Sepang, a bit of background -The track (5.543 kilometres and 15 corners) dates back to 1999 and was designed by Hermann Tilke. It has FIA Grade 1 rating which means it is approved for Formula 1 racing. Until a few years ago, the circuit was managed by the late Philippe Gurdjian. Since then, a vast area has been developed at the site entrance and is now home to some prominent racing workshops, similar to Le Mans’ own Technoparc. This development has really fuelled interest in motor sport and motorcycle racing in this part of the world. Now, no fewer than 180 marshals occupy 35 posts around the circuit, which is split into three sectors. It really is a splendid set-up and the ideal venue for this latest clash in the Asian Le Mans Series.

Sepang and the Asian Le Mans Series 2015 - The results for the first free practice sessions place the Ligier JS P2 fielded by Algarve Pro Racing and the Oreca 05 from Race Performance (LM P2) a second and a half ahead of David Cheng Racing’s Ligier JS P3 (LM P3). Then comes the third LM P2 prototype, the Oreca from Eurasia Motorsport, followed by the Team AAI BMW GT, Nexus Infinity’s Ferrari, and the first CN fielded by Avelon Formula. Then we have Team AAI’s Mercedes, just ahead of the Clearwater Racing McLaren, the ADESS LM P3 from Team AAI (the other one is out of the running), the Ferrari from Spirit of Race, the Audi R9 from Absolute Racing, the AAI HubAuto BMW , the second CN from Atlantic Racing (Canada), the Audi R8 from ARC Bratislava and finally KCMG’s Porsche. That car was spotted smoking at one point and was shown the black flag. The red flag also appeared 38 minutes into the session to clear Avelon Racing’s CN, stuck in the middle of the track with a collapsed suspension. A number of team managers apparently have issues with the transponders but things should be sorted out for the second one-hour practice session later on this afternoon.

Hervé Guyomard / ACO  |  Translated from French by Clair Pickworth

Photo : KUALA LUMPUR (MALAYSIA), SEPANG INTERNATIONAL CIRCUIT, 3 HOURS OF SEPANG, SUNDAY 7 DECEMBER 2014, RACE. Last year’s 3 Hours of Sepang saw OAK Racing Team Asia (Morgan n°24) take victory in LM P2.