Week Ending 14th June 2026

Editor’s Introduction - Dan, Fuel the Passion

‍ ‍Image © Blackthorn Racing. Used for editorial purposes.

It will come as no surprise that this week’s Roundup begins at Le Mans. For Aston Martin, the 24 Hours of Le Mans is never just another race. It’s part of the marque’s identity: from the DBR1’s famous overall victory in 1959 with Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, through decades of GT success, to the extraordinary sight and sound of Valkyrie now carrying the Wings into the modern Hypercar era.

Formula 1 remains important, and we’ll come to Monaco, Barcelona and Aston Martin Aramco’s first point of the 2026 season shortly. But this weekend, the centre of the Aston Martin universe is the Circuit de la Sarthe. What makes this year feel different is that Aston Martin is no longer arriving simply to prove the Valkyrie can survive. Last year, getting both cars to the finish was the milestone. This year, after more racing mileage, stronger execution and visible progress, the question is whether Aston Martin can take another proper step forward against the best manufacturers in the world.

There’s no need to pretend Aston Martin is the favourite, Le Mans is far too difficult, and the Hypercar field is far too strong, for that kind of overstatement. But Aston Martin is positioned for an exciting race, and for followers of the marque, there’s already a lot to be proud of before the flag has even fallen. By the time this Roundup goes live at 6am on Sunday morning, Le Mans will be deep into its second half. The race will have been running for fifteen hours, with nine still to go, meaning Aston Martin’s Valkyrie and Vantage stories will still be unfolding as many of you read this.

I’m sure we all hope that the Aston Martin teams are still running strongly and that the Wings are having a good race. We will, of course, follow up properly on the 24 Hours of Le Mans in next week’s edition, Issue 29 of the FTP Weekly Roundup. Before then, more immediate reaction, results and FTP’s take on the race will be added to the FTP Motorsport Hub once the final classifications are in.

So this week’s Roundup begins where it should: with Aston Martin at Le Mans.

Before we start, just a quick note. I’m often asked what kit I use to make the Fuel the Passion films on the YouTube channel. At some stage, I would still like to put together a proper feature article, or perhaps even a video, going through the filming kit I use and why. With family life, attending events and keeping the Fuel the Passion content moving, that’s probably still a few months away, realistically, perhaps sometime in the Autumn.

However, as people do keep asking, I thought I would start dropping the occasional item into this and future Weekly Roundups, so you can begin to see some of the kit I personally use when making FTP films. Where included, these items will carry an affiliate link. That means if you choose to take a look, or decide to buy through the link, Fuel the Passion may receive a small commission at no extra cost to you. You get to see a piece of kit I genuinely use and recommend, and it also makes a small contribution towards helping Fuel the Passion continue producing independent Aston Martin content.

I hope you don’t mind this approach. As ever, I’m always happy to hear your thoughts and feedback in the comments below.

**Affiliate link note:** Some links may be affiliate links, which means Fuel the Passion may earn a small commission if you purchase through them, at no extra cost to you. Thank you for your support.

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Le Mans Takes Centre Stage

Aston Martin’s 2026 Le Mans story has been building all week, and it’s more than just a romantic return to the scene of past glory.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.

The official preview set the tone. Two Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries are entered in Hypercar, with the #007 crew of Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn joined by the #009 crew of Marco Sørensen, Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis.
In LMGT3, Aston Martin is represented by three Vantage AMR LMGT3s: the two Heart of Racing entries, #27 and #23, alongside the #59 Racing Spirit of Léman car.

There is, of course, a deep heritage line running through all of this. Aston Martin’s only overall Le Mans victory came in 1959 with the DBR1, Roy Salvadori and Carroll Shelby, and the marque has built a long GT story at La Sarthe since then. But the modern Valkyrie story is now beginning to stand on its own.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.

Adrian Hallmark, Aston Martin’s CEO, described Le Mans as perhaps the most important standalone race in global motorsport and called the race Valkyrie’s “*perfect natural habitat*”.
That phrase feels especially fitting. The Valkyrie is unlike anything else in the current Hypercar field: road-derived, naturally aspirated, V12-powered and visually unmistakable. It’s already loved by the crowd for the way it looks and sounds, but this year it also arrives with stronger evidence that the programme is moving towards the competitive level Aston Martin wants.

Last year, the target was to get both Valkyries to the finish. That was achieved, with the #009 and #007 completing the 2025 race in 12th and 14th. It was a major foundation for a new programme, particularly with a car as distinctive and ambitious as Valkyrie.

This year, the tone is different. Aston Martin THOR Team arrives after its strongest FIA WEC result so far, with the #007 of Tom Gamble and Harry Tincknell finishing fourth at Spa, only five seconds from the winning BMW. The team has also been building points finishes and gaining mileage across both WEC and IMSA. That’s important because the Valkyrie is still a young Hypercar programme, and every race has helped the team better understand how to extract performance from the car.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Ian James.

