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NA Speaker Ayaz Sadiq slams Indian brutality in IIOJK

National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq has strongly condemned India’s actions in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), terming them “brutal water aggression” and “serious human rights violations”.

He was speaking to a delegation led by Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar.

The delegation included AJK Legislative Assembly members Raja Farooq Haider Khan, Ahmad Raza Qadri, and Dewan Ali Chughtai.

The Speaker emphasized that resolving parliamentarians’ issues without discrimination remains his top priority. Parliament has consistently highlighted the Kashmir issue across all regional and international forums.

He affirmed that all members of the House are equal in his eyes. He noted that during the first 3.5 years of the 15th National Assembly, no production orders were issued against any member. As custodian of the 16th National Assembly, he reiterated his commitment to safeguarding the rights of all parliamentarians.

Speaker Ayaz Sadiq expressed deep sorrow over the loss of lives and property caused by recent floods in Azad Kashmir. He reaffirmed the unwavering solidarity between the people of Pakistan and Azad Kashmir, and reiterated his commitment to raising the Kashmir issue across regional and international platforms.

He condemned India’s unilateral actions of August 5, 2019, asserting that such measures cannot crush the Kashmiri people’s enduring spirit for freedom.

Speaking on the occasion, Azad Jammu and Kashmir Legislative Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Latif Akbar warned that glacier melt in Azad Kashmir poses a serious risk of flash flooding due to climate change, with severe impacts on Gilgit-Baltistan and Kashmir. He also expressed solidarity with the flood-affected communities in Punjab.

Chaudhry Latif Akbar lauded National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq for his contributions to strengthening parliamentary diplomacy and enhancing collaboration among the country’s legislative institutions. He also emphasized the immense potential for tourism development in Azad Kashmir. Additionally, Chaudhry Latif Akbar hailed the Pakistan Army’s success on May 10 as a landmark military and diplomatic victory.

He emphasized the need for joint efforts by legislators from Pakistan and Azad Kashmir to globally highlight the Kashmir issue.

He noted that members of the AJK Legislative Assembly have been actively raising international awareness, and stressed that lasting peace in the region is impossible without a just resolution of the Kashmir dispute.

Speaker Latif Akbar called for intensified global advocacy and praised the steadfast support of the Pakistani government and people for the Kashmir cause.

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September 17, 2025
Porphyrin ring pushes the size limit for fully aromatic molecules | Research

A nanoring with a diameter of eight nanometres is the largest molecule yet to show global aromaticity. While aromaticity is usually seen in smaller rings, the new structure pushes the size limit for the phenomenon.

Five years ago, a molecular wheel made from 12 porphyrins linked together by butadiyne units became the world’s largest aromatic ring. That structure was produced by a team led by the University of Oxford’s Harry Anderson. Now, Anderson’s lab has gone bigger, constructing an larger ring that the researchers say ‘defines the upper size limit to global aromaticity’ in this kind of structure.

This new nanoring consists of 18 zinc porphyrins arranged cyclically and connected by butadiyne linkages. The team designed radial 18-legged templates that act like spokes to hold the ring in shape.

The nanoring’s circular structure was confirmed by scanning tunnelling microscopy, while¹⁹F NMR spectroscopy and computational modelling revealed measurable ring currents that relate to electron delocalisation at certain oxidation states. When the molecule is in the 10+ state, 242 π electrons participate in the aromatic system.

However, the ring currents are at least two times weaker than those seen in the 12-porphyrin ring, with only a fraction of molecules adopting the right conformation to sustain delocalisation around the entire circumference.

According to Anderson’s team, the weakness of the ring current suggests that the nanorings have reached the upper size limit for global aromaticity. However, they note that more rigid macrocycles like fused porphyrin nanobelts may enable ring currents to persist in even larger structures.

