Asian Motor Sports

The initial aim of 30 entries minimum has already been exceeded for the first two Asian Le Mans Series meetings in Okayama and Shanghai. The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) is delighted about this, and the club is harvesting the fruits of its painstaking preparation.

By setting the limit of a minimum of 30 cars the ACO showed proof of rigour, as it wanted to have a field worthy of the circuits hosting the first Asian Le Mans Series events in Japan and then in China.

The list of 31 entrants unveiled today is a very promising one. Twenty‐four teams representing 8 different nations and 10 Asian squads is a sign to the world that Asia is opening up to endurance.

Among the 8 LM P1s, a 6‐sided battle looks on the cards between the Sora‐Racing Pescarolo Sport Peugeot HDi FAP 908, the 2 Courage‐Oreca‐AIMs entered by the Team ORECA‐Matmut‐AIM, the 2 Sora Racing Pescarolo‐Judds, the Speedy Racing Team Sebah’s Lola‐Aston Martin without forgetting the Signature Plus Courage‐Judd and the Tokai University Courage‐Oreca YGH Power, which will seize any opportunity that comes their way.

Top‐class cars for top‐class teams that are out to win the first Asian Le Mans Series. Because there’s a big prize at stake: an automatic selection for the 2010 Le Mans 24 Hours for the winners of the LM P1, LM P2, LM GT1 and LM GT2 categories.

In LM P2, the Japanese Navi Team Goh squad will be on home turf in Okayama with a Porsche Sypder RS. It will be up against the 2 Oak Racing Pescarolo‐Mazdas, the KSM team’s Lola‐Mazda coupe and the Speedy Racing Team Sebah’s Lola‐Judd.

In LM GT1, 2 Japanese outfits Nova and JLOPC will be faced with tough opposition in the form of the Luc Alphand Adventures and Larbre Competition teams from France.

There are no fewer than 12 entries in LM GT2 proof of the category’s diversity, two of which are entered in the Japanese GT 300 Championship all the year round (the Daishin team’s Ferrari F430 GT and the Hankook‐KTR squad’s Porsche 911 plus 1 Ford, 2 Aston Martins, 5 more Porsches and 2 additional Ferraris).

While it’s still a bit early to give a list of drivers, there will be a fair number of Asians racing as European teams in both LM P1 and LM P2 are in advanced negotiations with top‐class Japanese and Chinese drivers.

To get this far, the ACO has armed itself with the resources to convince the teams by offering them the transport of the car and equipment by boat from Europe, or by plane from the USA.

This represents a big investment in Asia rounded off by 2 entrants from the Formula Le Mans Cup! The first two in the overall classification of this season’s Formula Le Mans Cup will be given the entry and transport to start the Okayama and Shanghai races. This novel initiative will enable the fledgling Formula Le Mans Championship, dear to Oreca and the ACO, to make its mark far away from its European base.

Asian Le Mans Series Provisional Entry List:

LMP1
SORA RACING PESCAROLO JUDD
SORA RACING PESCAROLO JUDD
SORA RACING-PESCAROLO SPORT PEUGEOT 908
TOKAI UNIVERSITY COURAGE ORECA
TEAM ORECA MATMUT COURAGE-ORECA AIM
TEAM ORECA MATMUT COURAGE-ORECA AIM
SIGNATURE PLUS COURAGE JUDD
SPEEDY RACING TEAM SEBAH LOLA ASTON MARTIN

LMP2
OAK RACING PESCAROLO MAZDA
OAK RACING PESCAROLO MAZDA
NAVI TEAM GOH PORSCHE RS SPYDER
KSM LOLA MAZDA COUPE
SPEEDY RACING TEAM SEBAH LOLA JUDD

GT1
LUC ALPHAND AVENTURES CORVETTE C6.R
TEAM NOVA ASTON MARTIN DBR9

JLOC LAMBORGHINI MURCIELAGO
LARBRE COMPETITION SALEEN S7R

GT2
DRAYSON RACING ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE
TEAM FELBERMAYER-PROTON PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR
TEAM FELBERMAYER-PROTON PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR
TEAM HONG KONG RACING ASTON MARTIN VANTAGE
HANKOOK - TEAM FARNBACHER FERRARI F430 GT
TEAM DAISHIN FERRARI F430 GT
ROBERTSON RACING DORAN FORD GT-R
ENDURANCE ASIA TEAM PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR
HANKOOK - KTR PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR
IMSA PERFORMANCE MATMUT PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR
AF CORSE SRL FERRARI F430 GT
CHINA RACE FYI PORSCHE 911 GT3 RSR

FORMULA LE MANS
WINNER & SECOND PLACE IN FORMULA LE MANS CUP