The winter racing season is underway with a packed endurance weekend in Asia and the Middle East. The Asian Le Mans Series kicked off at Sepang with changing weather, strategic chaos and repeat winners, while the Gulf 12 Hours delivered late drama under the lights at Yas Marina. Here’s a quick rewind of a weekend that set the tone for the long winter ahead.

Asian Le Mans Series – 4 Hours of Sepang: Cetilar dominate Sepang in dramatic season opener

Race 1

LMP

The LMP2 race unfolded as a tactical and constantly shifting battle shaped by mixed weather, multiple Safety Cars and Full Course Yellow periods. Early on, Georgios Kolovos controlled the pace in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca, holding off Giorgio Roda in the #5 United Autosports Oreca and John Falb in the #20 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca.

By mid-race, United Autosports had moved into a commanding 1–2, with Ben Hanley leading in the #6 Oreca ahead of Grégoire Saucy in the #5. Louis Delétraz then became a key factor in the #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca, overtaking Saucy and briefly taking the lead when Hanley pitted before completing his minimum driving time.

The decisive move came from Cetilar Racing, whose #47 Oreca quietly worked its way forward. Charles Milesi set up the charge before Antonio Fuoco took over and seized the lead. A five-second penalty for a Full Course Yellow infringement forced Fuoco to push hard in the final stint, opening enough of a gap to pit, serve the penalty and rejoin ahead.

Fuoco held off a late charge from Tom Dillmann in the #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca, who had jumped ahead of Delétraz during the final pit sequence. Malthe Jakobsen brought the #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca home in third, completing a tightly fought LMP2 podium at Sepang.

LMP3 victory went to the #13 Inter Europol Competition.

GT

The GT race delivered one of the most dramatic finishes of the weekend. Early on, the #37 QMMF by Getspeed Mercedes-AMG set the pace, with Abdulla Ali Al-Khelaifi building a strong lead after an intense opening battle with Bo Yuan in the #87 Origine Motorsport Porsche. However, multiple penalties for the #37 Mercedes dropped it out of contention, handing the lead to its sister car, the #9 Getspeed Mercedes-AMG.

In the closing stages, Fabien Schiller controlled the race from the front in the #9 Mercedes-AMG, while Loek Hartog led the chase in the #10 Manthey Porsche. A late splash-and-dash fuel stop reshuffled the order, briefly placing the Manthey Porsche ahead, with Jonny Adam running third in the #56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin.

Schiller quickly reclaimed the lead, but Hartog applied relentless pressure all the way to the final corner. The two cars made contact while fighting for the win, allowing the Porsche to initially take the chequered flag by around one second. However, a post-race penalty for the final-corner move demoted the #10 Manthey Porsche to second, confirming victory for the #9 Getspeed Mercedes-AMG, with the #56 Aston Martin securing the final podium position.

Race 2

LMP

Cetilar Racing completed a perfect Sepang sweep as Roberto Lacorte, Charles Milesi and Antonio Fuoco secured a second straight win in the #47 Oreca. A rain-hit race featuring multiple Safety Car, Virtual Safety Car and Full Course Yellow periods was ultimately red-flagged 20 minutes early when heavy rain flooded the circuit. Cetilar controlled the race throughout the changing conditions and finished ahead of Tom Dillmann in the #25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca, with Malthe Jakobsen again completing the podium for CrowdStrike Racing by APR in the #4 Oreca, mirroring the Race 1 result.

In LMP3, the win went to the #17 CLX Motorsport.

GT

Kessel Racing emerged on top in a strategy-driven GT race, taking maximum points with the #57 Ferrari shared by Dustin Scott Blattner, Chris Lulham and Dennis Marschall. Blattner charged from 15th on the grid in the opening stint, while decisive tyre calls in the changing conditions allowed Lulham and Marschall to take control and lead the 22-car GT field when the race was stopped early.

Second went to the #69 Team WRT BMW M4 GT3, rebounding strongly after an overnight engine change, with Tony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper delivering a competitive run. The podium was completed by the #87 Origine Motorsport Porsche, as Bo Yuan impressed with a standout drive from 14th on the grid to challenge near the front during his long stint.

Gulf 12 Hours: Thrilling triumph for Capital RT by Motopark

Capital RT by Motopark claimed a dramatic victory in the 15th Gulf 12 Hours, securing Mercedes-AMG’s third win in the Abu Dhabi endurance classic. Denis Remenyako, Mikhail Aleshin and Adam Christodoulou guided the #13 Mercedes-AMG GT3 through a race defined by constant lead changes and late tension, emerging on top after 346 laps at Yas Marina.

The key challenge came from Al Manar by Dragon, whose #77 Ferrari 296 GT3 led deep into the ninth hour. An unscheduled stop to refill brake fluid ended the Omani team’s bid for a maiden win, but Al Faisal Al Zubair, Ben Tuck and Christopher Froggatt recovered strongly to finish second. The podium was completed by the #4 Grove Racing by GetSpeed Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Stephen and Brenton Grove alongside Jules Gounon.

Pole-sitters Inception Racing were early contenders with the #70 Ferrari 296 GT3 of Brendan Iribe, Frederik Schandorff and Ollie Milroy, but their race ended with retirement after contact in the sixth hour.

In the classes, Geyer Valmont Racing impressed on debut by winning Pro-Am with the #44 Mercedes-AMG GT3, driven by Jayden Ojeda, Brendon Leitch, Sergio Pires and Marcel Zalloua, finishing sixth overall. Pro-Am runners-up were Enrico Fulganzi Racing in the #17 Porsche 992 GT3 R, ahead of Haas RT’s Audi R8 GT3 LMS. The Am class victory went to Garage 59, with Anthony West, Marco Pulcini, Mark Sansom and James Vowles taking top honours in their McLaren 720S GT3.

Rolex 24 Hours at Daytona announces 61-car grid

A packed grid, headline debuts and star-studded line-ups set the tone for the 2026 IMSA season. With 61 cars confirmed for the Rolex 24 at Daytona — including the competitive debut of the Aston Martin Valkyrie and major moves across GTP, LMP2 and GT — our full breakdown covers all the key stories heading into the season opener.

Read all about the 2026 Daytona 24 Hours grid here.

Rodin enters British GT with Ferrari

One of the biggest headlines ahead of the 2026 season sees single-seater powerhouse Rodin Motorsport step into GT racing for the first time. The former Carlin organisation will make its British GT debut with Ferrari’s latest 296 GT3 Evo, marking a major shift for one of motorsport’s most successful junior single-seater teams.

Read the full story here.

From the archive: The roots of Manthey’s enduring success

Long before Manthey’s current success, team founder Olaf Manthey reflected on the future of his organisation after winning the 2018 Nürburgring 24 Hours. In a farewell interview with GT REPORT, he described the handover to the Raeder brothers as “the second life of Manthey Racing” — a moment that marked both the end of an era and the foundation of the team’s enduring strength. Seven years on, Manthey’s continued presence at the front of endurance racing underlines just how accurate that reflection proved to be.

Read the interview with Olaf Manthey here.

Up next: Racing continues after holidays

The winter racing season now heads into its Christmas break. After a quiet end to December, action resumes in the second weekend of January, with the Michelin 6H Abu Dhabi at Yas Marina Circuit marking the return to racing.