Ian James, Aston Martin THOR Team principal, summed up the change by saying the team’s position now, in terms of experience, understanding, processes and methodology, is a “*step in magnitude away*” from where it was last year. He was still careful not to underplay the size of the task.
Le Mans is unique, and Aston Martin’s experience in the top class remains less than some rivals who have been racing these types of cars for years. But his emphasis was clear: execution, minimising errors and being ready to take advantage of opportunities.

That’s exactly the right way to frame Aston Martin’s chances. This is not about declaring Valkyrie a favourite. It’s about recognising that the programme is no longer simply trying to survive, it’s earned the right to be taken seriously.

How Close Has Valkyrie Become?

The timing comparison with last year shows the progress more clearly than any broad statement could.

In 2025, the Valkyrie was still on its first Le Mans learning curve. The #009 reached Hyperpole, but only after originally qualifying 16th before a rival penalty promoted it into the next phase. The #007 was further back in the initial Hypercar qualifying order. In raw timing terms, the best Valkyrie in that qualifying session was recorded at around 3:24.869, just over two seconds away from the fastest Cadillac, while the #007 was further adrift.

A year later, the picture looks very different.

‍ ‍Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.‍ ‍

On Test Day, Tom Gamble put the #007 Valkyrie at the top of the overall times with a 3:26.293. Test Day always has to be treated carefully, because teams are working through different run plans, tyres, systems checks and race preparation. But even allowing for those caveats, it was a very visible sign that the car is now much closer to the sharp end.

The same point was reinforced in Wednesday qualifying. The adjusted Hypercar qualifying order placed the #009 Valkyrie seventh, just 0.642 seconds away from the fastest Alpine, while the #007 was ninth, 0.771 seconds away. In a field containing Alpine, Cadillac, BMW, Toyota, Genesis, Ferrari and Peugeot, both Aston Martins were inside the top ten and less than eight-tenths away from the benchmark.

That is the real progress story. Last year, Aston Martin’s achievement was to bring the Valkyrie to Le Mans and get it home. This year, the car is close enough in single-lap pace to be part of the main conversation. It doesn’t mean the race will be straightforward. Over 24 hours, tyre behaviour, traffic, reliability, pit work, Safety Cars, slow zones and driver consistency will all shape the result. But the gap has narrowed, and that gives Aston Martin a very different platform from which to race.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Ross Gunn.

Ross Gunn’s comment that the team goes into Le Mans with “*realistic expectations*” feels well judged.
The aim is not to get carried away, the aim is to be much closer to the front pace, build on last year’s finish and show that Valkyrie’s development curve is still rising.

Hyperpole: Vantage on Pole, Valkyrie Starts Seventh

Thursday evening then brought one of Aston Martin’s strongest moments of Le Mans week.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.

In LMGT3, Mattia Drudi produced a superb lap in the #27 Heart of Racing Aston Martin Vantage AMR LMGT3 to secure class pole position for the second year in a row. His 3:52.433 was the only LMGT3 lap below the 3:53 mark, giving the #27 crew of Ian James, Zacharie Robichon and Drudi the perfect starting platform for Saturday’s race.
It was a brilliant result for the Vantage programme. Aston Martin has a huge GT history at Le Mans, but the current Vantage AMR LMGT3 is still chasing its first class victory in the modern LMGT3 era. Pole position does not guarantee anything over 24 hours, but it confirms the car has the speed to fight at the front of the class.
There’s also a strong continuity thread here. The #27 finished fourth last year, with Drudi taking pole on his Le Mans debut, and Aston Martin’s own preview noted that the same James, Robichon and Drudi line-up returns this year with unfinished business. James has said they were in the hunt to win last year and now have two chances with Heart of Racing running both the #27 and #23 Vantages.

The #23 Vantage AMR LMGT3, driven by Gray Newell, Eduardo Barrichello and Jonny Adam, also reached the final shootout and ended Hyperpole eighth in class. Jonny Adam’s return is especially pleasing from an Aston Martin perspective. He’s a two-time Le Mans class winner with Vantage, having won in 2017 and 2020, and this is his first appearance at the event since that 2020 success.

The #59 Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage, shared by Clement Mateu, Marius Fossard and Valentin Hasse Clot, didn’t progress from Wednesday qualifying, but Aston Martin still starts the race with two Heart of Racing cars inside the top eight in LMGT3 and one of them on pole.

In Hypercar, the #009 Aston Martin Valkyrie reached Hyperpole 2 and secured seventh on the grid. Marco Sørensen, sharing with Alex Riberas and Roman De Angelis, kept Aston Martin represented in the final top-class shootout, lining up among BMW, Cadillac, Alpine, Ferrari and Genesis.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. #009 Valkyrie.

