Heart of Racing Locks in Valkyrie LMH Lineups

Photo: Aston Martin

Heart of Racing Team and Aston Martin have confirmed the remaining drivers for its Valkyrie AMR-LMH effort, with Tom Gamble, Marco Sorensen, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis all joining the program.

The Aston Martin Valkyrie AMR-LMH will make its global competition debut at the FIA World Endurance Championship season opener in Qatar on Feb. 28, followed by a maiden IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship outing at the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring in March.

Gamble and Sorensen join the previously confirmed Harry Tincknell and Alex Riberas as full-season drivers in WEC.

Tincknell and Gamble will team up at the wheel of the No. 007 car, while the No. 009 machine will see Sorensen and Riberas share driving duties.

In the WeatherTech Championship, meanwhile, Gunn and De Angelis will share the No. 23 car, which will run in the GTP class.

The two drivers will then complement the team’s lineup for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June, with Gunn joining the driving crew for the No. 007 Aston Martin while De Angelis slots into the sister car.

Additionally, Aston Martin head of endurance motorsport Adam Carter confirmed to reporters that it is the “current intent” for the same lineups to be in place for the Qatar 1812km later this month.

Who will fill the role for the third driver for the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup rounds remains to be determined, according to Carter.

“We’ve got Qatar, which is ahead of us now,” he said. “We have time to review in order to make sure the program puts its best foot forward.

“It’s the best way to operate the race program, to have a plan but also to stay live to adaption.”

The entries in both WEC and the WeatherTech Championship will operate under the Aston Martin THOR Team banner, with the Ian James-led Heart of Racing outfit set to take on operational duties in both championships.

“For anybody that’s been involved in sports car racing, to be running a car at the premier level with Aston Martin, and a car which is widely accepted as one of the most beautiful in the world – the only one that is the genuine progeny of a road car – is a real honor,” said James.

“To be entrusted with this program is most definitely a career highlight.”

The Valkyrie AMR-LMH was developed with input from Aston Martin Performance Technologies (AMPT), based out of the brand’s technology campus located adjacent to the Silverstone circuit.

Initial running took place at Silverstone and Donington in July last year, with the test program that followed going on to cover 15,000 kilometers (9,320 miles) at Vallelunga, Jerez, Bahrain International Circuit, Lusail International Circuit, Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta, Sebring International Raceway and Daytona International Speedway

“You can always be further up the road, but I’m happy with how the program has progressed and with the reliability we have shown,” said James.

“The whole team, from design to AMPT, from the manufacturing element to the race team, I couldn’t be happier in terms with how everything is integrated.”

Liveries for the program were also revealed, with the WEC car decked out in Aston Martin’s trademark green while the single-car WeatherTech Championship effort will retain the blue color scheme that has been a feature of Heart of Racing’s GT racing efforts in recent years.

Image: Aston Martin

Image: Aston Martin