Barcelona – All-Malaysian team enters season finale third in GT3-AM standings with podium ambitions and double points on the line
Viper Niza Racing heads to Barcelona this weekend with a clear objective: secure a top-three overall finish in the GT3-AM Class of the 2026 Michelin 24H Series European Series.
The all-Malaysian outfit will field its #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO at the season-ending 24 Hours of Barcelona, with Team Principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo joined by Dominic Ang, Melvin Moh and Aaron Lim.
The 40-plus-car field will take on the 4.657km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya in the fifth and final round of the championship, with Viper Niza Racing entering the weekend third in the GT3-AM standings on 116 points.
However, the fight for the final podium positions remains wide open.
Getspeed Team JR286 currently leads the GT3-AM standings with 130 points, followed by Hofor Racing on 124. Behind Viper Niza Racing, Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport sits just six points adrift in fourth with 110 points.
Viper Niza Racing is also sixth in the overall GT3 standings with 76 points.
“The team has worked incredibly hard this season, albeit some strong results and some equally challenging races, to get to where we are,” said Khoo.
“The focus in Barcelona will be to consolidate our current third position if not fight for a better position in the overall GT3-AM Class standings.”
The stakes will be particularly high in Barcelona, with the finale offering double points over the extended 24-hour race distance.
For Viper Niza Racing, the return to Barcelona also carries unfinished business.
During its debut season in the series last year, the team was fighting for a potential third-place finish in GT3-AM before contact during the finale resulted in a broken upright and damaged steering wheel. The subsequent repairs left the car 90 laps behind when it rejoined, effectively ending its podium hopes.
Despite the disappointment, the team still finished fourth overall in the 2025 GT3-AM standings.
This year, Viper Niza Racing arrives in Barcelona in a considerably stronger position, having collected two podium finishes across the first four rounds.
The team opened the season at Mugello with eighth in GT3 and fourth in GT3-AM, followed by fifth in GT3 and fourth in GT3-AM at Spa-Francorchamps.
At Paul Ricard, the #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO finished fifth in GT3 and third in GT3-AM before producing its strongest result of the season so far at the Nürburgring, where it secured third overall in GT3 and second in GT3-AM.
With only a handful of points separating the leading GT3-AM contenders, reliability and consistency could prove decisive over 24 hours.
“A lot can happen during 24 hours of racing,” Khoo added. “We are hoping for both a competitive and incident-free race.”
“All four drivers are dialed in to what needs to be done and the car has been equally strong and competitive all season long. Therefore, if we can keep this all together, there is a real shot of not only finishing third overall but much higher up in the standings.”
For the Malaysian squad, Barcelona represents more than simply the final race of the season. It is an opportunity to turn a year of hard-fought endurance racing into a championship podium.
Viper Niza Racing is backed by Motul, IWC as its Official Watch Brand, Momentum Autoparts and SPARCO Italy.
