Asian Le Mans News: DKR wins 2nd 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi race, Crowdstrikes sews up title
The No. 3 DKR Engineering Oreca (pictured) took victory in the sixth and final round of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series season in Abu Dhabi. Drivers Alexander Mattschull, Mathias Beche, and Griffin Peebles stood on the top step of the podium, with Peebles crossing the line more than 11 seconds ahead of the field. The No. 43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca and No. 49 High Class Racing Oreca-Gibson rounded out the podium.
An eighth-place finish proved enough for the No. 4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR crew of George Kurtz, Malthe Jakobsen, and Louis Deletraz to clinch the ALMS LMP2 title. It marked the third straight championship for Algarve Pro Racing, the second for Kurtz, the third for Jakobsen, and the first ALMS crown for Deletraz—who has now won every major ACO LMP2 title available.
The race featured two Virtual Safety Car and full Safety Car periods, along with a red flag triggered by a heavy crash on the back straight before Turn 8. The No. 15 Kessel Racing Ferrari of Memo Gidley and the No. 25 Algarve Pro Racing Oreca of Michael Jensen collided and slammed into the barriers. Both cars came to rest in the middle of the track, but to everyone’s relief, both drivers climbed out unaided. After lengthy barrier repairs, the race resumed.
LMP3
The No. 23 23Events Racing Ligier delivered victory for the French squad in a 1-2 finish. Louis Stern, Isaac Barashi, and Matteo Quintarelli won by 41 seconds over their teammates in the No. 71 Ligier. The No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier of Paul Lanchere, Kevin Rabin, and Alexander Jacoby retired after contact with the No. 85 R-ace GP Duqueine while fighting for the lead sent it into the barriers. Despite the DNF, CLX Motorsport still secured the LMP3 championship.
GT
The No. 56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage scored its first win of the season. Giacomo Petrobelli, Jonny Adam, and Kobe Pauwels held off the No. 9 Getspeed Mercedes-AMG by just under nine seconds in a thrilling battle to the checkered flag.
The GT title went to the No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari crew of Dustin Scott Blattner, Chris Lulham, and Dennis Marschall. They finished ninth, while the No. 69 Team WRT BMW needed a victory to overtake them but wound up 10th at the end of the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi.
CLICK HERE for the final result of the 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 2
CLICK HERE for the final team championship positions after the sixth and final race in Abu Dhabi.
CLICK HERE for the final driver championship positions after the sixth and final race in Abu Dhabi.
4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 2 – LMP2 Winners
Alexander Mattschull – No. 3 DKR Engineering Oreca 07-Gibson
“After a really tough weekend last time out, I’m a little surprised. The car’s performance was unbelievable. My teammates were fantastic. We didn’t make any mistakes this weekend and ended up winning the last race. It was a tough stint, but I expected it to be intense. I stayed out of trouble. There was a big crash behind me—I didn’t see it, I just heard it. Luckily, nobody was injured.
“I handed the car to Mathias in P5, and we came away with P1. What more can I say? Both of my teammates did an amazing job.”
Mathias Beche – No. 3 DKR Engineering Oreca 07-Gibson
“To be honest, it was a tough Asian Le Mans Series for me personally. The goal with DKR was to help the team improve. We completely changed our approach, and it paid off. I’m super happy we managed to raise the level of the whole team. At the end of the day, we had an amazing car today, and that let us perform at our best.
“Alex did a great job as usual—he’s really sharp on starts. Even though he doesn’t do a full season, he has a real sense for racing. When I saw we were leading, I had no doubt Griffin would be comfortable because he’s shown incredible pace. I’m super happy for the team, and I want to thank my teammates and everyone for giving us such a great car.”
Griffin Peebles – No. 3 DKR Engineering Oreca 07-Gibson
“This weekend was really strong for the team. We stepped it up since Dubai. Yesterday we qualified P4 and did a solid job. We just needed a bit more at the end with fresher tires. Today we got a little luck with the virtual safety car, but our pace was genuinely strong. I’m really happy with the team and the changes we made for this race.
“Everyone had to do a splash-and-dash with about 10 minutes to go. I focused on controlling my pace and saving tires for the end. I pushed hard early in my stint to build a gap, then settled into a rhythm. The pace was excellent today.”
2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series LMP2 Champions
George Kurtz – No. 4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07-Gibson
“We got the job done—we came here to win the championship and secure the Le Mans entry. Louis and Malthe were fantastic. So much credit goes to the whole CrowdStrike by APR team, especially Stew, Sam, Jeff our engineer, and the entire crew. Today didn’t go our way on track, but what matters is the title, and we got it.
“We’re thrilled to win it for the second time. It’s a fantastic championship with an incredibly high level of competition up and down the grid. We feel very fortunate to be in a position to win it again.”
Louis Deletraz – No. 4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07-Gibson
“Winning this title is awesome. Over the last four years we’ve had so much success. To come into the ALMS with such a strong lineup and car, and fight it out with 16 other entries, was special. George, Malthe, and the whole team did a fantastic job.
