SEPANG, Malaysia — Cetilar Racing delivered a statement start to the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series, completing a clean sweep of the opening weekend with back-to-back LMP2 victories at a dramatically rain-affected Sepang International Circuit.
After winning Saturday’s opening race, Roberto Lacorte, Charles Milesi and Antonio Fuoco returned on Sunday to master treacherous conditions once again, guiding the No. 47 ORECA through shifting weather, multiple safety car interventions and a late red flag to secure a second consecutive win.
Malaysian weather played a decisive role throughout the four-hour contest. Intermittent downpours triggered three Virtual Safety Cars, full safety car periods and two Full Course Yellows, repeatedly reshuffling strategy calls across the field. The race was ultimately shortened by 20 minutes after heavy rain flooded sections of the circuit while the field circulated on slick tyres behind the safety car.
When the red flag was shown, Cetilar Racing held a commanding lead ahead of the No. 25 Algarve Pro Racing ORECA, with CrowdStrike by APR completing a podium that mirrored Saturday’s Race 1 result.
In LMP3, strategy proved equally decisive. CLX Motorsport capitalised on an early VSC by serving both mandatory 100-second pit stops in one bold move. The gamble paid off handsomely, allowing Paul Lanchère — alongside Kevin Rabin and Alexander Jacoby — to control the remainder of the race and take victory for the Swiss squad. 23Events Racing and Forestier Racing by VPS completed the class podium.
The GT category saw Kessel Racing emerge on top with its Ferrari 296 GT3, executing a near-perfect race in a fiercely contested 22-car field. Dustin Scott Blattner surged from 15th on the grid into podium contention during the opening stint, before Chris Lulham and Dennis Marschall maintained the lead through timely tyre decisions as conditions evolved.
Team WRT rebounded strongly from a difficult Race 1 after carrying out an overnight engine change on its BMW M4 GT3. The Belgian outfit finished second, while Origine Motorsport underlined its potential with a strong third place, highlighted by an impressive charge from Bo Yuan, who climbed from 14th on the grid and challenged for the class lead during a lengthy stint.
With the Sepang double-header complete, Cetilar Racing leaves Malaysia with maximum points and early momentum in the LMP2 title fight. The 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series continues next with the 4 Hours of Dubai, featuring two races on January 31 and February 1, where championship contenders will look to respond under very different conditions.
