Aston Martin Valkyrie continues IMSA campaign trail at iconic Watkins Glen International

• Aston Martin Valkyrie’s IMSA Weathertech SportsCar Championship programme reaches midpoint at Watkins Glen International
• Following 24 Hours of Le Mans, Aston Martin THOR Team refocuses on key Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen event

• After five top-10 finishes, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis target further progress at latest round of IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup

Following a top-10 finish at the world’s most prestigious motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans, earlier this month, the spectacular Aston Martin Valkyrie hypercar continues its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship (IMSA) campaign at Watkins Glen International (NY) on Sunday.

Valkyrie’s US campaign, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team, has shown significant performance gains compared to its debut season in 2025. The British ultra-luxury high performance brand’s Valkyrie has achieved top-10 results in each of the five races, including an eighth-place finish at WeatherTech Raceway Laguna Seca (CA) last month and a sixth-place qualifying result at the same track.

Drivers Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Ross Gunn (GBR), both have enviable records at Watkins Glen. Gunn has two GTD Pro class wins at the track plus two further podiums in six starts while De Angelis was victorious in his GTD title-winning season in 2022 and has finished on the podium on a further two occasions.

The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in IMSA’s premier GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. The British contender is also the first LMH car of any kind to compete in IMSA, and the only one contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) simultaneously.

Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition version blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations.

Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: ‘Watkins Glen is a happy hunting ground for not only me, but also the Heart of Racing Team. We’ve enjoyed a lot of success there over the past five years. I am really looking forward to kickstarting the second half of the season. We’ve improved the car vastly from last year, in terms of pace, and we’re now looking to convert that into some cool results. Off the back of what was a decent Le Mans, I think we can really build on our recent progress and Watkins Glen is definitely a track that suits the strengths of the Valkyrie. It’s very fast, smooth, and with probably close to 60 cars out on track it’s going to be a fun race with the traffic management. I can’t wait to get out there.’

Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: ‘I’m really looking forward to Watkins Glen, this weekend. Not since Sebring (in March) have we had an IMSA endurance race, and I feel like based on the performance and general feel of the car we had at Watkins Glen last year, we stand a good chance of a strong result. Then hopefully we can build on this as we move into the second half of the season.

Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: ‘The Aston Martin Valkyrie has gained performance at every circuit on the IMSA calendar compared to its debut season in 2025 and as a team our execution in the GTP class continues to improve with every passing event. The demands of Watkins Glen International, with lots of fast, sweeping corners, should be better suited to Valkyrie than any other track we’ve raced on in North America this year and kick starts a run of traditional road courses that we’re looking forward to getting our teeth into.’

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: ‘With five races complete for the GTP class, Watkins Glen International represents the halfway point of the IMSA season. Comparing the first portion of the season with Valkyrie’s maiden campaign in 2025 is encouraging, even though the results don’t necessarily indicate this. Last season was one for learning and 2026 has been about pushing on and extracting ever-greater performance from the car and the team. Aston Martin THOR Team has certainly done that with results gained on pace rather than attrition. We’re aiming for further improvement across the second half of the season with a run of traditional North American road courses that should play to Valkyrie’s strengths, so we look forward to seeing what we can achieve this weekend and beyond.’
Photo credit: Aston Martin Racing
Posted on Autotech-plus.com

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