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September 17, 2025
Hydrodynamical Models Of The Lyrae A Circumstellar Disc Demonstrate Accretion Rates And Radiative Transfer

Circumstellar discs, the birthplaces of planets and key components of binary star systems, present a complex challenge to astronomers, and understanding their dynamics is crucial for modelling stellar evolution. Kristián Vitovský from Charles University and the Heidelberger Institut für Theoretische Studien, along with Miroslav Brož from Charles University, investigate the disc surrounding the Lyrae A binary system, a system actively transferring mass between its stars. Their work significantly advances our understanding of these discs by employing detailed hydrodynamical models that account for viscous heating, radiative cooling, and irradiation, revealing a surprisingly stable structure. The team demonstrates that a relatively modest disc aspect ratio can be maintained in hydrostatic equilibrium, resolving a long-standing issue with previous models and providing a more accurate picture of how material flows within these dynamic environments.

Radiative Transfer Models of β Lyrae’s Disk

Researchers are meticulously modeling the circumstellar disk surrounding β Lyrae to explain observed characteristics such as temperature and density. They combine calculations of how radiation interacts with the disk material with models of the disk’s overall structure and dynamics. A crucial aspect of this work involves accurately determining the opacity of the disk material, which dictates how effectively it blocks radiation, and testing various mathematical formulas to find the best match with observations. The team compares their model predictions with observational data, specifically focusing on reproducing the observed temperature profile and surface density of the disk.

The research centers on the opacity of the disk material, with scientists testing different mathematical laws relating opacity to density and temperature. They utilize established models, such as the Rogers and Iglesias opacity law, as a benchmark, and explore alternative laws like the Ridge opacity and inverse opacity. Within each law, they carefully adjust parameters to fine-tune the model and achieve the best possible fit to the observational data. The team’s calculations demonstrate that the choice of opacity law significantly impacts the model results, influencing temperature profiles, surface densities, and other key properties.

The models reveal that radiation pressure plays a significant role in supporting the disk, and achieving a consistent fit to the observations requires careful parameter tuning. While reproducing all observed properties remains challenging, the research provides valuable insights into the complex physical processes governing the structure and evolution of circumstellar disks. By comparing their models to observational data, the scientists are continually refining their understanding of the conditions within these environments, contributing to our knowledge of planet formation and stellar evolution.

Accretion Disc Dynamics in β Lyr A

This work presents a detailed study of the accretion disc surrounding β Lyr A, a binary system where material is actively transferring between the stars. Researchers have successfully modeled the disc’s behavior, building upon previous work and incorporating the principles of fluid dynamics. By analyzing the rate at which the binary’s orbital period is increasing, the team determined the rate of mass transfer to be consistent with observations. To accurately represent the disc, scientists modified established models of accretion discs, originally developed for black holes, to better suit a stellar central object and incorporated a general prescription for opacity.

These modifications allowed the team to calculate radial profiles of key quantities within the disc, such as temperature and density. Numerical models, employing sophisticated calculations of radiation and fluid flow, were then used to further refine the understanding of the disc’s structure and dynamics. The results demonstrate that to achieve the observed accretion rate, the amount of material in the disc must be significantly higher than predicted by previous models. Viscous dissipation and radiative cooling within the disc lead to high temperatures in the midplane, reaching up to 100,000 Kelvin, yet the disc remains supported by gas pressure, with opacity closely resembling that predicted by Kramers opacity.

To reconcile model temperature profiles with observational data, the team distinguished between temperatures in the midplane, atmosphere, and due to irradiation from the stars, aligning with observed values ranging from 12,000 to 30,000 Kelvin. Importantly, the study demonstrates that a stable disc structure can be achieved, resolving previous concerns about vertical instability. This work provides a comprehensive understanding of the complex dynamics governing accretion in this unique binary system.