The #007 Valkyrie, shared by Harry Tincknell, Tom Gamble and Ross Gunn, missed the Hyperpole 2 cut after showing strong pace earlier in the week. That was a little disappointing given its Test Day momentum, but the wider picture is still encouraging. Both Valkyries reached the main Hyperpole field, and the #009 went one stage further into the final fight.
The overall pole story changed after the chequered flag. Jack Aitken had appeared to put the #38 Cadillac Hertz Team JOTA car on pole with a 3:22.559, only five thousandths faster than Dries Vanthoor’s #15 BMW. However, the Cadillac was later dropped to tenth on the grid because of a penalty, handing BMW its first Hypercar-era Le Mans pole.

For Aston Martin fans, the message is simple enough; The Vantage is on pole in LMGT3, the #009 Valkyrie starts seventh in Hypercar and the #007 has shown strong pace earlier in the week.

Aston Martin goes into the 24 Hours with momentum, credibility and a genuine sense that this programme is moving in the right direction.

The Human Story Behind the Progress

One of the most interesting parts of this Valkyrie story is that Aston Martin has not reached this point through one headline technical change. The team has not used an Evo joker for 2026. Instead, the focus has been on maximising the current package: software, traction control, systems alignment, tyre understanding, driver confidence and race-team execution. That kind of progress is harder to explain than a new aerodynamic package, but it’s exactly the sort of detail that shapes an endurance-racing programme.

DailySportscar’s build-up feature captured that well, particularly around the way the Valkyrie has improved through racing experience across both WEC and IMSA. The car is still not easy. Tyre warm-up remains something to manage, and the field is brutally close. But the team now understands far more about how to operate the car, how to support the drivers and how to turn potential into performance.

There’s also a clear human layer. The drivers have been through the difficult first year together. The team has built chemistry. The WEC and IMSA programmes are sharing knowledge. The Valkyrie is still young in Hypercar terms, but the operation around it looks much more mature.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Harry Tincknell.

The driver comments also carry that same tone of confidence without overstatement. Harry Tincknell points to the fourth place at Spa as a reason to arrive in a positive mindset. Tom Gamble talks about carrying that momentum into the biggest race of the season. Alex Riberas says the performance evolution since Imola gives the #009 crew confidence that they can do something special. Marco Sørensen’s emphasis is perhaps the most endurance-racing appropriate of all: preparation, consistency and building on what was learned last year.

That’s why this year’s Le Mans feels so significant. Aston Martin doesn’t need to be presented as favourite for the overall win. It simply deserves to be recognised as a serious part of the race.

Vantage Chases Another Chapter in Aston Martin’s GT Story

While Valkyrie carries the overall dream, Vantage carries one of Aston Martin’s strongest modern Le Mans traditions.

Aston Martin’s official preview described Vantage as the most successful racing car in the marque’s history, and this weekend it returns chasing a sixth category victory at the 24 Hours of Le Mans. Across the three Vantage GT3 entries, Aston Martin is also aiming for what would be its 20th class victory at the event.

That gives the LMGT3 effort its own weight. The Heart of Racing’s #27 is not just on pole; it’s trying to convert proven speed into the class win that narrowly escaped the team last year. The #23 adds a second Heart of Racing chance with a blend of youth, development and Jonny Adam’s experience.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Racing Spirit of Léman drivers.

Racing Spirit of Léman gives Aston Martin another customer-team presence, with Valentin Hasse Clot bringing works-driver strength to a crew that includes Le Mans debutants.

There’s also a Prodrive thread running through the week, with Aston Martin’s engineering partner celebrating 25 years at Le Mans. From the DBR9 victories to the long Vantage story, Prodrive has been central to Aston Martin’s modern GT success at La Sarthe.

So while the Valkyrie naturally draws the biggest spotlight, the Vantage story should not be treated as secondary. In LMGT3, Aston Martin is not simply hoping to be competitive. It starts from pole, with two Heart of Racing cars in the top eight, and with a car that has already proved it suits the circuit.

Watch Le Mans Live from Three Aston Martin Cockpits

As this issue of the FTP Weekly Roundup goes live at 6am, the 24 Hours of Le Mans should still have around nine hours to run and on the front page of the Fuel the Passion website, we have something very special set up for Aston Martin fans.

Aston Martin is running official YouTube onboard livestreams from all three key race cars: the #007 Valkyrie Hypercar, the #009 Valkyrie Hypercar and the #27 Heart of Racing Vantage GT3. FTP has embedded all three streams together on the front page, just below the Le Mans countdown, so you can watch them one by one, switch between them, or keep all three running side by side. It’s amazing to watch, even for a few minutes. The section on the front page looks like the image below. If you click anywhere on the image we’ll take you back to the home page where you can check it out.

Whether you’re watching from home, checking in on the move, or lucky enough to be trackside at Le Mans with a livestream signal, simply visit www.fuel-the-passion.co.uk, scroll down a little, press play and ride onboard with Aston Martin at La Sarthe.

