The 12 Hours of Paul Ricard this weekend (3-5 July) will be somewhat of a homecoming for Malaysia’s Viper Niza Racing Team who will be returning to the French circuit after seven years.
Team Principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo’s last visit to the 5.842km track was in 2018 where he then competed at the V de V Endurance Series behind the wheel of a Ligier JSP3 machine in the LMP3 Class. Even in his early years of racing internationally, Khoo had finished 13th from a field of 27 cars in the then 4-hour endurance race.
“The track is very challenging with slow technical corners and high-speed sweeping turns. There is plenty of run-off areas but the track is equally hard on tyres due to its abrasiveness,” said Khoo. Viper Niza Racing Team is also currently placed 4th in the GT3-AM overall point standings and looks poised for a top three finish if they can put in solid performances in Paul Ricard and the final race in Barcelona in September.
Returning this time behind the wheel of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, and leading a three-man team consisting of Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh, Khoo and Viper Niza Racing are determined to make up for the disappointment they endured at last month’s 12 Hours of Misano.
A failed power steering pump, an improperly fastened rear left wheel and subsequently a cracked engine oil sump in Misano had broken the team’s otherwise sterling performance so far – 6th overall, 4th in the GT3 class and 2nd in the GT3 AM class in the Michelin 12 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium; and victory in the GT AM Masters class and 2nd in the GT AM class at the Motul 12 Hours of Sepang.
“Up until Misano, the car has performed brilliantly to lift the team onto the podium. The car is being worked on now and some parts that are nearing its optimal mileage are being replaced. While we can try to ensure that the car performs to it maximum potential, sometimes we can’t anticipate when certain parts would fail. That’s all part and parcel of the uncertainty of going racing.
“Heading to Paul Ricard the team is putting the setback in Misano behind us and focused on a strong weekend that will get us back into the momentum of finishing on the podium. As an all-Malaysian team competing in the International Michelin 24H Series we have certainly made great strides in 2025 and we remain in pursuit of that elusive overall position podium finish.”
Opened on 19 April 1970, the Paul Ricard circuit features 15 turns and is regarded as one of the safest motor racing circuits in the world at the time of its opening. The circuit has hosted the FIA Formula One French Grand Prix between 1971 and 2022.
Renovated and modernised in 2002 following enhanced Formula 1 standards, the Paul Ricard circuit also hosts various international championships, such as F1 World Championship, Formula Renault 3.5 and 2.0, Formula 2, and also European Le Mans Series (ELMS), GT World Challenge Europe, and International GT Open.
Just minutes into the second qualifying session for the GT3 Class on Friday (4 July), driver Dominic Ang and the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO was sent hard into the concrete barrier severely damaging the chassis leaving Viper Niza Racing staring at the bleak prospect of missing the race the very next day. However, within 24 hours the team managed to secure a rental, and with practically no seat time in the replacement vehicle, took to the starting grid to fight their way from last place to finish 8th overall and 3rd place in the GT3-AM Class.
Viper Niza Racing Team turned what would have otherwise been a disastrous race weekend at the 12 Hours of Paul Ricard into a podium finish and in the process was awarded the Spirit of the Race award by the organizer for demonstrating its valiant determination to not only continue racing, but to eventually race to a podium finish.
“The grip during the hot sessions was not good but at that corner when you lose the car you are normally able to just drive out to the run off area. In this case, we’re still trying to find out what really happened and we suspect that it might have been due to a component coming loose,” said Team Principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo.
Fortune indeed favored the brave and Viper Niza Racing was fortunate to have been able to secure rental of a similar machine, with the car coincidentally being at the track after being used for a test session by another team Red Ant Racing. Red Ant Racing’s #93 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO also went on to finish 2nd overall in the 12 Hours of Paul Ricard, taking the chequered flag just 3.4 seconds adrift of race winner Proton Huber Competition in the Porsche 911 GT3R (992).
“To finish in the way that we did was nothing short of being God sent. On one hand we were extremely fortunate to have been able to get hold of a Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO but we practically had no driving time in the car before the start of the race to familiarize ourselves. We took a cautious approach in the opening few hours of the race and once all the drivers were dialed in, we began picking up the pace. Consistency was also the key factor and we are extremely elated with the result,” said Khoo.
The team’s performance, assisted by third driver Melvin Moh, was its best so far around the 5.842km circuit and somewhat reminiscent of Viper Niza racing’s last visit to Paul Ricard in 2018 where the team finished 13th from a field of 27 cars in a 4-hour endurance race behind the wheel of a Ligier JSP3 machine in the LMP3 Class.
Going into Paul Ricard placed 4th in the GT3-AM overall point standings, the 3rd place finish will consolidate Viper Niza Racing’s overall position in the Creventic 12H Series with one more race to go – Barcelona in September.
Viper Niza Racing is backed by Motul, Endless & Momentum Autoparts; IWC as its Official Watch Brand; and Jen Orchard Gateway Hotel in Singapore.
