The Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar built a strong foundation from which to mount its 2026 24 Hours of Le Mans campaign next month, having finished fourth in the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa-Francorchamps at the weekend – its best result to date in the FIA World Endurance Championship
On its tenth appearance in WEC since making its debut in Qatar last year, the stunning British hypercar – in the hands of Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell – crossed the line a mere five seconds behind the winner in a frantic and chaotic race that provided a grandstand finish, showcasing some of the best action that endurance motorsport has to offer.
The #007 Valkyrie, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin The Heart of Racing Team, brought itself into contention with two hours of the race to go, following clever strategic decisions and some spectacular overtaking by Tincknell. A timely Safety Car also allowed the team to top up with fuel and align its strategy with its rivals.
Tincknell delivered two brilliant passes in one lap, to go from tenth to eighth, and then when two more Safety Car periods occurred in the final hour, Gamble found himself in a five-car fight for second place. At the final restart he was lucky to avoid a spinning Alpine at Eau Rouge and then overtook a Toyota for fourth place in the last five minutes of the race in a breathless dash to the flag.
Gamble and Tincknell might have been joined in the points by the sister #009 Valkyrie driven by Marco Sørensen and Alex Riberas, had it not suffered misfortune that caused the final Safety Car period. Both drivers ran strongly in the top ten and the duo were in prime position to capitalise on their rapid pace on soft tyres at the penultimate restart. But Riberas was given no option but to take to the grass on the high-speed Kemmel Straight as he attempted to pass the fifth placed car. The resulting spin forced him to retire from the race; an unjust reward for a brilliant performance.
The final result was not just Valkyrie’s best performance in WEC, it marked the #007 crew’s strongest race since the beginning of the programme and was the second consecutive points finish for the British duo. It means that Aston Martin holds fourth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, with Gamble and Tincknell ninth in the Drivers’ standings.
The team’s #27 Aston Martin Racing Vantage LMGT3 also claimed a second in class finish at the end of the six-hour race after a highly competitive performance from the Heart of Racing Team and drivers Ian James, Zach Robichon and works driver Mattia Drudi.
The result re-ignited the team’s championship challenge, and made up for the disappointment of the opening round in Imola, where the crew retired from the race while in contention for another potential strong points finish. James started on the front row of the class grid, having made it through to the Hyperpole session, which Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona poleman Robichon then used to convert into second place on the grid. James, who is also the team’s principal, ran in that position early in the race as he double stinted to complete his driver time.
James eventually handed the car over to Robichon in sixth, following contact from a hypercar, but with only superficial damage, Zach moved the car back into a solid fourth place.
When the race was reset by a series of late-race Safety Car periods, it set the stage
for a classic charge from Drudi who fought hard to get into the podium positions, finishing third on the road which was converted to second when the leader was given a five-second penalty for a pitlane infringement. “To finish second was fantastic,” said James. “I did my part and Zach and Mattia did a wonderful job in the car, and the team was perfect all day long. To get to stand back on the podium is great too.”
WEC now moves on to its Blue Riband event, the 94th running of the world’s biggest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13-14 June.
Source Material – AMR