Live onboard footage is provided courtesy of Aston Martin via their official YouTube streams. Fuel the Passion is simply bringing the three views together in one place for Aston Martin fans to follow.

Come on Aston Martin — you’ve got this. Fingers crossed for a strong run for all the Astons.

Road to Le Mans: Blackthorn Adds Colour, Heritage and Another Aston Martin Thread

Away from the headline 24 Hours itself, Friday’s Road to Le Mans race gave Fuel the Passion another Aston Martin story to follow with real interest.

Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn arrived at La Sarthe with two Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evos, bringing one of the customer teams we are following closely this season into the Le Mans spotlight. For FTP, that’s an important part of the wider story. Aston Martin’s presence at Le Mans is not only about the factory Hypercar programme or the main LMGT3 field; it’s also about the partner and customer teams carrying the Vantage name into major endurance events.

Image © Blackthorn Racing. Used for editorial purposes.

There is a strong visual story here too. The two Blackthorn Aston Martins looked superb on circuit, with the yellow and pink stripe design and the blue and white Ecurie Ecosse-inspired car both giving the Vantage AMR GT3 Evo real presence.
At Le Mans, where colour, identity and heritage are such a major part of the spectacle, both cars looked fantastic. These are exactly the sort of liveries that help a team stand out in a busy GT3 field.

Blackthorn’s own background adds to that sense of identity. They’re an Aston Martin AMR Partner Team competing at the highest levels of GT3 endurance racing, in partnership with Ecurie Ecosse. Upon speaking to Claude Bovet, team owner and racing car driver himself, he explained to me that Blackthorn engaged Frank Stephenson to create a bespoke Aston Martin Vantage GT3 livery, with a brief shaped around the elegance of Aston Martin and the coolness of James Bond. That blend of racing purpose, Aston Martin style and visual theatre feels very fitting for this week.

Image © Blackthorn Racing. Used for editorial purposes.

The Ecurie Ecosse partnership gives the story even more depth. This is one of the great names in British endurance racing, and seeing that identity paired with Aston Martin machinery at La Sarthe feels particularly appropriate.
Blackthorn has already built a distinctive presence around its Aston Martin programmes, and Road to Le Mans added another chapter to that growing story.

Qualifying placed the #90 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin of Charles Bateman and Kobe Pauwels 48th overall, with the #91 of Giacomo Petrobelli and Romain Leroux 55th. It meant the race was always likely to be about patience, traffic management and trying to make progress through a huge mixed field rather than fighting from the front.

Image © Blackthorn Racing. Used for editorial purposes.

The race itself was a demanding and incident-packed three-hour contest. GT3 produced late drama at the front, with SMC Motorsport’s McLaren taking the class win and the **#10 Racing Spirit of Léman Aston Martin finishing second.** For Blackthorn, it was a difficult race in terms of final classification.
The provisional results listed the #91 in 52nd overall after completing nine laps, while the **#90 was listed 54th** after eight laps.

Even so, Blackthorn’s presence at Road to Le Mans remains a positive part of this week’s Aston Martin story. They brought two striking Vantage AMR GT3 Evos to La Sarthe, added colour and identity to the support-race field, and gave us another Aston Martin team to follow during one of the biggest weeks in endurance racing. They remain a featured team for FTP this season, and we’ll continue following their Aston Martin programme with real interest.

For more detailed race coverage, including results tables and deeper analysis from Road to Le Mans, Hyperpole and the wider Aston Martin Le Mans effort, please visit the FTP Motorsport Hub.

Formula 1: First Point, But No False Dawn

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes.

From Le Mans, we move to Formula 1, where Aston Martin Aramco finally put its first point of the 2026 season on the board at Monaco. On paper, Fernando Alonso’s tenth place was a welcome moment after a bruising opening phase to the year. In reality, the story was far more complicated.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes.

Monaco didn’t represent a sudden performance breakthrough for the AMR26. Alonso and Lance Stroll had qualified at the back, with Aston Martin still struggling to find the pace, balance and drivability needed to compete on merit.

The race then unfolded in a way that created opportunity, with strategy, incidents and penalties all playing their part. Alonso was classified tenth after Sergio Perez’s post-race penalty, giving Aston Martin its first point of the season.

A point is still a point, and in a difficult year those opportunities have to be taken.

Aston Martin stayed in the race, executed well enough to be in position, and came away with something tangible. But Alonso was quick to stop any suggestion that Monaco had changed the bigger picture. His verdict was blunt: there were “zero positives” from the weekend in terms of underlying performance.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes.

That comment gives the Monaco result its proper context. Across the opening races, different circuits have exposed different Aston Martin weaknesses. Alonso has pointed to engine performance, energy deployment, gearbox issues and now chassis limitations. Monaco was especially revealing because the team had hoped a lower-speed street circuit might reduce the impact of its power deficit, only for the AMR26 to struggle badly with low-speed handling instead.

