions. The Heart of Racing THOR Team, defending GTD Pro class honours, sees Casper Stevenson (GBR), Zacharie Robichon (CAN), and Tom Gamble (GBR) contend for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup title, currently trailing the leaders by just three points.
Stevenson, who has already claimed victories at Watkins Glen and podiums in Daytona, Sebring, and Virginia International Raceway, described the season finale as a pivotal test: “Petit Le Mans is one of the stand-out races of the IMSA season. The progress over the last couple of races has been very noticeable and is testament to the hard work everyone has been putting in throughout the year. Hopefully we can end the season on a high.”
Van der Steur Racing, competing only in the five Endurance Cup races in 2025, returns to Petit with Rory van der Steur (USA), Anthony McIntosh (USA), and Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA). Meanwhile, Magnus Racing rejoins the fray with a refreshed line-up featuring John Potter (USA), Spencer Pumpelly (USA), and four-time GT class winner Jan Heylen (BEL).
The Vantage GT3, sharing its bonded aluminium chassis architecture with Aston Martin’s ultra-luxury road car and powered by a 4.0-litre twin-turbo V8, has proven itself as one of the most competitive GT3 machines on the IMSA grid. With dual titles in contention, the Petit Le Mans finale promises high drama and the potential for Aston Martin to cap 2025 with a winning flourish.
A Dual-Front Push for Motorsport Excellence
For Aston Martin, 2025 marks a significant year of dual commitments. The Valkyrie has firmly established the marque in the top echelon of US sportscar racing for the first time since 2011, while the Vantage continues to assert Aston Martin’s GT3 pedigree on the international stage. As the paddock prepares for the 10-hour marathon at Road Atlanta, drivers, engineers, and team principals alike share a singular focus: to translate months of preparation and incremental gains into strong results, and to leave the IMSA season with Aston Martin firmly in the spotlight.
This weekend, at Petit Le Mans, Aston Martin’s pursuit of speed, innovation, and endurance reaches its apex.
