On its tenth appearance in WEC since making its debut in Qatar last year, the stunning British hypercar – in the hands of Tom Gamble (GBR) and Harry Tincknell (GBR) – crossed the line a mere five seconds behind the winner in a frantic and chaotic race that provided a grandstand finish; showcasing some of the best action that endurance motorsport has to offer.

The #007 Valkyrie, prepared and operated by the works Aston Martin THOR Team, brought itself into contention with two hours of the race to go, following clever strategic decisions and some spectacular overtaking by Tincknell. A timely Safety Car also allowed the team to top up with fuel and align its strategy with its rivals.

Tincknell delivered two brilliant passes in one lap, to go from tenth to eighth, and then when two more Safety Car periods occurred in the final hour, Gamble found himself in a five-car fight for second place. At the final restart he was lucky to avoid a spinning Alpine at Eau Rouge and then overtook a Toyota for fourth place in the last five minutes of the race in a breathless dash to the flag.

Gamble and Tincknell might have been joined in the points by the sister #009 Valkyrie driven by Marco Sørensen (DEN) and Alex Riberas (ESP), had it not suffered misfortune that caused the final Safety Car period. Both drivers ran strongly in the top ten and the duo were in prime position to capitalise on their rapid pace on soft tyres at the penultimate restart. But Riberas was given no option but to take to the grass on the high-speed Kemmel Straight as he attempted to pass the fifth placed car. The resulting spin forced him to retire from the race; an unjust reward for a brilliant performance.

The final result was not just Valkyrie’s best performance in WEC, it marked the #007 crew’s strongest race since the beginning of the programme and was the second consecutive points finish for the British duo. It means that Aston Martin holds fourth in the Hypercar Manufacturers’ Championship, with Gamble and Tincknell ninth in the Drivers’ standings.

Valkyrie extended its points run to four races – having scored in Fuji (JPN) and Bahrain at the end of last year. Friday’s qualifying session also delivered a new high-water mark for Aston Martin THOR with both Valkyries making it into Hyperpole and placing sixth and seventh on the grid.

WEC now moves on to its Blue Riband event, the 94th running of the world’s biggest motor race, the 24 Hours of Le Mans on 13-14 June, at which Valkyrie will aim to add to Aston Martin’s iconic 1959 overall triumph with Roy Salvadori (GBR), Carroll Shelby (USA) and the legendary DBR1 race car.