Pedro de la Rosa added useful technical detail, explaining that the team found severe mid-corner understeer in Monaco’s slower sections. Aston Martin tried to address it through setup changes, but the problem appeared to be more fundamental than a simple weekend adjustment. There is some hope that Monaco’s unique layout may have exaggerated the issue, but it has still added another item to the list of areas Aston Martin must understand and improve.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Lance Stroll in the Monaco Tunnel.

That leaves the team in a strange position. Monaco delivered its best result of the season so far, but it also confirmed how much work remains.
Alonso believes the second-half development package is intended to tackle the problems more directly, but he has also warned that supporters may need to wait another four or five difficult races before meaningful change arrives.

Adrian Newey’s presence at Monaco added another layer to the story. He was seen studying rival cars on the grid, including McLaren and Alpine machinery, and Alonso described him as meticulous with driver feedback. That’s where the hope now sits: not in Monaco’s single point as a result on its own, but in the possibility that the right people are gathering the right information to reshape the car later in the season.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Lance Stroll out on track (can you spot him?)

This weekend brings the Spanish Grand Prix at Barcelona-Catalunya, and with it a very different kind of emotion. Alonso racing at home is never just another Grand Prix. Aston Martin Aramco underlined that with a thoughtful feature from Alonso, Pedro de la Rosa and Mari Boya on how Spain fell in love with Formula 1, tracing the sport’s journey from a niche interest to a national passion.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Alonso in Barcelona 2026.

Alonso’s own story sits at the heart of that change. He remembers a time when Formula 1 felt almost unreachable, when a future in motorsport seemed more likely to be on the mechanical side than as a professional driver. De la Rosa recalls limited coverage and the importance of seeing Spanish drivers such as Adrian Campos and Luis Pérez-Sala reach the grid. Mari Boya, from a younger generation, grew up in a family where Sunday afternoons meant watching Alonso race.

That gives Barcelona its emotional weight. The AMR26 may still be a difficult car, and Aston Martin may not arrive expecting a major step forward, but Alonso at home remains one of Formula 1’s great fan stories. The crowd will not need Aston Martin to be fighting at the front to make the weekend feel special.

Image © Honda Motor Co. Ltd & Aston Martin Aramco. Used for editorial purposes. Alonso in Barcelona 2026.

There was also a more poignant Alonso note this week. Speaking ahead of the Barcelona-Catalunya Grand Prix, he admitted that this is “*probably my last Barcelona race in Formula 1,*” with the circuit not due to host the Spanish Grand Prix next year and only set to return on rotation from 2028. Alonso said he considers every race this season as potentially his last at that venue, but Barcelona carries extra emotion because of the gap before F1 returns.

For Aston Martin fans, that adds another layer to the weekend: the AMR26 may not be competitive enough to give Alonso the home result he would want, but this could still be a special farewell to one of his great stages.

So, as Aston Martin heads to Spain, the picture is clear. Monaco gave the team its first point, but not its first true reset. The next few races may still be painful. The summer package remains the key moment. Until then, Aston Martin has to keep taking opportunities, keep learning, and keep giving Newey and the technical team the evidence they need to build something better.

Don’t miss Aston Magic in Yorkshire

A convoy of Aston Martins
A historic toll bridge
Stunning Yorkshire roads
and a finish on the coast at Whitby.

If you haven’t watched the latest Fuel the Passion film yet, click the image below and enjoy the drive.

Already seen it? It may be time to take the journey again.

International GT Open: Good Speed Gives Aston Martin a Misano Class Win

Before Le Mans took over the weekend, there was another Aston Martin racing story we shouldn’t miss from the International GT Open at Misano.

Blackthorn Racing didn’t contest the Italian round, with its attention shifting to Le Mans week and the Road to Le Mans support race. That meant Charles Bateman and the #97 Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo were absent from a weekend where their Pro-Am rivals had an opportunity to score. But Aston Martin was still represented at Misano by the #14 Good Speed Racing Team Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, driven by Piotr Wira and Tomasz Magdziarz in the Am class.

Race 1 already gave Good Speed something to build on. In a lively opening race, with Elite Motorsport’s Ferrari taking an overall win after late drama at the front, the Good Speed Aston Martin came through to finish third in the Am class. That was a useful podium and a reminder that, even without Blackthorn on the grid, the Vantage AMR GT3 Evo still had a presence in the championship.

Race 2 then gave Aston Martin machinery something even better.

The second race was another hectic Misano contest, with heat, traffic, penalties and retirements all shaping the order. Good Speed’s Aston Martin had to fight through the uncertainty of the Am-class battle, including a five-second penalty, but Wira and Magdziarz did enough to secure their first Am-class victory of the season.

That made it a very pleasing weekend for the Polish team and for Aston Martin. The overall headlines belonged to Tom Emson and Tom Lebbon, who completed an excellent double victory for Elite Motorsport, but in the Am class it was the Good Speed Aston Martin that came away with the win.

