The stunning British hypercar, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, is embarking on its second WEC season, in 2026. The opening round, at Imola (19 April), provided further evidence of Valkyrie’s growing competitiveness with the car’s third consecutive points finish, having ended its debut WEC campaign in 2025 with back-to-back top-10 results in Japan and Bahrain.
The postponement of March’s scheduled WEC first round in Qatar – now planned for 22-24 October – meant the season started later than usual in mid-April, in Italy, where British duo Harry Tincknell, a double 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner, and former European Le Mans Series champion Tom Gamble finished ninth in their #007 Valkyrie. This marked the pairing’s first world championship points finish for Aston Martin.
Their team-mates, multiple WEC and IMSA GT class race-winner Alex Riberas (ESP) and triple WEC GT champion Marco Sørensen (DEN), who achieved points finishes (Drivers’ or Manufacturers’) on three occasions in 2025, also finished the opening round in 14th position.
The fast and sweeping undulations of Spa present different dynamic challenges to those Valkyrie faced at Imola, and these elements should play into the positive natural high-speed tendencies of the world’s only road-based competition hypercar favourably. But at Spa, nothing can be taken for granted as the classic Belgian track is notorious for its unpredictable weather, and for being a circuit that punishes the smallest error.
Spa also presents Aston Martin THOR with a final chance to prepare for the 94th running of the world’s biggest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13-14 June, at which Valkyrie will aim to add to Aston Martin’s iconic 1959 overall triumph with Roy Salvadori (GBR), Carroll Shelby (USA) and the legendary DBR1 race car.
The competition variant of Valkyrie – the pure racing expression of the world’s ultimate road-going hypercar – is developed from its production sibling by Aston Martin and The Heart of Racing [THOR] and 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 the WEC’s hypercar rulebook and IMSA’s GTP regulations.
Harry Tincknell, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “Imola was a good start for the 007, and scoring points straightaway on a track we know didn’t suit the car is a positive sign. It’s a testament to the hard work from all the boys and girls in the team over the winter. Now we go to the fast and flowing Spa, which is one of the most iconic tracks in the world, and it’s a lot smoother which is good for the Valkyrie. We go back this year with a car that we believe can be competitive and we are certainly aiming for points. We’ll also be keeping one eye on our Le Mans preparations, as Spa is one of the tracks most similar in nature, at least in terms of speed.”
Tom Gamble, driver #007 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I can’t wait to go back to Spa for the second round of the WEC. It’s the final chance to prepare before the big one – the 24 Hours of Le Mans. We had a strong start to the season, scoring our first points in Imola, so we’re planning to build on that and try and push to finish in the top five. I just want to get started now!”
Alex Riberas, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I’m very much looking forward to Spa – especially after seeing what we could do in Imola. I think we made a significant step forward and now it’s very exciting to see what the car is capable of on a track like Spa-Francorchamps, which is completely different than what we saw last time out. This is a very important race for us because it is the last race before Le Mans, and usually we get three events to prepare, but this time only two. That puts extra pressure on the team and on us drivers, so we must really focus on getting a good clean race with a lot of data gathering so we can be ready for the big challenge.”
Marco Sørensen, driver #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie (WEC): “I’m really looking forward to Spa. I think we got through Imola in a decent way, even though it was probably one of our worst tracks. Heading into Spa, I’m positive and motivated to achieve a good result and I don’t see why we shouldn’t be able to challenge for a really strong result for the car in WEC. And that is for sure what we are going to aim to do. I believe we have the pace. The whole team did a great job in Imola in general and I am looking forward to Spa and reaching the same level but with a better result to reward it.”
Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “It feels as though the team, the drivers and the Aston Martin Valkyrie are on the cusp of achieving the kind of results we know are possible, based on the performance we’ve seen through the events we’ve raced in both sides of the Atlantic so far in 2026. For one reason or another, things have not come together for us. But the plan doesn’t change, we must stay focussed on the tasks in front of us, work to improve as a unit and execute in all areas. If we keep doing this, we will continue to improve in all areas, and in time the results will underline this. On paper Spa is a track that may well suit our car, but in endurance racing, aligning the stars is not just about one aspect of on-track performance or another, it’s bringing everything together and minimising the impact of any challenges thrown at us. As a team we’re more ready to take advantage of all the hard work and preparation that continues away from the track, than ever before.”
Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “Spa is traditionally the last stop on the calendar before we head to the biggest race in the WEC season, the 24 Hours of Le Mans. That gives the 6 Hours of Belgium additional significance. Every race is important to us, but of course Spa also provides a final data set for us to work with as we return to Le Mans with Valkyrie. A points finish in the opening round at Imola was a good foundation with which to begin the campaign, and if we get everything right this weekend, we believe the car has the performance to chase more with both cars in Belgium. As I always say, we learn and improve with every race, and that is a good trajectory to be on as we head towards the vital month of June.”
Aston Martin Vantage returns to Spa with a point to prove
The Heart of Racing Team returns to WEC LMGT3 action with two-car Vantage line-up at Spa-Francorchamps
IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship GTD points leader Dudu Barrichello returns to WEC and Spa for first time in 2026
Two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GT winner Jonny Adam joins Barrichello and series newcomer Gray Newell in #23 Vantage
Team principal Ian James teams up with works driver Mattia Drudi and former IMSA GTD champion Zach Robichon
Vantage returns to FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) action this weekend for the Total Energies 6 Hours of Spa, with two ultra-strong Aston Martin Vantage GT3s – both run by the Heart of Racing Team (THOR) – vying for LMGT3 class podiums at the world famous Belgian track.
Aston Martin has an envious GT pedigree at Spa with Vantage. The British ultra-luxury high performance brand’s most successful racing car was the first to win a world championship GTE class race at the circuit in the inaugural 2012 season. It has since won its class a further five times, having also powered driver crews to a further 11 podium appearances. Moreover, it has started from pole position 10 times. Vantage also won the famous Spa 24 Hours outright most recently in 2024.
THOR Team Principal Ian James (GBR), will be looking to bounce back from a frustrating start to the season with the #27 Vantage at Imola, where the front-running car did not finish, alongside works driver Mattia Drudi (ITA), and the 2021 IMSA GTD champion, 2023 European Le Mans Series LMGTE title winner, and polesitter at this year’s Rolex 24 at Daytona, Zach Robichon (CAN).
James has been a part of every one of his team’s WEC driver line-ups since its debut in Belgium in 2023 and is targeting his first Spa-Francorchamps podium finish in the event this year as he looks to build points into his campaign ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.
Returning to WEC and making his series debut for THOR will be IMSA GTD championship leader Dudu Barrichello (BRA), who joins series rookie Gray Newell in the #23 Vantage. Both will share the car with two-time 24 Hours of Le Mans GT class winner and four-time British GT champion Jonny Adam (GBR).
Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa – the world’s most prestigious GT3-only event, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.
How to follow
The 6 Hours of Spa will begin at 1400 local time (+1 Hour BST) on Saturday, 9 May 2026. It will be broadcast live globally on the WEC+ streaming service and via selected broadcasters at a national level.
