The planned upgrades to the Aston Martin Valkyrie are expected to demand “at least” two Evo jokers, according to Ian James, head of Heart of Racing, who noted that the revamped LMH-based racer has reached a stage described as about 90 percent definitive in its development.
The V12-powered prototype, which initially began testing potential updates in August at Silverstone, has since undergone additional testing at Circuit of The Americas and completed a two-day session at Motorland Aragon.
A separate test car, meanwhile, will be deployed at Sebring International Raceway this week, followed by a final test at Michelin Raceway Road Atlanta the next week, according to James.
“I think this week we’ll run something that’s around 90 percent final,” he told Sportscar365. “There are aero changes for sure. There are some on the mechanical side too.”
James noted that there have been no weight-reduction measures, with the car already able to meet the new 1020 kg baseline that IMSA set earlier this year.
Asked how many jokers he expects to be used for the updates, James replied: “I think it will be at least two.”
Under LMH and LMDh regulations, cars are allowed to use up to five jokers through 2027, and these would mark the first joker allocations for this particular machine.
James said he’s hopeful the updates, which have not yet been fully disclosed, will yield a non-hybrid prototype that is easier to drive.
“In WEC we’ve been competitive,” said James. “In IMSA, it’s more about where IMSA positions us rather than what we do with the car.”
“But clearly the drivability, the consistency, and the confidence it provides the drivers seems to have improved.”
“With confidence comes quicker lap times over a stint.”
“There will always be some limitations without the hybrid on the car in terms of how they use it and the form of anti-lock braking and power delivery that they engineer into it that we’ll never have.”
“But we do gain some advantages as well.”
“I’m hopeful that it will be a meaningful step forward in terms of what the drivers enjoy driving, and that we won’t see the cars exiting with pale faces.”