Gas Disc Structure Around Binary System Lyrae A

This research presents detailed models of the circumstellar disc surrounding the binary system Lyrae A, achieving a greater understanding of its structure and behaviour. By modifying established analytical models and employing one-dimensional radiative hydrodynamics, scientists derived radial profiles of key quantities such as temperature and density, constrained by observed accretion rates. These calculations demonstrate that a gas-pressure-dominated disc, utilising Kramers opacity and a viscosity parameter of 0. 1, provides the most consistent fit to the available data, requiring significantly higher surface densities than previously considered.

Further refinement involved a time-dependent numerical model, incorporating a comprehensive opacity table, which successfully reached a steady state within a year of simulation. The resulting viscous timescale ranges from approximately 0. 5 to 3 years across the disc, and the calculated opacity values closely align with predictions from a specific opacity prescription. While the models successfully reproduce many observed characteristics, the authors acknowledge limitations in fully matching observed densities and temperatures without employing extreme parameter values. Future work could focus on exploring the impact of different opacity treatments and refining the models to better capture the complex physical processes occurring within this dynamic circumstellar environment. This research contributes to our understanding of how material behaves in discs around binary stars and provides insights into the conditions necessary for planet formation in these systems.

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September 17, 2025
How to restart your Android phone without the power button: 2 alternative methods
Jack Wallen / Elyse Betters Picaro / ZDNET

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ZDNET’s key takeaways
- You should make a habit of restarting your phone.
- There are several ways to restart an Android device.
- These methods can help with wear and tear on physical buttons.
I regularly restart my Pixel 9 Pro, and there’s a good reason for that. Actually, there are several reasons why I regularly restart my phone (weekly — at least). Here’s a short list for you to ponder:
- Improves performance by clearing temporary caches.
- Enhances security by disrupting possible cyberattacks and clearing possible malware stored in memory.
- Resolves issues such as if your phone has slowed down, is getting hot, apps are crashing, and you’re having connectivity issues, a restart often will fix those issues.
Those three points alone should have you reaching for your Android phone.

Also: This hidden Pixel camera setting makes my photos absolutely pop – here’s how

As for me, I generally restart my phone every Saturday. I have to do that manually, because Google removed an auto-restart feature from Android some time ago. There are apps available to add this functionality back, but I’d much rather do it myself.

Every time I restart my phone, it seems like some kind of magic has happened under the hood; my Pixel 9 Pro is back to being a pro again. You should seriously consider doing this as well. Of course, you probably already know how to restart your phone. Press and hold that power button until the power menu appears, and tap Restart. It’s simple.

However, what if there’s a reason why you can’t press and hold that button? I know some people with arthritis in their fingers, and pressing and holding a button can be a challenge. On top of that, the wear and tear on physical buttons is a real thing.

Also: Your Android phone just got a major Bluetooth upgrade for free – how it works

Fortunately, Android has alternative methods for restarting the OS, options that don’t require pressing and holding a physical button. I use one of these methods, and I think you’ll find it better than using a button.Let me show you how.

How to restart your Android phone from the Notification Shade

If you pull down the Notification Shade twice on your Android phone, you’ll see a small power icon at the bottom right corner. Tap that button, and the same power menu appears (as if you’ve gone the physical button route).

Also: Your Android phone’s most powerful security feature is hidden and off by default – turn it on now

Tap Restart and voilà — your phone will restart.

This is the method I use to restart my phone.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

This is the method I always use for restarting my phone.

How to restart your Android phone from the Accessibility Menu

This method requires that you enable the Accessibility Menu.

Once you’ve enabled this feature, you’ll see an expandable menu button at the bottom left of your display. Tap that button, and the Accessibility Menu appears, where you can then tap the power button to reveal the Power Menu. Whew.

Also: My top 6 open-source Android apps from the Google Play Store – and why that’s important

To enable the Accessibility Menu, follow these steps.

Pull down the Notification Shade twice and tap the Settings icon (gear) at the bottom right. Once Settings is open, scroll down and tap Accessibility.

Show more

There are several features that you might find of value in this section.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Within the Accessibility page of Settings, locate Accessibility Menu. Tap that entry and then, in the resulting page, tap the On/Off slider until it’s in the On position. This will add the Accessibility Menu shortcut to your Android display.

