24h Le Mans
The Italian team won the first two Asian Le Mans Series races this weekend at the 4 Hours of Sepang. Both LMP3 and GT classes lived up to expectations, offering excitement and suspense right up to the chequered flag.
The two 4 Hours of Sepang races were the ideal Asian Le Mans Series season opener. Rain, race strategy and track tactics provided excellent spectator entertainment as the LMP2, LMP3 and GT pecking order was established. Cetilar Racing outshone the rest of the field by winning both races. CLX Motorsport took the lead in LMP3, and Kessel Racing tops the GT table.
Competitors meet again on 31 January and 1 February for two more races at the 4 Hours of Dubai.
A Malaysian rain shower in the first hour shook up many a team’s race strategy on Saturday. Four Safety Cars and two Full Course Yellows (FCY) reduced gaps to a hair’s breadth, making the race a close-run affair across the board.
In LMP2, Inter Europol Competition, United Autosports and Algarve Pro Racing wrangled for the top spot until the #47 Cetilar Racing Oreca 07-Gibson closed in. With FIA WEC Ferrari-AF Corse driver Antonio Fuoco at the wheel, the Italian car stormed ahead despite a five-second penalty incurred during a FCY. Fuoco sustained impressive pace, carving a sufficient gap to take the penalty on the last pit stop and still retain the lead. He fended off pressure from Tom Dillmann (Algarve Pro Racing) in the #25 to take first place. CrowdStrike Racing by APR claimed third.
A spectacular crash on the second turn affected half of the LMP3 field. Inter Europol Competition clawed back from the bottom to claim victory by a whisker for Henry Cubides, with High Class Racing a mere 0.218 seconds behind. Hampered by a technical issue, CLX Motorsport had to be content with the third step.
Things were just as close-run in the GT class. A post-race penalty for the #10 Porsche Manthey due to contact on the last turn handed victory to the Getspeed #9 Mercedes-AMG. Manthey and Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn emerged second and third from a hard-fought battle.
On Sunday, rain played a bigger part, dictating the pace of the race and causing a red flag 15 minutes before the end due to a flooded track.
Cetilar Racing confirmed its expertise in the adverse conditions. Roberto Lacorte, Charles Milesi and Antonio Fuoco managed the hold-ups, switching tactics with ease to claim a second win in LMP2, with Algarve Pro Racing and CrowdStrike Racing by APR in second and third place in a repeat result of the previous day.
In LMP3, CLX Motorsport’s risk-taking paid off. The Swiss team took advantage of a Virtual Safety Car period to slip in the two obligatory 100-second stops, which opened up a path to victory over 23Events Racing and Forestier Racing by VPS.
Kessel Racing clinched the podium in GT, making a superb comeback from 15th place. The Swiss-run Ferrari’s fine-tuned tyre choices proved a winning strategy, putting it ahead of the Team WRT #69 BMW M4 GT3, resuscitated after an engine change, and the Porsche Origine Motorsport, thanks to a slick performance by Bo Yuan.
The leaders’ table as it stands:
Cetilar Racing leaves Malaysia the uncontested leader having won both races. The next stage in the Asian Le Mans Series is the 4 Hours of Dubai on 31 January and 1 February. The two races promise to be equally exciting!
