Aston Martin Valkyrie Eyes Watkins Glen After Le Mans Top-10 Finish

Aston Martin heads to Watkins Glen International this weekend with renewed confidence after the Valkyrie secured its first top-10 finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. The upcoming Sahlen’s Six Hours of The Glen marks the next challenge for the manufacturer’s expanding GTP program as the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship resumes competition.

The six-hour event also serves as the third round of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, which features the championship’s longest endurance races. Earlier this season, the Aston Martin Valkyrie recorded top-10 finishes at both the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Twelve Hours of Sebring, continuing its steady rise in IMSA competition.

Following its debut campaign in 2025, the factory THOR team has made consistent gains throughout the 2026 season. The Valkyrie enters Watkins Glen on the back of five consecutive top-10 finishes in IMSA, including an eighth-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca. The team also achieved its strongest qualifying result so far by securing sixth place on the starting grid.

The driver lineup brings valuable experience at Watkins Glen. Ross Gunn has enjoyed considerable success at the New York circuit with two GTD Pro victories and two additional podium finishes across six appearances. Roman De Angelis also boasts a winning record at the venue after claiming victory during his 2022 GTD championship season and adding two more podium finishes in later races.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie remains unique among the IMSA GTP field as the only competitor derived from a road-legal hypercar. It is also Aston Martin’s first Le Mans Hypercar and currently the only LMH model competing full-time in both the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the FIA World Endurance Championship.

Jointly developed by Aston Martin and THOR from the production Valkyrie, the race car retains the naturally aspirated 6.5-liter V12 engine capable of revving to 11,000 rpm. Although the road-going version delivers more than 1,000 horsepower, Hypercar regulations in IMSA and the WEC limit output to 500 kW, or 680 horsepower. Combined with a dedicated carbon-fiber endurance racing chassis, the package has become increasingly competitive as the season has progressed.

Following its encouraging performance at Le Mans, Aston Martin now turns its attention to Watkins Glen, where another strong finish would further demonstrate the progress achieved by the Valkyrie program during its second season of top-level prototype racing.