Battle for Asian Le Mans Series Championship Honours

The 2017/18 Asian Le Mans Series is coming to a nail biting conclusion with all Class Championships, and the four invitations to race in the iconic 24 Hours of Le Mans that go with them are still undecided.

The winners of the LMP2 and LMP3 classes will receive an invitation to join the LMP2 class in the race held in France in June this year. The top two finishers in the GT Class will receive an invitation to compete in the LM GTE-Am class.

The 4 Hours of Sepang will take place this coming Sunday on the Malaysian circuit located just 15 minutes from the Kuala Lumpur International Airport. The grid will once again see a mix of cars which is synonymous with the Le Mans brand of endurance racing with both prototypes and GT cars sharing the track for the 4-hour race.

With the possibility of rain effecting both qualifying and the race, the weekend is shaping up to be very exciting.

The Sepang International Circuit (SIC) will also be home to the 1st LMP3 Asia Festival. As a part of the celebrations, SIC held a convoy featuring a Ligier JS P3 to Putrajaya to raise awareness of the category and promote the finale of the Series this weekend. There will also be VIP hot laps in an LMP3 (Ligier JS P3) during the weekend allowing guests to experience the thrill of these magnificent machines.

Fans will also have the chance to check out around 500 cars from various car clubs that will be on display behind the grandstands, while local school children will be invited for a special behind the scenes look at the Asian Le Mans Series teams and cars.

LMP2:
With a maximum of 26 points up for grabs in the 4 Hours of Sepang, the LMP2 Championship title is set to be a battle between the #8 成龍 Jackie Chan DC Racing X Jota Sport Oreca 05 (70 points) and the #37 BBT Ligier Sportscars JS P2 (52 points).

After winning their debut round as a trio in the #7 Jackie Chan DC Racing X JOTA Sport Oreca 05 Nissan, the all Malaysian entry is hoping to spoil the party. Jazeman Jaafar, Weiron Tan and Afiq Ikhwan Yazid became the first all-Malaysian line up to win a round of the Asian Le Mans Series and they are hoping to take a home ground advantage and give the Malaysian crowd something to cheer about.

Sepang will also see Eurasia Motorsport return to the Asian Le Mans Series with their Ligier JS P2 after missing the previous round of the Series. Marco Asmer returns and will be joined by Nabil Jeffri and Jake Parsons.

LMP3:
1 point. That is all that separates 1st and 2nd currently in the LMP3 class of the Asian Le Mans Series. In has been an incredibly tight battle all season, the top four teams remain in with a chance of winning the Championship ahead of the final round of the season.

Leading the way, after winning the previous round, is the #18 KCMG Ligier JS P3 (53 points) followed closely by the #6 Jackie Chan DC Racing x Jota Sport Ligier JS P3 (52 points). Behind them at the #65 Viper Niza Racing Ligier (40 points) and the #11 Ligier JS P3 of Taiwan Beer GH Motorsport (36 points).

A new part of the 4 Hours of Sepang this year will be the 1st LMP3 Asia Festival. As a part of this festival, the LMP3 teams also racing for a prize pool of $45,000USD in Sepang – to be used towards entries in the 2018/19 Asian Le Mans Series.

GT:
The three-way battle in the GT Class of the Asian Le Mans Series has been intense all year, particularly between the two FIST Team AAI entries. With the Audi R8 LMS from Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia by TSRT finishing the season very strongly, the Championship will be decided this weekend.

Currently holding a 9-point lead is the #91 FIST Team AAI BMW M6 GT3 (69 points), from the #90 FIST Team AAI Ferrari 488 GT3 (60 points). In third currently is the #66 Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia by TSRT Audi R8 LMS (48 points).

The #66 Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia by TSRT Audi R8 LMS will also have a new face behind the wheel with Mitch Gilbert joining the team for this round.

The driver line ups in both FIST Team AAI entries have been changed ahead of the final round.

In the BMW M6 GT3, due to prior commitments, Chaz Mostert has been replaced by Finnish driver, Markus Palttala. In the Ferrari 488 GT3, Ollie Millroy will be joined by two Thai drivers, Sarun Serrthoranakul and Bhurit Bhirombhakdi who competed in Round 1 of the Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup in 2017. Racing with Kantasak Kusiri, he won the first race, and finished 2nd in the second race.

Sepang is one of the biggest bases for the FIST Team AAI, will this bring enough of a home town advantage to help them secure a 1-2 finish in the GT Class Championship, and the two, money can’t buy invitations to the 24 Hours of Le Mans?

Tickets:
Tickets can be purchased through the Sepang Circuit –
Main grandstand ticket Sunday (Free entry on Saturday) – RM11
Paddock access (including main grandstand access) – RM106

Provisional Schedule:
Friday:
14:00 – 15:30 Private test session

Saturday:
08:40 – 10:10 Free Practice 1
11:40 – 13:10 Free Practice 2
17:00 – 17:15 Qualifying LMP2 and LMP3
17:25 – 17:35 Qualifying GT and GT Cup

Sunday:
10:00 – 10:30 Pit walk / Autograph session
13:00 – 17:00 4 Hours of Sepang