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| Reuters |
Aston Martin will fight for overall victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans from 2025 with a racing prototype of its Valkyrie hypercar, the British-based sportscar maker announced on Wednesday.
Backed by endurance partner Heart of Racing, Aston will enter at least one Valkyrie in the hypercar category of the FIA World Endurance Championship and U.S.-based IMSA sportscar championship.
The two series include Le Mans, the Daytona 24 Hours and 12 Hours of Sebring.
"We have been present at Le Mans since the earliest days, and through those glorious endeavours we succeeded in winning Le Mans in 1959 and our class 19 times over the past 95 years," said Lawrence Stroll, executive chairman of Aston Martin Lagonda.
"Now we return to the scene of those first triumphs aiming to write new history with a racing prototype inspired by the fastest production car Aston Martin has ever built.
"In addition to our presence in the FIA Formula One world championship, Aston Martin’s return to the pinnacle of endurance racing will allow us to build a deeper connection with our customers and community."
Aston Martin, famed for its link to fictional British secret agent James Bond, is celebrating its 110th anniversary this year.
The limited edition Valkyrie, conceived by Red Bull designer Adrian Newey, is a street-legal version of a Formula One car announced by the company's previous management and with a starting price of 2 million pounds.
Stroll, who also owns the Silverstone-based Aston Martin Formula One team, told Reuters that delivery of the last remaining cars would be completed next year.
Heart of Racing will provide most of the funding for the endurance programme with Asto Martin bringing development expertise throulgh its Performance Technologies company.
Spaniard Fernando Alonso, who races in Formula One for Aston Martin, is a two times Le Mans winner and former world endurance champion.
Asked if the 42-year-old might be in the Le Mans lineup for 2025, Stroll said "anything's possible" but nothing had been decided.
He said Aston would be launching new GT3 and GT4 cars early next year and developed by Aston Martin Performance Technologies.
The Canadian's Yew Tree Consortium last month increased its stake in the British luxury carmaker by 3.27% to 26.23%.
"There was a great opportunity, an investor looking to sell a block of shares. I have great belief that the shares are severely under-valued and this company will be worth a great deal more than it is today in the coming years," he said.
"I was happy to take the opportunity to purchase as many as I could."
- Alan Baldwin
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