From an FTP point of view, this is exactly the kind of customer-racing story worth recording. Blackthorn remain our featured team and will continue to be followed closely, but Good Speed’s Misano result shows that Aston Martin’s GT3 presence in International GT Open is broader than one entry. One Aston Martin team was at Le Mans; another was taking silverware in Italy.

With Good Speed finishing third in Am in Race 1 and then winning the class in Race 2, Misano became another positive weekend for the Vantage AMR GT3 Evo. More detailed results and standings will sit within the FTP Motorsport Hub, but the headline for this Roundup is simple: Aston Martin had another GT3 class win to celebrate.

Aston Martin Design Beyond the Car

Away from the circuits themselves, this was also a week where Aston Martin’s design language appeared in some unexpected places.

That theme begins with a launch that still sits very close to Le Mans. Aston Martin and Curv Racing Simulators have revealed the AMR-C01-R Hypercar Edition, a limited-edition racing simulator created to celebrate the Aston Martin Valkyries competing in this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans.

Limited to just 24 examples worldwide, the simulator is available in two race-inspired liveries, echoing the #007 and #009 Aston Martin THOR Team Valkyries. Finished in Aston Martin Podium Green with yellow or red accents, it’s clearly designed to sit somewhere between high-end simulator, collector piece and Aston Martin design object.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.

The Valkyrie influence is more than cosmetic. Developed by Aston Martin high-performance test driver and three-time Le Mans class winner Darren Turner, the AMR-C01-R Hypercar Edition mirrors the driving position of the Valkyrie and features a carbon-fibre monocoque, curved 49-inch display and NVIDIA RTX graphics.

New for this edition is a bespoke Aston Martin Valkyrie steering wheel, built to order and available with personalised side and rotary colour configurations.

‍ ‍Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.‍ Darren Turner. ‍

Turner says the focus was on driving position, steering feel and the overall racing experience, the details that make a simulator feel believable. Marek Reichman, Aston Martin’s Executive Vice President and Chief Creative Officer, describes the simulator as a natural translation of Valkyrie’s extreme and uncompromising character, influenced directly by the Le Mans race cars while retaining Aston Martin’s sculptural design language.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes.

Hand-built to order in the UK, the AMR-C01-R Hypercar Edition is priced at **£58,750 plus taxes**.
That makes it a serious collector item rather than a casual gaming accessory, but in Le Mans week it feels like a very Aston Martin sort of object: dramatic, expensive, beautifully presented and closely tied to the emotional pull of Valkyrie.

Aston Martin’s move into the digital world didn’t stop there. The marque has also partnered with British PC builder Chillblast to create a collection of Aston Martin-inspired gaming computers. These are not race simulators, but high-end gaming PCs carrying Aston Martin design cues, including Iridescent Emerald finishes, Wings badging, leather-inspired detailing and a more restrained luxury aesthetic than many gaming setups.

There are three versions in the collection. The Chillblast x Aston Martin RTX 5070 PC is listed at £3,749.99, the Limited Edition RTX 5090 PC at £8,499.99, and the flagship Signature Water Cooled RTX 5090 PC at £15,999.99. The middle RTX 5090 model is limited to just 20 examples, while the Signature version is positioned as the collector-grade centrepiece of the range.

At first glance, Aston Martin-branded gaming PCs may seem like an unusual direction. But placed alongside the Curv simulator, the logic becomes clearer. Aston Martin is looking beyond the car itself and placing its visual identity into digital culture, gaming, simulation and high-end enthusiast spaces. Whether readers see that as bold, clever or slightly unexpected, it shows the marque trying to reach new audiences through design rather than simply through traditional merchandise.

JOIN THE ROAD TO 5,000

Corgi marks 70 years with a platinum James Bond DB5

Few toy cars are as instantly recognisable as Corgi Toys’ James Bond Aston Martin DB5. For many enthusiasts, it was one of the first ways the magic of Aston Martin, 007 and gadget-filled motoring entered the imagination.

Image: © Corgi Model Club / Corgi Toys. Used for editorial purposes.

To mark Corgi’s 70th anniversary in 2026, the Corgi Model Club has announced a special **Corgi Toys 261 James Bond’s Aston Martin DB5 Platinum Edition**. The new release reimagines one of the brand’s most famous models with a **platinum-plated finish**, presented in packaging inspired by the original, along with a newly designed anniversary outer sleeve.
The model also keeps the details that made the original so memorable, including the secret instructions, lapel sticker, spare “bad guy”, working ejector seat, pop-out machine guns, overriders and pop-up bullet shield.
For collectors buying in 2026, Corgi is also including a special 70th anniversary postcard showing production details for the model.

