Report: 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series Opens with Thrilling Battle at Sepang
Sepang, Malaysia—The opening round of the 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series delivered an exhilarating race, complicated by variable weather conditions and strategic maneuvers. The 4-hour event featured a mix of rain, four safety car periods, and two full-course yellows, leading to tightly contested finishes across all classes.
In the LMP2 category, Inter Europol Competition’s No. 43 ORA ECA, driven by Georgios Kolovos, initially dominated, with strong competition from United Autosports’ No. 5 entry. By the halfway mark, United Autosports held a 1-2 position, with Ben Hanley leading in the No. 6 ORECA. However, Louis Deletraz in the No. 4 Crowdstrike Racing car overtook Gregoire Saucy for second before seizing the lead following a pit stop cycle.
The race lead changed hands multiple times, with Cetilar Racing’s Antonio Fuoco briefly taking over, only to incur a five-second penalty for a full-course yellow infringement. Fuoco managed to maintain a sufficient gap, executing a well-timed pit stop and re-emerging ahead of Tom Dillmann in the No. 25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA. Fuoco crossed the finish line first, with Dillmann and Malthe Jakobsen in the No. 4 Crowdstrike Racing completing the podium.
In LMP3, chaos struck early as five of the ten entrants crashed in the second corner, leaving only five to contend for the win. CLX Motorsport’s Paul Lanchere enjoyed a significant lead initially, but mechanical issues later thwarted their chances. Inter Europol Competition, starting from the back of the grid, clinched the victory as Henry Cubides narrowly outpaced Callum Voisin in the No. 94 High Class Racing entry, winning by just 0.218 seconds.
The GT category saw an intense battle, led initially by QMMF by Getspeed’s No. 37 Mercedes-AMG, driven by Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi. After facing penalties, the No. 9 Mercedes-AMG emerged as a strong contender. Fabien Schiller looked poised to win but faced fierce competition from Loek Hartog in the No. 10 Manthey Porsche. The pair collided in the final corner, allowing Hartog to take the checkered flag; however, following post-race review, Hartog was penalized, relegating him to second and awarding the victory to the No. 9 Mercedes-AMG.
As the teams prepare for Race 2, fans can catch the live stream on the RACER+ App, which starts at 12:00 AM ET.
