Valkyrie Returns to High-Speed Spa Circuit, Warming Up for Le Mans in FIA World Endurance Championship
Building on momentum from scoring points in the opening WEC season race at Imola, the Aston Martin THOR Team aims for further acceleration with the Valkyrie Hypercar. The renowned high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit serves as an ideal preparation ground for next month's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
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- 📰 Published: May 9, 2026 at 03:59
- 🔍 Collected: May 8, 2026 at 19:32
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Building on momentum from scoring points in the opening WEC season race at Imola, the Aston Martin THOR Team aims for further acceleration with the Valkyrie Hypercar.
The renowned high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit serves as an ideal preparation ground for next month's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
British drivers Harry Tinknell and Tom Gamble are targeting a second consecutive points finish in the Aston Martin Valkyrie No. 007.
Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen return in the Aston Martin Valkyrie No. 009, aiming to demonstrate strength at Spa and achieve a promising start to the season.
The Valkyrie is the only road-legal based hypercar competing in the world's two largest sports car series: the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA.
May 5, 2026, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium):
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off on one of motorsport's most iconic and challenging circuits. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, located in the Ardennes region of Belgium, is 7.004 km long. On Saturday, at the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa, Aston Martin's powerful Valkyrie hypercar will begin its 10th World Championship.
In 2026, this British hypercar enters its second WEC season with Aston Martin's factory team, THOR Team. At the opening race in Imola (April 19), the Valkyrie demonstrated its competitiveness. Having secured consecutive top-10 finishes in Japan and Bahrain, concluding its 2025 WEC debut season, the Valkyrie achieved its third consecutive points finish at Imola.
The first WEC round, originally scheduled for March in Qatar, was postponed and is currently planned for October 22-24. Consequently, the season began later than usual in mid-April in Italy. There, the British duo of Harry Tinknell, a two-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Tom Gamble, a former European Le Mans Series champion, secured a 9th-place finish in the Valkyrie No. 007. This marked the first World Championship points for this pairing with Aston Martin.
Also part of the same team are Alex Riberas (Spain), with numerous victories in WEC and IMSA GT classes, and Marco Sørensen (Denmark), a three-time WEC GT class champion. The pair scored points three times in 2025 (as drivers or manufacturers) and finished 14th in the opening race.
Spa, with its undulating and high-speed layout, will present a different dynamic challenge for the Valkyrie compared to Imola. The inherent high-speed performance of the world's only road-car-based hypercar should be advantageous on this circuit. However, anything can happen at Spa. This historic Belgian circuit is known for its changeable weather, and even a small mistake can lead to significant consequences.
Spa also serves as the final tuning opportunity for Aston Martin THOR ahead of the world's biggest motor race, the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, held on June 13-14. In 1959, Roy Salvadori (UK) and Carroll Shelby (USA), along with the legendary DBR1 racing car, achieved a memorable overall victory for Aston Martin. The Valkyrie aims to add a new victory to this legacy.
The race-spec Valkyrie is a pure racing model of the ultimate road-legal hypercar. It was developed based on the production car by Aston Martin and THOR (The Heart of Racing). It features a race-optimized carbon fiber chassis and a modified 6.5-liter V12 powerplant, capable of revving up to 11,000 rpm and producing over 1,000 bhp in its standard form. However, in accordance with WEC hypercar regulations and IMSA GTP regulations, it adheres to a strict power limit of 500 kW (680 bhp).
The renowned high-speed Spa-Francorchamps circuit serves as an ideal preparation ground for next month's 24 Hours of Le Mans.
British drivers Harry Tinknell and Tom Gamble are targeting a second consecutive points finish in the Aston Martin Valkyrie No. 007.
Alex Riberas and Marco Sørensen return in the Aston Martin Valkyrie No. 009, aiming to demonstrate strength at Spa and achieve a promising start to the season.
The Valkyrie is the only road-legal based hypercar competing in the world's two largest sports car series: the FIA World Endurance Championship and IMSA.
May 5, 2026, Spa-Francorchamps (Belgium):
The FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) kicks off on one of motorsport's most iconic and challenging circuits. The Spa-Francorchamps circuit, located in the Ardennes region of Belgium, is 7.004 km long. On Saturday, at the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa, Aston Martin's powerful Valkyrie hypercar will begin its 10th World Championship.
In 2026, this British hypercar enters its second WEC season with Aston Martin's factory team, THOR Team. At the opening race in Imola (April 19), the Valkyrie demonstrated its competitiveness. Having secured consecutive top-10 finishes in Japan and Bahrain, concluding its 2025 WEC debut season, the Valkyrie achieved its third consecutive points finish at Imola.
The first WEC round, originally scheduled for March in Qatar, was postponed and is currently planned for October 22-24. Consequently, the season began later than usual in mid-April in Italy. There, the British duo of Harry Tinknell, a two-time class winner at the 24 Hours of Le Mans, and Tom Gamble, a former European Le Mans Series champion, secured a 9th-place finish in the Valkyrie No. 007. This marked the first World Championship points for this pairing with Aston Martin.
Also part of the same team are Alex Riberas (Spain), with numerous victories in WEC and IMSA GT classes, and Marco Sørensen (Denmark), a three-time WEC GT class champion. The pair scored points three times in 2025 (as drivers or manufacturers) and finished 14th in the opening race.
Spa, with its undulating and high-speed layout, will present a different dynamic challenge for the Valkyrie compared to Imola. The inherent high-speed performance of the world's only road-car-based hypercar should be advantageous on this circuit. However, anything can happen at Spa. This historic Belgian circuit is known for its changeable weather, and even a small mistake can lead to significant consequences.
Spa also serves as the final tuning opportunity for Aston Martin THOR ahead of the world's biggest motor race, the 94th 24 Hours of Le Mans, held on June 13-14. In 1959, Roy Salvadori (UK) and Carroll Shelby (USA), along with the legendary DBR1 racing car, achieved a memorable overall victory for Aston Martin. The Valkyrie aims to add a new victory to this legacy.
The race-spec Valkyrie is a pure racing model of the ultimate road-legal hypercar. It was developed based on the production car by Aston Martin and THOR (The Heart of Racing). It features a race-optimized carbon fiber chassis and a modified 6.5-liter V12 powerplant, capable of revving up to 11,000 rpm and producing over 1,000 bhp in its standard form. However, in accordance with WEC hypercar regulations and IMSA GTP regulations, it adheres to a strict power limit of 500 kW (680 bhp).