OPINION: Aston Martin's announcement that it has reactivated the Valkyrie Le Mans Hypercar project for twin assaults on the World Endurance Championship and IMSA SportsCar Championship from 2025 is excellent news for sportscar racing. And it means the 1959 Le Mans-winning marque will be back at La Sarthe for a long overdue crack at overall glory at the 24 Hours
Ferrari returning to the Le Mans 24 Hours was arguably the biggest motorsport story of 2021, while the famous Italian marque’s victory in the French classic will probably stand as this year’s feel-good moment. This week’s Aston Martin announcement should be viewed in a similar way.
For many years Aston Martin was a force in the smaller-engined classes before overall victories became a possibility. The 1.5-litre Ulster often punched above its weight and managed third at Le Mans in 1935, the same year future sister company Lagonda pulled off a surprise overall victory against Alfa Romeo.
During this time Aston Martin produced some of the best-handling sportscars in the world, even though they were normally outgunned by rivals such as Ferrari, Jaguar, Mercedes and Maserati. That helps to explain why, before 1959, Aston Martin had won at Goodwood four times and twice triumphed in the gruelling Nurburgring 1000Km but not yet cracked Le Mans.
That remains a high-water mark of Aston Martin’s motorsport success, but there have been plenty of stories – good and bad – since then. Brown wound down racing activities after 1959, but the DBR1 was still good enough to finish third in private hands at Le Mans in 1960. The DBR9 remained a winner at world championship level into the 2010s, though its success – like those of other front-engined GTs – was restricted by the controversial inclusion of the Maserati MC12.
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