A brief catch-up with Colin Ong from the Asian Le Mans Series reveals some early details of the building grid for the recently relocated Asian Le Mans Series for 2026/27.
With the conflict in the Middle East showing no signs of coming to a close, the shift to Europe was inevitable, and it necessitated a rapid rejig of plans for both the series organisers and prospective competitors.
Despite that, the grid for the Asian League Mans Series is expected to be full or near full of Hypercar, LMP2 and GT3 machinery.
“Demand from the LMP2 teams is strong, and we expect to see a sizeable boost in GT3, with a fair number of first-time teams coming from the GT World Challenge family,” Ong says.
LMP2s will run to the current IMSA spec with the same Michelin tyres, the high-downforce body kit, and reduced power levels seen in the ELMS. This change is to accommodate the coming Pro-Am Hypercars.
Regardless, DSC believes a significant number of cars will be committed to the P2 class, which will, as usual, be to Pro-Am crew specification only.
And there will be teams from Asia, DSC understands, with an all-Japanese team (drivers and crew) in GT3 and a brand new team from Malaysia amongst those that have requested entries. There’s also a message from the race organisers: If you haven’t yet confirmed you wish to enter, do so as soon as possible!
On the Hypercar front, the final picture isn’t yet clear, but a handful of potential runners are in the running for some or all of the Series, featuring up to three different marques. DSC hopes to bring you more on this over the weekend.
As for the new for 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Cup for LMP3 (as the cars leave the Asian LMS for this season) and GT3, there’s steady if not spectacular take-up.
The grid will see classes replicated for the Michelin Le Mans Cup – ‘Pro’ and Pro-Am LMP3 and GT3. DSC believes around 20 cars are committed so far.
The series gets underway at Paul Ricard in November with additional double-header 4-hour race weekends at Jerez and Portimao in early 2027.