“Today’s race was tough. We were running around P6 or P7, stuck in dirty air, so we just had to drive smart. We had a comfortable points lead, and it wasn’t the day to take risks. Everyone saw the last race got a bit crazy, so I just wanted to survive, bring it home, and celebrate the new trophy with the team.”
Malthe Jakobsen – No. 4 CrowdStrike Racing by APR Oreca 07-Gibson
“Winning three titles in a row with the same team is fantastic. I’m lucky to have done it twice now with George and to help Louis complete his set of four different championships. It’s been a crazy start to the year. If someone had told me before Christmas that we’d win Daytona and the Asian Le Mans Series title in January and February, I would have hoped for it—but it would have felt unrealistic. Somehow we made it happen. I’m incredibly proud.
“A huge thank you to everyone at APR—Stuart, Sam, Jeff, David, the mechanics, and the whole crew. Just fantastic.”
4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 2 – LMP3 Winners
Louis Stern – No. 23 23Events Racing Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“This feels emotionally amazing. We had a great strategy and fantastic teammates. I’m very proud of everyone on the team. My stint wasn’t too bad—I had clear air ahead, which made it easier. It was a long race, especially with the long red flag, but we got back into it.”
Isaac Barashi – No. 23 23Events Racing Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“Strategy obviously played a big role in stint lengths. I’m super happy to end the season this way after such a tough year for us. A 1-2 is the perfect way to finish. This is where we deserved to be all season—we were just a bit unlucky at times. The team worked so hard, and I’m glad we could deliver this result for them.”
Matteo Quintarelli – No. 23 23Events Racing Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“An amazing win and the perfect way to close out the season. I want to thank the whole team, especially our brilliant engineer Arthur, and my two teammates. It was a tough season, but we ended it in the best possible way.”
2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 Champions
Paul Lanchere – No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“It’s been a great year for me—winning the ELMS LMP3 title and now this one. I don’t know my 2026 program yet, but I’m very proud of this season alongside two younger drivers. I took six poles, and I couldn’t be happier.
“Today wasn’t the ideal way to finish—we could have been on the podium. But with a 20-point lead, it was comfortable enough to secure the championship. Still, it’s not easy to end the season like this.”
Alexander Jacoby – No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“It was a great campaign. We stayed consistent, made very few mistakes, and finished every race except this last one, which was unlucky. I’m really happy with that.
“Being an LMP3 champion feels pretty special, especially coming here for the first time in the Asian Le Mans Series. It’s a very nice feeling.”
Kevin Rabin – No. 17 CLX Motorsport Ligier JS P325-Toyota
“It’s great to win the title, even though we wanted to finish the race strongly. We’re still happy with the championship.
“I came out of the full course yellow defending my position into Turn 5 when I felt a big hit in the rear. We went flying into the barrier. It was unfortunate. I’m really proud of what we achieved together as a team, and we’ll see what comes next.”
4 Hours of Abu Dhabi Race 2 – GT Winners
Giacomo Petrobelli – No. 56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage
“We don’t do boring races, that’s for sure. From first at the first corner to last, then fighting all the way back. It was as exciting as it gets. I’m so happy.
“We had some bad luck earlier in the season, some of it my own doing, but the important thing is we never gave up. I’m very happy with this result.”
Jonny Adam – No. 56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage
“The Ecurie Ecosse program came together around the Asian Le Mans Series to contest the championship. Seeing the Ecurie Ecosse shield on the car alongside Blackthorn is special. To get a victory as well is great, especially in this 70th anniversary year of their famous Le Mans win. We’re not going to Le Mans this time, but we’d love to in the future.
“These guys drove brilliantly all weekend. We’d been a bit unlucky, but today we came back so strong. Going from last to first shows how good the car was and how well the team executed the strategy.”
Kobe Pauwels – No. 56 Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn Aston Martin Vantage
“The strategy was spot on—probably the best of the day. The three of us did our jobs, but it wasn’t just us behind the wheel. The strategists, race engineers, and the whole team made it happen. This is my first championship with the team, and I hope there are many more to come.”
2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series GT Champions
Dustin Scott Blattner – No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3
“It was a roller-coaster series, but overall our consistency and the stellar work from Kessel’s strategists and us drivers delivered the full package.
“Today was tough—our car wasn’t quite at the level of some others—but we stayed in the fight, scored points, and had a decent lead going in despite a couple of infringements. That brought us the title.”
Chris Lulham – No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3
“I didn’t know exactly what to expect when I joined Kessel Racing and these guys, but from the start I could see the title was possible. We maximized five out of six races with very few mistakes and got the most out of every situation. That’s what earned us the championship.”
Dennis Marschall – No. 74 Kessel Racing Ferrari 296 GT3
“We knew a P8 or better with points would be enough, and that’s what we achieved. To be fair, WRT didn’t quite take full advantage of the opportunity we gave them today. I think we deserved the title. We showed excellent consistency, good pace, and strong teamwork across the season.
“The level in this championship is extremely high—I believe it’s currently the toughest Pro-Am series in the world. I’m very proud that we beat so many strong teams and drivers.”