CrowdStrike Racing by APR wins in Abu Dhabi to Take Lead Into Final Race

The #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca driven by Louis Delétraz in the car he shared with George Kurtz and Malthe Jakobsen took its third win of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series in Race 1 in Abu Dhabi to take a commanding lead in the Teams Standings. Delétraz brought the #4 car home just over two seconds ahead of Sami Meguetounif in the sister #20 Algarve Pro Racing entry.

Completing the overall podium places was the #30 RD Limited entry piloted by James Allen, Fred Poordad and, taking the chequered flag, Tristan Vautier.

In LMP3 the class victory went to the CLX Motorsport Ligier JS P325 driven by Alexander Jacoby, Kevin Rabin and Paul Lanchère with #23 23Events entry just under 16 seconds back. The #29 Forestier Events entry with the driver trio of Nick Adcock, Lucas Fecury and Luciano Morano finished third.

The GT3 class saw a Team WRT lock-out of the top two podium places with the win, the second of its 2025/26 campaign, going to the #69 BMW M4 GT3 entry of Anthony McIntosh, Parker Thompson and Dan Harper with the sister #28 BMW less than seven seconds behind. The podium was completed by the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari.

LMP2: CrowdStrike’s Clinical Performance

The #4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Gibson-powered Oreca 07 has firmly established itself as the car to beat, securing its third victory. Kurtz, Jakobsen and Delétraz executed a near-perfect race to capitalise on the misfortunes of their primary rivals, Cetilar Racing. While the #5 United Autosports car led early from pole, gearbox issues eventually sidelined the threat, allowing the Algarve Pro Racing-run entries to come to the fore.

The final hour was a game of tactical patience. Delétraz utilised a fresh set of Michelins to hunt down the off-strategy #20 entry driven by Sami Meguetounif. The winning margin of 2.029 seconds underscored the intensity of the intra-team battle. RD Limited completed the podium in third, the result aided by a late mechanical slowdown for the #25 APR car. With Cetilar Racing failing to score points following a difficult race that began from the back of the grid, the CrowdStrike crew now enters the final day needing only a single point to secure the LMP2 title.   

LMP3: CLX Inherits Win After Inter Europol Disqualification

The LMP3 class provided the most significant drama of Saturday’s racing, not during the race but hours after the chequered flag. The #13 Inter Europol Competition Ligier which took a provisional 15.9-second victory on track, was disqualified following a technical protest. The car was found to be in breach of the technical regulations for finishing the race with its front damper cover missing.

The panel had detached twice during the race, triggering Full Course Yellows. Despite being ordered by Race Control to repair the nose section, the team opted to stay out to maintain their lead over their championship rivals. The stewards determined that because the team had the opportunity to rectify the non-compliance during their final pit stop and chose not to, the car was non-compliant at the finish.

The decision handed the race victory to the pole-sitting #17 CLX Motorsport Ligier of Paul Lanchère, Kevin Rabin and Alexander Jacoby. Lanchère had controlled the early stages of the race before a pit stop dropped them into a chasing role. The promotion to P1 gives CLX maximum points and a commanding lead heading into the final race. 23Events Racing moved into second place, while Forestier Racing by VPS inherited the final spot on the podium. Inter Europol are now effectively out of contention for the 2025/26 LMP3 title.

GT: Team WRT’s BMW Masterclass

In the GT ranks, Team WRT delivered a crushing 1-2 finish that showcased the BMW M4 GT3’s suitability around the Yas Marina circuit. The #69 entry of McIntosh, Thompson and Harper took the win, marking their second straight victory following their Dubai success. The Belgian squad utilised a perfect undercut strategy during the pit stops to get ahead of the early pace-setting GetSpeed Mercedes-AMGs.

While the #69 celebrated victory, the #74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3 kept in contention. Dennis Marschall, Dustin Blattner and Chris Lulham navigated a chaotic race filled with track-limit penalties for their rivals to finish third on the road but second in the points, due to the ineligibility of the #28 BMW to score points. The podium finish gives the Kessel crew a 22-point lead heading into the final race of the 2025/26 season, meaning an eighth-place finish or higher will be enough to lift the GT3 crown.