Asian Le Mans 2023 Series Review | Motorsport | Is It Fast

The Asian Le Mans series kicked off the Endurance Racing scene in style in 2023 with two double header rounds at the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina Bay Circuit in Abu Dhabi.

For many, it was a chance to dust off the winter cobwebs and get back into the swing of things, while for others it was a chance to win a spot in the most prestigious racing event of the year – the 100th running of the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

With three categories racing against one another on the same track for 4 hours at a time, there was plenty of potential for this series coming into it – and it most assuredly delivered in excellent style.

LMP2

Nine teams competed in the LMP2 category driving the easily recognizable Oreca 07 cars. Seven of these nine teams were on the podium at least once – an awesome statistic that was furthered by the fact that DKR Engineering were on the podium for every race and only had a lowest finish of third in Abu Dhabi Race I.

#3DKR Engineering / Oreca 07 – Gibson / Salih Yoluc TUR / Charlie Eastwood IRL / Ayhancan Guven TUR

It’s no wonder then that the DKR Engineering outfit claimed Championship victory after the four races – something that was hugely deserved and an absolute statement in the endurance racing world. Eastwood, Guven and Yoluc were just on it from the get go and thus made it incredibly difficult for anyone else to stop them.

While they were out on top, it was Cool Racing that claimed second place in the LMP2 Championship with Algarve Pro Racing in third.

LMP3

Fifteen teams competed here with seven of them making it onto the podium at least once. The Ligier JS P320 cars were simple to distinguish from those around them, allowing for fans both old and new to easily keep track of all the action without getting confused – something that can become an issue in endurance racing.

The Championship battle here was one for the history books as Graff Racing and MV2S Racing were locked together in a relentless fight that couldn’t even be decided by points by the time the final checkered flag was waved.

With both teams on 73 points, the LMP3 Championship had to be decided on countback, thus giving the spoils to Graff Racing – a second second place sealing the deal for them. Heriau, Lloveras, Rossello, de Sadeleer, Gutak and Lavergne all drove outstandingly to put on an awesome show for us and embodied what endurance racing is about and what it can be.

Nielsen Racing rounded out the top three, back on 45 points.

GT Championship

With Twenty Two teams in this Championship , having only six of them on the podium at least once seems a little disappointing in comparison to the other Championships at first glance.

But with a third hard fought Championship battle and six teams not competing in every event, the close racing at the top end of the field more than makes up for this.

With a combination of mainly BMW M4 GT3s and Mercedes AMG GT3 Evo cars, (although there was at least one gorgeous Lamborghini and some Porsches) this also helped the series distance itself from the others, particularly for casual fans.

Walkenhorst Motorsport won by eleven points in the end with the Haupt Racing Team in second and Get Speed Performance down in third with fifty two points – thirty points back from first overall.

Overall Thoughts

Each race started in daylight and finished after dusk, testing each and every driver in a multitude of ways that only endurance racing can. There is sometimes a worry for casual fans that they may get bored during a four hour race but with each of these, there was never any chance of this happening. That was thanks in large part to some stellar performances up and down the grid.

Take Charles Crews and the Inter Europol Competition team at the first race in Dubai for example. They raced long and hard throughout the race, making it look effortless throughout. This made their retirement not long before the end of the race thanks to car trouble that bit more bitter but also didn’t ruin the race overall as those around them had continued to keep the drama alive.

Nolan Siegel – in the same team – also showed some simply brilliant racing talent, especially in the final race of the season in Abu Dhabi as he pushed the car to the limit and extracted the maximum possible out of it. In fact, this was a trait the entire team showed in that final weekend with Charles Crews taking the wheel for the start of the first Abu Dhabi race and exploding like a cannon as soon as the lights went out, dueling for the lead as if it was the last lap, not the first.

Many of the other drivers had stand out performances but the following names definitely deserve a shout out for some great performances across the Asian Le Mans season: Malthe Jakobson, Kyffin Simpson, Belen Garcia, Paul di Resta, Matt Bell, Nicolas Varrone and Al Faisal Al Zubair.

Jakobson never gave an inch, Garcia impressed as she continues to pursue a career away from single seaters, Di Resta showed that he’s still got it and Varrone proved that he was very deserving of the seat, particularly after how he performed across the 2022 racing season.

The Asian Le Mans Series also wouldn’t have been as good as it was without the superb commentary from dynamic duo Graham Goodwin and Oliver Gavin as well as the insightful pit lane interviews from Hayley Edmonds and was a perfect example of how less can be more when it comes to race coverage – take note Sky Sports F1.

Overall, if the Asian Le Mans series was the appetizer for what is to come in Endurance Racing in 2023, then the ELMS and WEC have a lot to live up to. I for one though, am sure that they can deliver. As for the Asian Le Mans Series, I can’t wait to see what 2024 brings.

Author: Thiemo Albers-Daly