Show more

In the Settings section you can set the transparency of the Accessibility shortcut.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

Close the Settings app, and you’ll see the Accessibility Menu shortcut near the bottom right of your display. Tap that button, tap the power options, and then tap Restart.

Here’s the power button as opened from the Accessibility Shortcut.

Jack Wallen/ZDNET

You now have multiple methods of restarting your Android phone.
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September 17, 2025
Prince Harry makes surprising confession as he and Meghan Markle appear in new show

Harry and Meghan unexpectedly popped up in a trailer for a TV program coming out on Sunday, where they are seen gushing over an iconic American landmark.

Harry and Meghan are both big fans of Disneyland, which they talk about in a news program, scheduled to air this coming Sunday on ABC in the US (Image: Youtube/ABC news)

Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have surfaced in a trailer, where they gushed about their passion for Disneyland.

The Duke and Duchess of Sussex were featured in the preview for the ABC News program The Happiest Story on Earth: 70 Years of Disneyland.

In the footage, Harry, 41, and Meghan, 44, were glowing as they discussed their affection for the amusement park, reports Daily Express UK.

READ MORE: Donald Trump’s real attitude on Harry and Meghan amid UK visit during family feudREAD MORE: Prince Harry can only regret Trump snub as unprecedented second state visit gets underway

The Prince was also caught on camera disclosing that the attraction Space Mountain ranks among his “favorite things.” In the preview, the Duke can be heard saying: “Space Mountain was one of my favourite things.”

Meghan responds: “It’s still one of your favorite rides.” The Duke confirms this, responding “of course.”

The Sussexes made a trip to Disney Land, in which Meghan shared on her Instagram page

Further into the preview, which also showcases other celebrity figures including Jamie Lee Curtis and Neil Patrick Harris, Harry declares: “Prepare yourself, you’re going to be blown away.”

The ABC News program is scheduled to air on Sunday, with stars anticipated to share their cherished recollections of the amusement park.

This should come naturally to Harry and Meghan, who explored the destination just months ago for their daughter Princess Lilibet’s fourth birthday.

Harry and Meghan popped up in Disney tribute trailer

In images posted by Meghan on Instagram, the family of four were captured enjoying themselves during their multi-day visit to the park.

In one video, the family could be spotted encountering Disney princesses, while additional footage revealed them striking poses for pictures.

It just happened to be the day before Trump’s state visit to the UK

Meghan also posted adorable photos of herself and Prince Harry with their kids Archie and Lilibet having fun on the attractions.

The duchess wrote in her Instagram caption: “Thank you Disneyland for giving our family two days of pure joy.”

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September 17, 2025
Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan match starts late after uncertainty over participation

Pakistan’s match against the United Arab Emirates at the Asia Cup got under way an hour late amid the ongoing fallout from Sunday’s game against India.

Pakistan said India’s players refused to shake hands after the match – the first between the two countries since the military conflict earlier this year – and also claim match referee Andy Pycroft told their captain Salman Agha not to shake hands with his India counterpart at the toss.

Pakistan subsequently asked for Pycroft, who remains match referee for Wednesday’s match against the UAE, to be removed from officiating at the tournament.

Wednesday’s match, a must-win for Pakistan, was due to begin at 15:30 BST.

Their players remained at the team hotel as talks continued but did depart for the Dubai International Stadium about 30 minutes before the scheduled toss.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi held talks with his predecessors Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi shortly before their departure.

Soon after, organisers announced the match would begin at 16:30 BST and a subsequent PCB statement said Pycroft has apologised to “the manager and captain of the Pakistan cricket team”.

Should Pakistan beat the UAE, they will meet India again in Dubai on Sunday in their first match of the Super Four stage, meaning the story could continue.

It is the latest occasion relations between India and Pakistan has impacted cricket.