It’s a small-scale Aston Martin story, but a charming one. The Bond DB5 is a car that has crossed generations, and Corgi’s tribute is a reminder that Aston Martin passion is not only found on the road, on the track, or at concours events, sometimes it starts in a childhood toy box and stays with us for life. This special Platinum Edition is expected to ship in August 2026 and limited availability for pre-orders can be made now. To find out more, just click on the Corgi model picture above. This is not an affiliate link, it’s just an Aston Martin related item, that’s rather lovely and one that I thought you may just be interested in. (If it has trouble loading onto the page, just google ‘Corgi Platinum Edition Aston Martin DB5’ and it should appear. The browser has been very slow to load this). I must admit, it does look rather good in Platinum!

The same broader brand-extension theme also appeared in the latest update on Aston Martin Residences Daytona Beach Shores.

This is not a brand-new project announcement, as the Aston Martin and Valor Real Estate Development scheme has already been discussed previously. The fresh news is that the project has now received site-plan approval from the Daytona Beach Shores City Commission.

Image © Aston Martin Lagonda. Used for editorial purposes. Aston Martin Residences Miami Sky Lobby

Planned as an 86-unit, 18-floor oceanfront development in Florida, Aston Martin Residences Daytona Beach Shores is another example of the brand moving into luxury residential design.
It follows the high-profile Aston Martin Residences in Miami and sits only a short drive from Daytona International Speedway, giving it a neat motorsport connection as well as a luxury-property angle.

These stories will not excite every Aston Martin enthusiast in the same way as a V12 on the Mulsanne Straight. But they do show something about where Aston Martin sees itself: not only as a car company, but as a luxury performance brand with a design language it believes can travel into homes, gaming spaces, simulators and collector objects.

That brings us neatly from Aston Martin’s wider brand world back to the classifieds, and this week’s FTP Car of the Week could hardly be more appropriate for a Le Mans edition.

Car of the Week: The Final Aston Martin Valour

Listed with Amari Supercars in Preston at £1,750,000, this 2025 Aston Martin Valour is described as No. 110 of 110 and the final production-number car. With just 150 miles, a 5.2-litre twin-turbo V12, a manual gearbox and a dramatic Jet Black exterior with Trophy Silver striping, it’s exactly the sort of Aston Martin that stops you scrolling.

Image © Amari Supercars. Used for editorial purposes.

The Valour is already a special car in modern Aston Martin history. Built as a limited-run celebration of old-school front-engined, manual, V12 drama, it sits almost in defiance of where the wider performance-car world is heading.
No hybrid assistance, no quiet attempt to blend in, no pretending to be sensible. It’s a car built around noise, theatre, muscle and mechanical involvement.

For this week, though, the Le Mans connection gives it an extra layer. The Valour’s design was inspired in part by the 1970s Aston Martin RHAM/1 “Muncher” Le Mans car, which makes it a very fitting choice while Valkyrie and Vantage are both carrying the Wings at La Sarthe. It links the brutal, muscular spirit of Aston Martin’s endurance-racing past with the modern collector-car world.

Image © Amari Supercars. Used for editorial purposes.

The specification adds to the sense of occasion. The listing references carbon-backed seats, a satin carbon-fibre interior package, black 600gsm carpet, a billet walnut gear knob, luggage set, Aston Martin Valour helmet, Aston Martin driving shoes and a letter confirming it as the final car off the production line. Those details are exactly the sort of things collectors look for: mileage, provenance, final-number status and a complete presentation around the car.

At £1.75 million, this is obviously not a normal used Aston Martin purchase. It’s a collector-grade car being offered at a collector-grade price. But Car of the Week is not always about value in the everyday sense. Sometimes it’s about story, rarity, specification and timing, and this Valour has all four. If you’re interested in finding out more about this car, or to contact Amari Supercars, click HERE.

Image © Fuel the Passion. The interior of the FTP Vantage.

There’s also a small personal detail I rather like: the steering wheel in the £1.75 million Valour appears very similar in shape and layout to the one in my own FTP Vantage, although the Valour combines Alcantara and leather while mine is finished entirely in leather.
It’s a lovely reminder that Aston Martin lineage is not only found in the big things; engines, badges and body shapes, but also in the everyday touchpoints you hold every time you drive.

In a week dominated by Le Mans, the final production-number Valour feels like a perfect bridge between Aston Martin’s past and present: a manual V12 road car with Le Mans echoes, appearing just as Valkyrie returns to fight in the top class and Vantage starts from pole in LMGT3.

FTP Update: Alnwick, Aintree and a Very Busy Aston Martin Week

Image © Fuel the Passion. AMOC Concours, Alnwick Castle 2026.

It’s been another busy week behind the scenes at Fuel the Passion. Last weekend, I travelled north for the AMOC Spring Concours at Alnwick Castle, and it really was a wonderful event. The setting was spectacular, the cars looked superb against the backdrop of the castle, and I was very fortunate to be authorised to use the drone, which produced some beautiful footage and still images from above.

Image © Fuel the Passion. AMOC Concours, Alnwick Castle 2026.

