The 2018-19 Asian Le Mans Series season has been an exciting, closely-fought affair with the three races producing three different winners. The #8 Ligier JS P2 fielded by Spirit Of Race won the opener at the 4 Hours of Shanghai.  Algarve Pro Racing’s #24 Ligier JS P2-Judd then claimed victory at the 4 Hours of Fuji, followed by the United Autosports #22 Ligier JS P2-Nissan at the 4 Hours of Buriram. This latest triumph saw the Anglo-American outfit stretch its lead in the championship standings to 18 points over Algarve Pro Racing (the 2016-17 champions) and to 23 points over ARC Bratislava. But with a win worth 25 points, and a bonus point awarded for pole position, the second and third-placed teams are not out of the running. Four invites to this year’s 24 Hours of Le Mans will be handed out following the Sepang decider, with several teams harbouring hopes of picking up a golden ticket. The LMP2, LMP2 Am and LMP3 winners will all be invited to run in the LMP2 class while the GT title winner will be awarded an LMGTE Am entry.

So everything is to play for this weekend as the 4 Hours of Sepang wrap up the 2018-19 Asian Le Mans Series season. After missing the Buriram round, Spirit Of Race’s #8 Ligier JS P2 will be back in with a shout of overall victory. Côme Ledogar, Alexander West and Pipo Derani will share the driving duties. For this grand finale, Algarve Pro Racing’s Andrea Pizzitola and Harrison Newey will once again be supported by Ate Dirk De Jong in the #25 Ligier JS P2-Judd.

In the LMP3 class, Jackie Chan DC Racing will return to the fray with a Ligier JS P3 driven by James Winslow, Jake Parsons and Rick Yoon. Other notable contenders include an ARC Bratislava Ginetta LMP3 making its first appearance and the Richard Mille-backed all-female team of Margot Laffite, Michelle Gatting and Katherine Legge who will be lining up in the #50 Ligier JS P3. At the top of the LMP3 standings, the #13 Ligier JS P3 of Polish team Inter Europol Competition holds an eight-point lead from the #2 Ligier JS P3 of United Autosports.

There are plenty of thrills in store in GT too. Although the #11 Ferrari 488 GT3 fielded by Japanese team Car Guy has won every race so far, the #51 Ferrari 488 GT3 entered by Spirit Of Race is keeping the pressure on. With a 24-point gap to make up, the Swiss team can still clinch the title but, to do so, it must win the race and hope that the #11 Ferrari fails to pick up any points.

A total of 22 teams will line up on the grid for the 4 Hours of Sepang at 12:00 local time (UTC+8) on Sunday 24 February 2019. Fans can follow the qualifying on Saturday, from 15:35 local time, and the race itself on YouTube or the Asian Le Mans Series Facebook page.

Photo credit: Asian Le Mans Series