Cosworth commences one-year countdown to Aston Martin Valkyrie V12 debut at Le Mans 2025

As anticipation builds for this weekend’s 92nd edition of the 24 Hours of Le Mans (15-16 June), Cosworth is already counting down the days to 2025, in which it will return to the iconic endurance race as a powertrain provider. 

Aston Martin has today confirmed it will return to the top class of the 24 Hours of Le Mans* with two Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercars, each powered by a Cosworth-built 6.5-litre naturally aspirated V12 engine.  

Next year’s race will mark Cosworth’s return as a powertrain supplier for the first time since 2015, as a key part of the highly anticipated Aston Martin entry. It will also represent a showcase of the company’s integrated business model, providing technology solutions that enable its customers to extract full performance from their vehicles.

Codenamed RAW, the Valkyrie’s V12 engine will herald a brand-new era for Cosworth at the pinnacle of endurance racing, building on a legacy that dates to the 1970s. Cosworth has supported teams in all classes with its state-of-the-art electronics for decades, including the current generation of Hypercar. 

The race-optimised Valkyrie AMR-LMH will run with a modified version of the naturally aspirated engine originally produced for the Valkyrie road car, which in its standard form revs to 11,000rpm and develops over 1000bhp. The power unit is being enhanced to incorporate the Balance of Performance requirements of the Hypercar class.

Development of the powertrain is well underway with engines already undergoing calibration testing on Cosworth’s transient dynos, based at its UK facilities. The Valkyrie AMR-LMH hypercar is expected to make its track debut later this summer.

Cosworth has developed a reputable name for itself in global motor racing from those very facilities for the past six decades. Now, as it enters an exciting new phase with Aston Martin, Cosworth is ready to build on its existing expertise at Le Mans - one of motorsport’s triple crown along with the Monaco Grand Prix and Indy 500.

85% of the Le Mans grid already feature Cosworth’s electronics products, also known as the ‘eco-system’. Cosworth’s motorsport commitments complement the company’s broader vision in the automotive and supercar sector, partnering with the world’s leading OEMs to deliver high-performance technology solutions.

Cosworth’s Managing Director of Powertrain, Bruce Wood said: “Le Mans has been a passion for Cosworth for years. We have supported countless manufacturers on their Le Mans challengers, in recent decades with our high-performance electronics – including several of the current Hypercars. Through our technical partnership with Aston Martin on the Valkyrie V12, we are able to bring back an important part of our business; an area that helped to cement our reputation in the motorsport and automotive industry. We are looking forward to running a multi-year engine programme with Aston Martin. Who knows where this might lead. For now, we are busy keeping our heads down, working hard to make sure the V12 that will enter next year runs as well as it sounds on the dyno! We know it will be a fan favourite and can’t wait to see their reaction when it hits the track and runs through the gears at full throttle.”

*Subject to FIA confirmation of the entry

About Cosworth
Cosworth is a global technology business with six decades of engineering experience that delivers propulsion, electronics and software solutions for customers in the automotive, aerospace and marine sectors. Whether through hybrid or EV propulsion, data connectivity or automation technology, Cosworth is ready to solve new challenges with mobility solutions of the future. No matter the complexity of the project, Cosworth has the ability to, design, develop and manufacture clean sheet solutions from its state-of-the-art facilities.