Aston Martin has claimed a new production car lap record for the Valkyrie at Silverstone’s Grand Prix circuit. Driven by Darren Turner, the Valkyrie clocked a blistering 1:56.42 lap, beating the previous record by a staggering 10 seconds.
The previous record holder, a modified Porsche 911 GT2 RS, managed a 2:06.83 lap a few years back. While a stock 911 battling a carbon-fibre tubbed V12 hypercar might not be the most even fight, when it comes to production cars, road legal is road legal.
The Valkyrie is even faster than the Silverstone GT3 record and the old GT1 category. It even comes close to the lap times of Formula Renault 2.0 (1:56.052) and LM GTE cars (including a Ferrari 488 GTE Evo’s 1:55.762).
Aston Martin released a video showcasing this incredible feat. The video reveals mind-bending speeds – 170 mph approaching Abbey Corner, 180 mph towards Brooklands, and a whopping 200 mph on the Hangar Straight. Silverstone’s GP circuit often feels a bit too much for road cars, but the Valkyrie clearly thrives on it.
There’s even potential for faster times. The record attempt day saw rain earlier, affecting grip levels, and a prior bike event left the racing line a little compromised according to Turner. He elaborated, “The acceleration and top speed is way beyond anything that I’ve raced at Le Mans. With active aero, and the car’s ability to optimise downforce as you accelerate, the speed just keeps climbing… The car performed brilliantly. I’m not sure I had anything more to give, but maybe on a day that was kinder with the conditions we could find a few more tenths if not more. It blows my mind that this is a road-legal car that you can use to drive to Silverstone and then go faster than the pole lap record in the British GT championship.”
Aston Martin even included footage of the Valkyrie casually cruising along the Northamptonshire lanes in the video, highlighting its dual road and track capability. This is truly an exceptional car.