They already do not play each other outside of global events and India’s matches at the Champions Trophy were moved to Dubai earlier this year after they refused to travel to hosts Pakistan.

Pakistan will not travel to India for next month’s Women’s World Cup, with their matches instead being moved to Sri Lanka.

India and Pakistan meet in Colombo on Sunday, 5 October.

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September 17, 2025
Asia Cup 2025: Pakistan match delayed amid uncertainty over participation

Pakistan’s match against the United Arab Emirates at the Asia Cup has been delayed by an hour amid the ongoing fallout from Sunday’s match against India.

Pakistan said India’s players refused to shake hands after the match – the first between the two countries since the military conflict earlier this year – and also claim match referee Andy Pycroft told their captain Salman Agha not to shake hands with his India counterpart at the toss.

Pakistan subsequently asked for Pycroft, due to be match referee for Wednesday’s match against the UAE, to be removed from officiating at the tournament.

Wednesday’s match, a must-win for Pakistan, was due to begin at 15:30 BST.

Their players remained at the team hotel as talks continued but did depart for the Dubai International Stadium around 30 minutes before the scheduled toss.

Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) chair Mohsin Naqvi held talks with his predecessors Ramiz Raja and Najam Sethi shortly before their departure.

Soon after organisers announced the match will begin at 16:30 BST.

It remains unclear whether Pycroft will officiate the match as planned.

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September 17, 2025
Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang Is Bananas for Google Gemini’s AI Image Generator

Nvidia CEO Jensen Huang is in London, standing in front of a room full of journalists, outing himself as a huge fan of Gemini’s Nano Banana. “How could anyone not love Nano Banana? I mean Nano Banana, how good is that? Tell me it’s not true!” He addresses the room. No one responds. “Tell me it’s not true! It’s so good. I was just talking to Demis [Hassabis, CEO of DeepMind] yesterday and I said ‘How about that Nano Banana! How good is that?’”

It looks like lots of people agree with him: The popularity of the Nano Banana AI image generator—which launched in August and allows users to make precise edits to AI images while preserving the quality of faces, animals, or other objects in the background—has caused a 300 million image surge for Gemini in the first few days in September already, according to a post on X by Josh Woodward, VP of Google Labs and Google Gemini.

Huang, whose company was among a cohort of big US technology companies to announce investments into data centers, supercomputers, and AI research in the UK on Tuesday, is on a high. Speaking ahead of a white-tie event with UK prime minister Keir Starmer (where he plans to wear custom black leather tails), he’s boisterously optimistic about the future of AI in the UK, saying the country is “too humble” about the country’s potential for AI advancements.

He cites the UK’s pedigree in themes as wide as the industrial revolution, steam trains, DeepMind (now owned by Google), and university researchers, as well as other tangential skills. “No one fries food better than you do,” he quips. “Your tea is good. You’re great. Come on!”

Nvidia announced a $683 million equity investment in datacenter builder Nscale this week, a move that—alongside investments from OpenAI and Microsoft—has propelled the company to the epicenter of this AI push in the UK. Huang estimates that Nscale will generate more than $68 billion in revenues over six years. “I’ll go on record to say I’m the best thing that’s ever happened to him,” he says, referring to Nscale CEO Josh Payne.

“As AI services get deployed—I’m sure that all of you use it. I use it every day and it’s improved my learning, my thinking. It’s helped me access information, access knowledge a lot more efficiently. It helps me write, helps me think, it helps me formulate ideas. So my experience with AI is likely going to be everybody’s experience. I have the benefit of using all the AI—how good is that?”

The leather-jacket-wearing billionaire, who previously told WIRED that he uses AI agents in his personal life, has expanded on how he uses AI (that’s not Nano Banana) for most daily things, including his public speeches and research.

“I really like using an AI word processor because it remembers me and knows what I’m going to talk about. I could describe the different circumstance that I’m in and yet it still knows that I’m Jensen, just in a different circumstance,” Huang explains. “In that way it could reshape what I’m doing and be helpful. It’s a thinking partner, it’s truly terrific, and it saves me a ton of time. Frankly, I think the quality of work is better.”

