The Asian Le Mans Series teams and drivers have decamped at Yas Marina ahead of the pair of four-hour races this weekend to finish off the 2023/24 season.
It’s all to play for, with class titles in LMP2, LMP3 and GT all up for grabs and Le Mans invites for the LMP2 and GT champions on the line too.
The weather is noticeably warmer since the series made its move southwest on the E11 motorway, and the forecast suggests the temperature should hover between 23 and 25 degrees Celsius all week. Ideal!
Here’s a rundown of news items from DSC’s paddock tour earlier today:
COOL Racing mechanics working overtime
Following Alex Coigny’s incident at Turn 1 on the opening lap of last weekend’s 4 Hours of Dubai, the COOL Racing mechanics have been handed a monumental task.
The tub of the team’s #47 ORECA 07 Gibson, which is a late addition to the season for the UAE leg, is repairable according to team manager Tom Olmos, though the work to restore it will need to be completed by ORECA.
Thankfully there is a spare tub on hand for the team to use this weekend, which the mechanics are working hard to build up from scratch. It’s totally new, with no wiring work completed, adding to the job list for COOL’s staff.
“It’s a big task,” Olmas told DSC. “Depending on how late we work tonight, we might be able to have the car build up for lunchtime tomorrow.”
Better news at COOL Racing is the addition of a third driver in the team’s #17 Ligier JS P320, which won in Dubai and now leads the championship. Manuel Espírito Santo will join Alex Bukhantsov and James Winslow for the eight hours of action.
D’Station still working
Elsewhere on pit lane, D’Station Racing’s mechanics, like the ones at COOL Racing, have been hard at work all day today repairing the #77 Aston Martin Vantage AMR GT3.
The car, during Tomonobu Fujii’s stint in the race, suffered heavy damage after two hits into the side of the #66 Attempto Racing Audi. The second was particularly violent, the car’s steering breaking after the first hit, causing Fujii to veer straight into the side of the Audi at the next corner.
The hope is that the car will be up and running for FP1.
Evrard returns!
Saintéloc is looking to bounce back from its tough weekend in Dubai here in Yas Marina which saw its championship-leading #42 R8 LMS GT3 EVO II retire from the race due to a steering pump bracket worth €10 failing.
The good news from the French Audi customer team is twofold: both cars are ready to race, and Paul Evrard is due to return to the #43’s line-up after the birth of a new addition to his family, quite rightly, forced him to miss the race last week.
There is, however, a spare seat in the #43 heading into the weekend. Neither Sean Gelael nor Bihuang Zhou will compete this weekend and only Evrard and Dennis Marschall are confirmed by the team.
Optimum’s McLaren repaired
Optimum Motorsport’s #69 McLaren 720S GT3 EVO, another car caught up in the Turn 1 drama at the start of the race at the Dubai Autodrome, is also set to race.
The car took a beating from the multi-car incident, but thankfully, the damage was mainly cosmetic, meaning it was repaired ahead of being unloaded in Dubai. Top work from the British team’s crew, it looks brand new!
Huber Motorsport adds to GT entry
Further good news for the entry is the addition of a Huber Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R 992 for this weekend.
The car, fresh from its appearance at the Dubai 24 Hours last month, is on-site and ready to be driven by Stanislav Minsky, Jannes Fittje and Dorian Boccolacci. It will run as #18.
Ferrari test comes to a close
Ferrari AF Corse’s two-day Yas Marina test ahead of the start of the FIA WEC season later this month in Qatar comes to a close today. Both the #50 and #83 499Ps have been running like clockwork all day and well into the night on both days.
Last night the team ran close to midnight with the circuit lighting switched off to simulate running in pitch black conditions.
The AF Corse team has been running the test from a secondary pit lane here at Yas Marina, allowing the Asian Le Mans Series teams to use the full garage-apron set-up on pit lane today without disruption.
Timetable released
A full timetable of this week’s Asian Le Mans track action has been released. Qualifying for both races will get underway at 10:45 on Saturday morning ahead of the first race at 15:00. The finale will see the cars run into darkness on Sunday from 16:00 local time.
Don’t forget that both races – and qualifying – will be broadcast live and free on the Asian Le Mans Series YouTube channel!
The full schedule can be viewed HERE >>>