As you can see, i’ve included a couple of teaser shots from Alnwick with this week’s Roundup, as they give a flavour of what made the day so special: Aston Martins from across the generations, the castle setting, and some wonderful aerial views of the event.
A full Fuel the Passion video from Alnwick Castle will be coming soon.

Before that, though, I am continuing work on the Aintree Sprint video. That event gave us a very different kind of Aston Martin story: not concours lawns and castle walls, but competition, timing sheets and AMOC members giving their cars a proper run on an historic circuit.

Image © Fuel the Passion. Onboard Tims Vantage V12 S. Aintree Speed Championship.

It was especially pleasing to see Peter House take first in the AMOC Speed Championship class in his Aston Martin Vantage GT4, with Tim Price second in his V12 Vantage S and Tom Whittaker third in his Vantage F1 Edition.

That’s one of the things I enjoy most about covering the Aston Martin world. One weekend can be about elegance and presentation; the next can be about speed, noise and commitment. Both belong to the same community, and both help tell the wider story.

The FTP Motorsport Hub has also been busy this week, with the Le Mans build-up, Hyperpole coverage and Aston Martin tables all being updated as the week has unfolded. Le Mans is one of those events where the story changes almost hour by hour, so I’ll continue to update the website where possible once the race is underway.

Looking ahead, the AMOC Festival at the British Motor Museum, Gaydon, on 21st June is also firmly on the radar. With the event celebrating 25 years of Vanquish, and with all Aston Martins welcome, it should be another excellent opportunity to bring together the heritage, ownership and community sides of the marque.

So, from Alnwick Castle to Aintree, from Le Mans to Gaydon, it feels like a particularly rich period for Fuel the Passion. There’s a lot to film, a lot to write about, and plenty still to share.

Closing Reflection

This week has shown just how wide the Aston Martin world can be. At one end, we have Valkyrie returning to Le Mans with more pace, more understanding and a stronger sense of purpose than it had a year ago. At the other, we have customer teams, GT3 racing, Formula 1 struggles, lifestyle projects, collector cars and community events, all part of the same wider story.

That’s what makes following Aston Martin so fascinating. It’s never only about one race, one model or one result. The marque carries history, ambition, frustration, beauty and occasional madness in equal measure. Some weeks are about celebration, some are about patience, and some are about simply watching the next chapter unfold. This feels like one of those weeks.

Whatever happens at Le Mans, Aston Martin has arrived with a richer, more credible story than it had twelve months ago.

Image © Blackthorn Racing. Used for editorial purposes.

The Valkyrie is no longer just an extraordinary idea trying to prove it can survive. It’s beginning to look like a serious endurance-racing programme.
The Vantage starts from pole in LMGT3, while Road to Le Mans has already brought Aston Martin GT3 machinery a strong result, with the #10 Racing Spirit of Léman Vantage AMR GT3 finishing second in the GT3 classification. That’s an excellent result for Aston Martin during Le Mans week.

For Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn, the final classification was more difficult, with the #91 and #90 finishing lower down the order after a demanding three-hour race. Even so, their presence remains a very welcome part of this week’s Roundup. Their two Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evos looked superb on circuit, with the yellow and pink stripe design and the blue and white car both adding colour, variety and another Aston Martin thread to the Le Mans story.

Blackthorn are a team Fuel the Passion will continue following with real interest this season. Across the wider community, from Alnwick to Aintree to Gaydon, the passion for the marque continues to show itself in many different forms.

Thank you, as always, for reading and for supporting Fuel the Passion. Whether you follow the Weekly Roundup, watch the YouTube films, comment on the website or simply enjoy seeing more Aston Martin stories being shared, it’s hugely appreciated. 👍

So, as the 24 Hours begins, there’s only one thing left to do: enjoy the race, support the teams, and hope the Wings have a weekend to remember.

Thanks again, have a great week and I’ll see you on the next one! 👆

Kind regards,
Dan

As Aston Martin returns to Le Mans with Valkyrie, Vantage and customer GT3 teams all flying the flag, here’s the question I would love to hear your thoughts on:

Is the Valkyrie now beginning to earn its place in Aston Martin racing history, or does it still need a major Le Mans result before we can truly say the programme has arrived? 👇

More broadly, what makes you proudest to follow Aston Martin, the racing heritage, the road cars, the design, the sound, the community, or simply the fact that the marque still dares to do things differently?

Leave your thoughts in the comments below. Whether you agree, disagree, or just want to share your own Aston Martin view, I would genuinely love to hear from you. 👇

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Issue 28 - Fuel the Passion (FTP) Weekly Roundup

A year later, the picture looks very different.

Aston Martin goes into the 24 Hours with momentum, credibility and a genuine sense that this programme is moving in the right direction.

A point is still a point, and in a difficult year those opportunities have to be taken.

Whatever happens at Le Mans, Aston Martin has arrived with a richer, more credible story than it had twelve months ago.

Issue 27 - Fuel the Passion (FTP) Weekly Roundup