His favorite one to use “depends on what I’m doing,” he says. “For something more technical I will use Gemini. If I’m doing something where it’s a bit more artistic I prefer Grok. If it’s very fast information access I prefer Perplexity—it does a really good job of presenting research to me. And for near everyday use I enjoy using ChatGPT,” Huang says.

“When I am doing something serious I will give the same prompt to all of them, and then I ask them to, because it’s research oriented, critique each other’s work. Then I take the best one.”

In the end though, all topics lead back to Nano Banana. “AI should be democratized for everyone. There should be no person who is left behind, it’s not sensible to me that someone should be left behind on electricity or the internet of the next level of technology,” he says.

“AI is the single greatest opportunity for us to close the technology divide,” says Huang. “This technology is so easy to use—who doesn’t know how to use Nano?”

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September 17, 2025
Fueling breakthrough research at Pedal the Cause

The Illumina team at last year’s race.

September 17, 2025

On September 20 and 21, Illumina employees will join thousands of other participants in Pedal the Cause, a cycling and fitness challenge that raises funds for cancer research. The event is held in St. Louis, Missouri, and is one of the few in the nation that gives 100% of the funds raised by participants directly to local cancer research centers, including Siteman Cancer Center and Siteman Kids at St. Louis Children’s Hospital.

For longtime Illumina employees like Elizabeth Boyer and Aimee Keithly, the event is more than a ride. It’s a way to honor loved ones, support lifesaving discoveries, and embody Illumina’s mission to improve human health.

Building a team, honoring a friend

Boyer, who leads Illumina’s customer success and implementation team, has been with the company for 21 years. She first learned about Pedal the Cause through colleagues who would volunteer informally at local cancer fundraisers. Eight years ago, she helped establish Illumina’s official team in St. Louis.

What keeps her motivated year after year is the memory of Walter Bass, a field service engineer at Illumina and Pedal the Cause champion who inspired those around him before he died of prostate cancer in 2020. “It’s a ride, not a race,” Bass would say. That phrase is one the team carries forward with every mile.

Boyer says that she sees Pedal the Cause as a reflection of why she works at Illumina: “Cancer touches every family. This event reinforces why we do what we do, and why we work so hard to advance science.”

In addition to riding, Illumina supports the community event by sponsoring activities such as the Kids Challenge, where young riders receive superhero capes. “It’s about bringing joy in such a difficult time,” Boyer says. “Seeing children and families smile reminds us what this is really about.”

Illumina Associate Director of Customer Success Elizabeth Boyer and Associate Director of Sales Aimee Keithly at the 2024 event.

Riding with purpose

For Aimee Keithly, a commercial sales leader and 14-year Illumina veteran, Pedal the Cause is deeply personal. She has participated for a decade, either cycling, running, or walking.

Cancer has touched nearly every corner of her life. Both of her parents were diagnosed; her father passed away at 63; and she has lost friends and colleagues to colon cancer, melanoma, and brain cancer.

“Pedal the Cause gives me purpose,” Keithly says. “Every mile I ride is for the people I’ve loved and lost, and for the research that brings hope to patients. It’s bigger than any one of us.”

The kids’ challenge during the 2024 event.

The Illumina impact

Since 2017, the Illumina St. Louis team has raised more than $100,000 for cancer research, earning the Bronze Award from the event’s Lifetime Impact Society, which honors teams that achieve lifetime fundraising milestones. This year, 16 Illumina employees will ride, run, or walk together, continuing the legacy of impact.

Beyond the numbers, Pedal the Cause highlights Illumina’s culture of service and science. Every dollar raised supports cutting-edge studies, early-stage investigator grants, and breakthroughs that may otherwise go unfunded. To date, Pedal the Cause has funded more than 200 cancer research projects, turning community energy into transformative discoveries.

