Drivers Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Ross Gunn (GBR), both have enviable records at the circuit. Gunn has two GTD Pro class wins at the track plus two further podiums in five starts while De Angelis was victorious in his GTD title-winning season in 2022 and has finished on the podium on a further two occasions.

The first ‘Le Mans Hypercar’ (LMH) to be produced by Aston Martin, Valkyrie is the only car in IMSA’s premier GTP category derived from a road-legal hypercar. The British contender is also the first LMH car of any kind to compete in IMSA, and the only one contesting both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) simultaneously, having made its debut in the Qatar 1812km in February.

Developed from the Valkyrie production car by Aston Martin and THOR, the competition

version 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 hypercar regulations.

Valkyrie positions Aston Martin in the top division of US sportscar racing for the first time since 2011; a season in which five outright victories and seven podiums were achieved in the American Le Mans Series.

Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: I’m super-excited to get to Watkins Glen. For me it’s one of the most enjoyable events of the year, purely because the track is exhilarating to drive and in general, we have always been very successful there with the Aston Martin Vantage GT3. This year we take the Valkyrie there for the first time. We had a successful test there recently and our aim is to keep fighting up the order and become more competitive. At that time of the year weather can throw a spanner in the works, so we need to be on top of everything from an operational side and make sure we make the most of any opportunity we can get. Bring on the second half of the season!

Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: Watkins Glen is always a race I look forward to, but that is especially the case this year as we take the Aston Martin Valkyrie there for the first time. We had a promising test there a few weeks back, so we’re once again looking to continue building from that and making steps forward up the grid.

Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: The Aston Martin Valkyrie has proven robust everywhere we have raced it, and in IMSA it’s been a points-scorer from every start it has made in the championship so far. We’re still learning so much about the car and so every lap is a lesson. That said, we’re going to a track that suited Valkyrie well in testing and there is no reason to believe we will not be more competitive at Watkins Glen than we were in Detroit last time out.

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: With four races complete, Watkins Glen International represents the halfway point of Valkyrie’s first season in IMSA. We’ve seen gathered critical data so far on circuits as wide-ranging as Laguna Seca and Long Beach, but Watkins Glen is a traditional North American sportscar track in the mould of most of the remaining circuits on the schedule. This means that this weekend’s race should generate relevant learnings that we can apply directly to the car’s performance for the rest of the season. The reception to Valkyrie in the USA has been fantastic so far and a real indication of the global appeal of Aston Martin in a country that has such a rich automotive heritage of its own. After four encouraging race results so far, I’m looking forward to seeing what Valkyrie and the Aston Martin THOR Team can achieve this weekend.