Aston Martin Valkyrie returns to Road Atlanta for IMSA Petit Le Mans finale
Aston Martin's Valkyrie heads back to Road Atlanta for the IMSA season finale at Petit Le Mans, the scene of its first podium, while Vantage fights for the GTD title.
- 14 from 16 starts
- 500kW (671bhp)
- 6.5 litres, over 1000bhp, 11,000rpm
- 385
What Happened
Aston Martin's Valkyrie hypercar returns to Road Atlanta for the Motul Petit Le Mans this weekend, the final round of the 2026 IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship and the scene of its most competitive result yet. The works Aston Martin THOR Team finished second in last year's 10-hour race there, narrowly missing a maiden win, and arrives with momentum after leading the WEC 6 Hours of Fuji in Japan last weekend, where it also narrowly missed a first pole position. Valkyrie has finished in the top 10 in six of the eight IMSA races so far this season, including fifth at Road America after running second on the road and two eighth-place finishes. In its previous IMSA outing at Indianapolis, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis were running in the top five when contact with another car delayed the #23 Valkyrie, which recovered to finish eighth.
14from 16 starts
Since its IMSA competition debut at Sebring in 2025.
Valkyrie is the first Le Mans Hypercar (LMH) produced by Aston Martin and the only car in IMSA's premier GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. It is also the first LMH of any kind to compete in IMSA and the only one contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship simultaneously. Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition version pairs a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but must adhere to a strict 500kW (671bhp) power limit under hypercar regulations.
Valkyrie makes its IMSA competition debut at Sebring.
Valkyrie finishes second in the 10-hour Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, narrowly missing a maiden win.
The Motul Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta closes the IMSA season, starting at 1210 local time (1710 BST) on Saturday, 3 October 2026, shown live on NBC and Peacock in the US and on IMSA.tv and the IMSA YouTube channel elsewhere.
In the GTD class, Aston Martin Vantage is a title contender for the sixth consecutive season, with partner team the Heart of Racing Team again in with a realistic chance; the team claimed Aston Martin's only IMSA GTD class title with Roman De Angelis in 2022. IMSA full-season rookie Dudu Barrichello starts the weekend third in the GTD drivers' standings, 116 points off the leaders, with 385 points available if he takes pole position and the race win; THOR lies third in the teams' standings and Aston Martin is second in the manufacturers' table, 94 points off the leaders. Magnus Racing returns to GTD with Vantage, while YRB Racing's Car Blanche runs its #68 Vantage GT3 in GTD Pro, with works driver Mattia Drudi making his Petit Le Mans debut alongside Valentin Hasse Clot and three-time FIA World Endurance GT champion Marco Sørensen ahead of a full-time GTD Pro step up in 2027. At Indianapolis two weeks ago, Car Blanche became the first confirmed entry for the 2027 IMSA series, with a GTD Pro entry for Sørensen and Hasse Clot. All three partner teams, THOR, Car Blanche and Magnus Racing, have contributed to the tally of six podium finishes so far in 2026, including second and third in GTD at the season-opening Rolex 24 at Daytona.
- 3rd, 116 points off the leaders
- 3rd, same points gap
- 2nd, 94 points off the leaders
- #23 Valkyrie (GTP): Ross Gunn, Roman De Angelis and Alex Riberas
- #27 THOR Vantage (GTD): Dudu Barrichello, Tom Gamble and Zach Robichon, who took pole at the Rolex 24 at Daytona
- Magnus Racing Vantage (GTD): John Potter, Spencer Pumpelly and Mario Farnbacher
- #68 Car Blanche Vantage GT3 (GTD Pro): Mattia Drudi, Marco Sørensen and Valentin Hasse Clot
Previously from Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc
In August 2026, Aston Martin's Valkyrie Hypercar ran on Silverstone's Grand Prix circuit for the first time, with the THOR team trialling new developments. Those tests came ahead of WEC's 2027 British round.
Background drawn from MotorClaw's earlier coverage of Aston Martin Lagonda Global Holdings plc's official releases.
Why this matters
The Petit Le Mans finale decides the 2026 IMSA GTD class honours, and Aston Martin goes in as a title contender for the sixth straight year, with partner teams Heart of Racing, THOR, Car Blanche and Magnus Racing all in action. The weekend also showcases the Valkyrie, which the source says is the only hypercar contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship in 2026, so the result matters for the brand, its drivers and its teams.
Terms in This Story
- LMH
- Le Mans Hypercar, the top prototype category defined by the rules used by the world's premier endurance racing series.
- GTP
- Grand Touring Prototype, the premier class of the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship.
- GTD
- GT Daytona, the production-based GT class in IMSA competition.
- IMEC
- IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup, a separate championship within the IMSA season for the long-distance races.
Summarised from the linked release; details can be imperfect — always verify against the original source.