“Whether you are on a bike, at a walk, or cheering from the sidelines,” Boyer says, “you are part of something that is changing lives.”

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September 17, 2025
Aston Martin Valkyrie continues IMSA season at world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway –
- Aston Martin Valkyrie’s IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship programme arrives at North America’s most famous racing venue
- Valkyrie is the only road-derived hypercar to contest the world’s two premier sportscar series, IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship, in 2025
- After six straight top-10 finishes, Ross Gunn and Roman De Angelis target more progress at latest round of continent’s top sportscar racing series
17 September, 2025, Indianapolis, USA: Fresh from its best result to date, the spectacular Aston Martin Valkyrie roars towards the climax of its debut season of global competition this weekend as the IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship (IMSA) continues with the Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks at the world-famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway (IN).

Valkyrie’s debut US campaign, masterminded by the works Aston Martin THOR team, reached its highest point so far, last time out at Road America. The British ultra-luxury high-performance brand’s all-new Valkyrie achieved its first top six finish after a strong weekend.

With just two races of the 2025 IMSA season – North America’s premier sportscar championship – remaining, the target is to continue the car’s increasingly competitive form and finish the year on a high.

Indianapolis represents the fourth event of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup – a series comprising the five races of more than the standard two-hour, forty-minute duration. Valkyrie made its IMSA debut at the second of these; the Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring, in March, and also performed well at the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen in July.

Drivers Roman De Angelis (CAN) and Ross Gunn (GBR), have contested each IMSA event at ‘The Brickyard’ since its 2.4-mile road course was re-introduced to the series in 2023. On each occasion both drivers were behind the wheel of The Heart of Racing (THOR) Team’s Aston Martin Vantage GT3s. Gunn secured a runner-up finish in IMSA’s GTD Pro class in 2023 and a fifth-place result last year while De Angelis was fourth in the GTD class (for GT3 cars) in 2023 and sixth the following season after moving into GTD Pro.

The only entry derived from a road-going hypercar competing in either IMSA or the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC), Valkyrie is developed from its production version by Aston Martin and THOR. The competition example blends a race-optimised carbon fibre chassis with a modified 6.5-litre V12 powerplant that revs to 11,000rpm and produces over 1000bhp in standard form, but adheres to a strict 500kw (680bhp) power limit as per hypercar regulations.

Valkyrie positions Aston Martin in the top division of US sportscar racing for the first time since 2011; a season in which five outright victories and seven podiums were achieved in the American Le Mans Series.

Ross Gunn, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I’m very much looking forward to getting back in the car at Indianapolis. While there has been a big break in the IMSA calendar, The Heart of Racing Team and Aston Martin have worked incredibly hard to push through improvements to the Valkyrie package. It seems it blossoms more with very race it enters. Arriving at the gates of the famous Indianapolis Motor Speedway is a pinch yourself moment, and now we’re coming into the final phase of the season, we’re just focused on improving on our best result at Road America last time out. The aim is to go one better, continue our learnings, and most importantly have some fun!”

Roman De Angelis, driver #23 Aston Martin Valkyrie: “I’m looking forward to getting back to racing after what feels like a long break since Road America. I feel good coming to Indy following our first top-six finish with Valkyrie last time out, a result that did a lot to boost team morale and confidence to fight for an even better result this weekend. It’s been nice to have some time off to prepare as much as I can for the six hours of racing we have ahead of us and I’m very much looking forward to getting back to work with Aston Martin Team THOR.”

Ian James, Team Principal, Aston Martin THOR Team: “The progress we’re making with Valkyrie in both IMSA and the FIA World Endurance Championship is clear to see. At Road America we had our most competitive race to date and finished in the top six for the first time thanks to some very good strategy calls and the consistency of performance we’re achieving with the car. This weekend we have the honour of bringing Valkyrie to one of the most famous racing venues in the world, the Indianapolis Motor Speedway, and we’re aiming to continue the constant improvements we’ve been experiencing in what’s sure to be the first of two hugely challenging races at the end of the car’s debut IMSA season.”

