24h Le Mans
Taiwanese outfit Team AAI were invited to the 24 Hours of Le Mans this year on the back of their results in the Asian Le Mans Series.
Founded in 1990, Team AAI won the 2013–14 GT class in the Asian Le Mans Series with two different cars: a BMW Z4 and a Mercedes SLS AMG GT3. Their performance earned them a sought-after invitation to compete in the iconic French 24-Hour endurance race. BMW and Mercedes being GT3-spec machinery, suitable cars were required for Le Mans and AAI forged ties with Belgian team ProSpeed Competition to enter two Porsche 911 GT3 RSRs in the LM GTE Am class.
Both cars made it across the finish line, in sixth and eighth place in class (35th and 37th overall). For the 2015–16 Asian Le Mans Series, Team AAI are running three cars in two different classes. Remaining loyal to the BMW Z4 in GT, they have also moved on to prototypes with two ADESS chassis in LM P3. They will have their work cut out fighting off David Cheng’s Ligier JS P3.
The second round of the Asian Le Mans Series will be in Sepang (Malaysia) on Sunday 8 November.
Ticket sales for the 2016 24 Hours of Le Mans (18–19 June) will open on Tuesday 3 November for ACO members and Friday 6 November for non-members.
Jean-Philippe Doret /ACO – Translated from French by Emma Paulay
Photo: LE MANS (SARTHE, FRANCE), CIRCUIT DES 24 HEURES, LE MANS 24 HOURS, SUNDAY 14 JUNE 2015, RACE. The all-rookie crew Han-Chen Chen, Gilles Vannelet and Mike Parisy took sixth place in class with the Porsche 911 GT3 RSR.
