| As we near the middle of January, we are heading into the final round of the 2016-2017 Asian Le Mans Series! With just over a week gone since round 3 in Buriram, the teams are heading to Sepang in Malaysia for the final round of the series – the 4 Hours of Sepang, held on the 21st and 22nd of January. It’s only a few days to go until we find out who will be crowned Asian LMS champion and win their places for the 24 Hours of Le Mans in June later this year. |
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As we go into the final round, only the CN class team title is decided, with even the GT Cup class seeing some rivalry for the title, thanks to entries from both Team NZ and TKS who will be going head to head in Sepang. Having each competed in one round, the #77 Team NZ Porsche 911 GT3 Cup and the #96 TKS Porsche 911 GT3 Cup are neck and neck with 26 points each.
In the LMP2 class, Jackie Chan DC Racing is going into the final round as class leaders, with 69 points for the #35 Oreca 03R Nissan. Algarve Pro Racing are following with the #25 Ligier JSP2 Nissan in second place with 50 points. Aidan Read will be joining the line-up in the #25 for this round, alongside Andrea Pizzitola and Andrea Roda. The #24 Algarve Pro Racing Ligier JSP2 Judd is sitting in third with 45 points. Race Performance are at 37 points with their #8 Oreca 03R Judd. |
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After round 3 in Buriram, ARC Bratislava are now leading the points in the LMP3 class with the #4 Ginetta LMP3 sitting at the top of the table with 55 points. Tockwith Motorsports aren’t far behind after their eventful weekend, sitting 2nd in the classification with 51 points with the #26 Ligier JSP3. Third and also fighting for the class win is the #1 Jackie Chan DC Racing Ligier JSP3 with 48 points. Also still in the running for class win is the ARC Bratislava sister car, the #7 Ginetta LMP3, with 40 points, and the #85 G-Print by Triple 1 Racing Ligier JSP3 with 30.
In the GT Class, DH Racing are leading the classification with 52 points for the #5 DH Racing Ferrari 488 GT3. The #37 Team BBT Ferrari 488 GT3 is second with 38 points, the #3 DH Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 has 35. Still in with a title chance are the #61 Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GT3 with 32 points and the #38 Spirit of Race Ferrari 488 GT3 at 30. |
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The provisional entry list currently stands at 28 cars, with 4 LMP2, 10 LMP3, 11 GT and, 1 CN and 2 GT Cup, making the 4 Hours of Sepang the strongest endurance race in South East Asia. This also means that we've had an average of 28 cars per round this season, a steady increase on last year’s already marked improvement. The final round will see the PS Racing ADESS 03 return in the LMP3 class, having missed out on Buriram, and FIST-Team AAI will be entering their #93 ADESS 03 as well, giving us once more three brands representing the LMP3 category.
It's worth noting that five ex-F1 drivers can be counted amongst the participants of this final event of the 2016-2017 season - Fairuz Fauzy, Vitantonio Liuzzi, Olivier Beretta and Ho-Pin Tung have all been test and/or reserve drivers for Formula 1 in their racing careers, and Alex Yoong raced for Minardi for two seasons.
The fight for the series titles will reach its pinnacle this weekend, especially in the LMP2, LMP3 and GT classes with the class winning crews making their way in June to la Sarthe in France thanks to their invitation to the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans.
See you in Sepang for the final 4 Hour race of the season! |
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ABOUT THE ASIAN LE MANS SERIES
Launched in 2013 by the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO), the Asian Le Mans Series is the embodiment of Le Mans endurance racing for the Asian continent. Initially operated by a third party company, the ACO took over management, organisation and promotion of the Series at the end of 2014. The Series features five categories of sports cars - LMP2, LMP3, GT, GT Cup and CN.
As part of the Le Mans Endurance Racing Pyramid, it complements the European Le Mans Series and Weather Tech Sports Car Championship. The FIA World Endurance Championship caps this ensemble while the Le Mans 24 Hours, the ultimate challenge that all the teams and drivers want to win, is the summit of excellence of this pyramid. Champions of the LMP2, LMP3 and GT categories of the Asian Le Mans Series earn invitations to participate in the following year’s Le Mans 24 Hours.
ABOUT THE ACO
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) founded in 1906 is the creator and organiser of major motor sporting events including the first grand prix in the history of motor racing in 1906 followed by the Le Mans 24 Hours in 1923. The ACO’s aim is to develop long-distance racing and since 2012 it has been the organiser and promoter of the FIA World Endurance Championship (FIA WEC). The club is also the creator of the continental series: the WeatherTech SportsCar Championship, former American Le Mans Series (1999), the European Le Mans Series (2004), and the Asian Le Mans Series (2013). On its own circuits at Le Mans, the ACO organises the 24 Heures Motos, the 24 Heures Karting, the 24 Heures Camions and the French Motorcycle Grand Prix. But above all the ACO is a club made up of enthusiasts who defend the rights of car users on a daily basis, and it gives its members a privileged welcome to enable them to live their passion for motor sport at the events it organises.
The ACO also has a driving school, Le Mans Driver, a leisure and kart competition complex and simulators, an Enterprise department for the organisation of seminars, a team of guides providing tours of the installations of the Le Mans circuits, two official boutiques in Le Mans and Paris as well as eight regional agencies. |
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