Adam Carter, Aston Martin Head of Endurance Motorsport: “With just two IMSA races to go of Valkyrie’s debut season, the progress both the car and the Aston Martin THOR team have made in 2025 has been consistent and encouraging. This was illustrated well by the programme’s first top-six finish last time out at Road America; Valkyrie’s sixth top-10 result in a row. Despite it being the newest GTP car, Valkyrie has been extremely reliable and performed well in the long ‘endurance’ races on circuits as challenging as Sebring and Watkins Glen. We aim to continue that progress through the final races as we push for constant improvement.”

Vantage bids for glory at legendary Indianapolis Motor Speedway
- The Heart of Racing Team resumes IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship GTD title fight at Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks at IMS
- Zacharie Robichon re-joins THOR Team regulars Tom Gamble and Casper Stevenson as trio bid to increase Michelin Endurance Cup points lead
- Brazilian Eduardo Barrichello makes IMSA debut alongside Valentin Hasse Clot and Anthony McIntosh in Van der Steur Racing Vantage
- Barrichello arrival completes line-up that has already finished on FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) podium in 2025
While Valkyrie contests the IMSA Weathertech Sports Car Championship’s GTP division at the Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks, Aston Martin is also set to fight for victory in the GTD category as the latest iteration of Aston Martin’s most successful racing car – the Vantage GT3 – is fielded by The Heart of Racing (THOR).

Sharing the mechanical architecture of the ultra-luxury Vantage road car, the Vantage GT3, which triumphed at last year’s 24 Hours of Spa – the world’s most prestigious GT3-only event, is built around Aston Martin’s proven bonded aluminium chassis and powered by its fearsome twin-turbo 4.0-litre V8 engine.

Indianapolis Motor Speedway’s 2.4-mile road course, on which Sunday’s six-hour race will be held, and the season-ending Michelin Petit Le Mans at Road Atlanta, will not only be crucial in deciding the identity of the 2025 IMSA GTD champions, but also the winners of the IMSA Michelin Endurance Cup (IMEC).

THOR currently lead the Teams’ title race in the IMEC while Casper Stevenson (GBR), Aston Martin works racer Tom Gamble (GBR) and Zacharie Robichon (CAN) are on top in the Drivers’ championship battle following an excellent victory in the Sahlen’s Six Hours of the Glen at Watkins Glen (NY) in July.

Former IMSA GTD champion Robichon, who is only contesting the IMEC races this year, returns to the line-up alongside full-season regulars Stevenson and Gamble, at Indianapolis. Stevenson, meanwhile, is second in the overall IMSA GTD Drivers’ points table following a third-place finish alongside Gamble at Virginia International Raceway last time out.

Van der Steur Racing, which is contesting only the five IMEC races in 2025, returns for the first time since Watkins Glen with its Vantage GT3 and an exciting addition to its driver line-up. Eduardo Barrichello (BRA) joins the team for Indianapolis, substituting for Rory van der Steur (USA), who is recovering from an injury sustained in a mountain-biking accident last week. The 19-year-old Brazilian wowed his home crowd in last month’s FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) 6 Hours of Sao Paulo at Interlagos as he took a maiden LMGT3 pole position and then finished on the series podium for the first time alongside team-mates Anthony McIntosh (USA) and Aston Martin works driver Valentin Hasse Clot (FRA). His arrival means that this successful partnership is revived with McIntosh and Hasse Clot both part of Van der Steur’s IMEC programme this year as well.

How to follow

The Tirerack.com Battle on the Bricks will begin at 1140 local time (+5 Hours BST) on Sunday, 21 September 2025. It will be broadcast live globally on IMSA TV and on the IMSA YouTube channel and via selected broadcasters at a national level.

-ENDS-
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September 17, 2025