MOTORSPORT – ASTON Martin will be seeking to build on an impressive start to the 2026 FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) with their Valkyrie Hypercars getting back into action this weekend in the Six Hours of Sao Paulo, the fourth round of the season.
The Valkyrie contenders, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin Thor Team, are in their second WEC season. And after achieving their best 24 Hours of Le Mans finish when Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell placed eighth in their number 007 Valkyrie at the famous French race last month, the team are riding high on a consistent run of points finishes, which stretch back five races to last year’s Six Hours of Fuji in September.
Tincknell and Gamble have finished in the points at every race in 2026, while their teammates Alex Riberas and Marco Sorensen in the number 009 Valkyrie have achieved points finishes, for drivers’ or manufacturers’, on three occasions in 2025. They are now seeking to kick start their WEC campaign after a series of misfortunes in the first three races of the year.
The postponement of March’s scheduled WEC first round in Qatar – now planned for October 22 to 24 – meant the season started later than usual in mid-April, in Italy. Interlagos in Brazil proved to be the trigger for a positive swing in performance during Valkyrie’s debut season, and with a year’s understanding under its belt, the Aston Martin Thor Team head into the event with renewed confidence.
“Brazil is an interesting race because it throws up lots of opportunities, being quite a short track and with so many cars on it,” said team principal Ian James. “This means that we must be in front of any potential situation and be able to take advantage as much as possible, and that will be down to calm efficiency and sharp execution by everyone in the team.
“The target for Sao Paulo has to be two cars in the points and to fight hard for whatever else might be achievable.”
This weekend’s Six Hours of Sao Paulo will be followed by round five in Austin in the US on September 6. The sixth round will then be held in Fuji on September 27, followed by Doha.
The WEC will then bring the curtain down on this campaign with the Bapco Energies Eight Hours of Bahrain, scheduled for November 6 and 7 at Bahrain International Circuit in Sakhir.
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