When Aston Martin decided to see just exactly how fast its Valkyrie – the world’s ultimate road-going hypercar – could lap the Silverstone Grand Prix circuit in road specification, who else would it have called upon than a man who knows the car better than perhaps anyone; world sportscar racer, Darren Turner.
The Briton has played a significant role in the evolution of the iconic 6.5-litre V12-powered all-carbon fibre hypercar ever since it was conceived through a collaboration between legendary Formula 1 design guru Adrian Newey, Red Bull Racing Advanced Technologies and Aston Martin, in 2018. He’s also no stranger to Silverstone, so, when the chance came up, it seemed only just that Turner be the person entrusted to set a new benchmark at the home of British motorsport (also the home of Aston Martin’s High Performance testing centre) with this exquisite piece of engineering, endowed as it is with otherworldly performance.
Turner didn’t so much as accept the challenge as seize the opportunity, knowing that for a driver who adores his craft and loves his cars, this might just be one of those rare moments that comes along once in a lifetime. The result? A lap of 1m56.42s, with an average speed of 115.15mph. That’s more than 10s faster than anything achieved prior to Valkyrie’s attempt at the road car record!
“For me, this was a very special honour,” said Aston Martin’s longest serving, and still active, works racing driver. “We’ve been planning to try something like this for a while, and when the opportunity came up to use the grand prix circuit to have a crack at the record, we jumped at it.
“Obviously being involved in the project for so long and watching the car evolve, and, knowing what the car is capable of… for everyone that has played a role through its lifecycle – including myself – to finally be able to put a marker down is very special indeed.”
To give some sense of how much Valkyrie must be tamed to extract its maximum performance; the 0-60 mph figure is 2.5sec, while it can reach a top speed of somewhere around 220mph. Its dramatic aerodynamics generate 1100kg of downforce when flat-out, and they are essential in balancing the 1140bhp of power the car produces as it scythes through Silverstone’s fastest sweeps.
“The acceleration and top speed are way beyond anything that I’ve raced at Le Mans,” explained the multiple GT champion and three-time 24 Hours of Le Mans class winner. “With active aero, and the car’s ability to optimise downforce as you accelerate, the speed just keeps climbing.
“We knew Valkyrie could easily surpass the existing time, it was more a question of by how much.
“Initially we thought it would be an impressive feat to break the 2m00 barrier, but ultimately we went a whole lot faster than that, and I’m sure we could have gone quicker still.”
Turner’s time in the Valkyrie was faster than the current British GT3 qualifying lap record around Silverstone, and that was achieved on slick tyres and in ideal running conditions.
“We were using Michelin’s excellent Pilot Sport Cup 2 road tyres – which I then drove out of the circuit on to the A43 with!” explained Turner. “It was also cold, had been raining the day before, and it was early in the week after a motorcycle meeting on the track the previous weekend, so the circuit wasn’t in the best shape for the run.
“When you think we had just a couple of sets of tyres to play with, the track was not rubbered in, and that I could drive the Valkyrie on a public road afterwards… it just puts into perspective what this car can really achieve.
“It’s really been one of the highlights, not just of my season, but of my career with Aston Martin. Not many people can say they’ve broken a road car lap record at Silverstone, and no one else can say they’ve done it in a Valkyrie! Not bad for a drive to work!”
There may yet be another highlight on the near horizon as Turner prepares to reveal his 2025 plan in the coming weeks.
“Next season is shaping up really nicely and I’m looking forward to being able to announce what I’ll be racing, very soon,” he said. “Something a little different but with a team and a car I’m very fond of… In the meantime, I would like to take this opportunity to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year!”
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