Aston Martin Valkyrie Running Updated Silencer at Sebring Test

Heart of Racing’s Aston Martin Valkryie AMR-LMH will have a more distinct sound to it when the car makes its IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship debut in next month’s Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, with the V12-powered beast’s silencer having been adjusted.

As revealed by Aston Martin’s head of endurance motorsport Adam Carter last week, the British manufacturer initially took a “safe approach” with the 6.5-liter Cosworth-built engine’s silencer, and has rolled out with an update that’s been welcomed during this week’s IMSA-sanctioned test at the Florida airfield circuit.

“We made a bit of adjustment to the silencing on the car, and everyone keeps coming up and congratulating me so I think we’ve moved in the right direction,” said Heart of Racing team principal Ian James.

“It sounds glorious out there! You don’t need the tracker to find where it is on track. GT guys are like, ‘We love it when this car overtakes us.’”

For driver Roman De Angelis, who is sharing the No. 23 Valkyrie for the remainder of the WeatherTech Championship season with Ross Gunn, the sound of the Valkyrie takes him back to his days as a race fan watching his father, Max, race in Prototype Challenge.

“I’m going to go back and say when I was younger, I looked forward to seeing my dad racing in IMSA,” De Angelis recalled.

“I remember Aston has built an LMP1 car, which Muscle Milk was running in IMSA, and that was a V12… I’d go to the side of the track, at (age) 10 and 11, just to see that car, because it was the best sounding car, and I think that kind of sparked a love and a passion for IMSA and that style of racing.”

IMSA Wire Service contributed to this report