It’s nearly time. In the world of endurance sports-car racing, there are big races to savour from January to December each year. Yet nothing stands as tall or as prominent as the 24 Hours of Le Mans each June. It’s simply the biggest, most prestigious race of them all – the one every endurance racing driver wants to win, more than any championship title.
Aston Martin has a sextet of racers who are currently psyching themselves up for the annual highlight, at what will be an extra special edition this year as the striking new Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar takes its Le Mans bow. Two will line up for the start on 14 June, among a bumper 62-car field that will race through Saturday night and into Sunday morning towards the traditional 4pm finish. The drivers are split into three per car: Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn make up a patriotic British trio for the iconic #007 entry – an obvious nod to Aston Martin’s long-established James Bond association; and Dane Marco Sørensen, Spaniard Alex Riberas and Canadian Roman De Angelis will steer the suitably international #009 Valkyrie.
There’s a mix of Le Mans experience among the team. At 33, Tincknell is the most established ace in the Valkyrie pack for what will be his 12th time at the Circuit de la Sarthe. He understands the frenzy of expectation that comes with Le Mans, from the Test Day the previous Sunday, through the week of scrutineering, practice and qualifying and into the race itself. Le Mans is a marathon beyond the actual 24 Hours.
“The approach is the same as always,” says Tincknell. “Le Mans is a fantastic race and it’s incredible to be there, but you do have to decompartmentalise the distractions. We have a job to do. How do we achieve it? Ultimately, it always comes back to the basics – it’s amazing how far you get at Le Mans by making clean pit stops, avoiding incidents and penalties, and of course being fast. The racing is so fierce, it is a 24-hour sprint.”
For 23-year-old Tom Gamble, this will be just his third Le Mans start and first in an Aston Martin. He describes himself as the “underdog” of the campaign. “It is going to be insane,” says Gamble. “The following the Aston Martin Valkyrie already has means the fans will be going mad for it.”
The eardrum-piercing howl from its 6.5-litre V12 engine is already a talking point and will endear the Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar not only to the large British contingent who travel to the race, but also to the majority of the quarter-of-a-million crowd that packs into the circuit.
“When the Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar is going down the Mulsanne Straight, it will definitely be a fan favourite,” says Gamble. “It’s going to be a hard race, we’re fully aware of that. You are up against the best in the world, and they have years more experience than us in the Hypercar class. But I’m confident we can do our best and get a good result. Every time we roll the car out, we’re making steps forward.”
For Ross Gunn, there’s an extra edge of anticipation because it has been four years since he last raced at Le Mans. “I’ve been desperate to get back,” says the 28-year-old. “To be back on those roads, in the #007 Valkyrie… it doesn’t get much better.”
Le Mans can never be considered just another race. “When you arrive in the town, you get this feeling, there’s something special about the place,” says Gunn. “It’s very hard to put a finger on it. The history is probably what I’m alluding to. When I first went there in 2015, I couldn’t believe how kind of romantic it was. Everything about it is on another level, and when they do the national anthem and pre-race grid ceremony, I always get goosebumps. It’s almost mythical.”
For the ‘international’ trio in #009, Le Mans is equally special. Marco Sørensen is currently the most successful active Aston Martin racing driver, having made nine of his previous ten Le Mans starts in Vantage GT cars. “Throughout the years I’ve learnt to relax into the whole Le Mans week,” says the 34-year-old on his approach. “This year will be different because we are dealing with a new programme and there will be a lot for us to get our heads around. It will be quite stressful, whereas with the GTs, I was used to everything. My first two years, when it came to the Friday before the race, I was probably at the point when I was most tired, because there was so much going on. Late practice sessions, a lot of media stuff, and it’s hard to be mentally ready. You are there for a week and a half before the race even starts and there’s something going on every single day. It can be tiring.”
For Sørensen, Le Mans is always about the fans, especially as the Danes are just as mad for it as the Brits. “It’s more like a festival,” he says. “We have around 25–30,000 Danish fans who come down. Every Friday, nearly all the Danish drivers head out to this massive camp where they are all yelling and cheering. They are all a little bit drunk, then they go out to watch the cars, then go back to drink more…”
Spaniard Alex Riberas, 31, will be racing at Le Mans for the third time. “It is going to be the highlight of the year,” he states. “I am pretty certain it will be a weekend I will cherish for the rest of my life, one I will tell my grandkids about, if I ever have some. In a way that takes away some pressure. Just being there and being a part of this project is a dream come true. History in the making.”
Like the others, Riberas understands that focusing on the job at hand is crucial. “As a racing driver, it’s quite easy to get lost in all the external stimulation,” he says. “You only understand the meaning of the race after it is finished. In the race, we stay focused.”
At 24, Roman De Angelis is the second youngest of the sextet and has only experienced Le Mans once before – last year, when he was racing an LMP2-class car. “Le Mans has always been the dream for me and last year was my first crack at it,” he says. “I was super-emotional and I’m even more so now, being part of a factory team, in the top class, fighting for the overall win. It’s something I’ll never forget.”
Also just like the others, beyond the hype, De Angelis is relishing the chance to unleash the Aston Martin Valkyrie Hypercar on the full 8.4-mile Le Mans circuit. “There are lots of high-speed corners,” he says with a grin. “I really enjoy the Porsche Curves especially the way they sweep from right to left. Also, just the history of the place. Le Mans has an aura.”
Expectations must remain in check for what is a brand-new car. All six drivers know just making the finish in year one will be a major achievement. As Harry Tincknell says, “It’s amazing that Aston Martin is back in the top class with a legitimate shot of adding to its only overall Le Mans win from 1959. But we are just trying to take it all step by step.”
Watch episode one of Road to Race below.
