Despite a lost wheel nut before the mandatory pit stops, Tunjo jumped in and stayed out on a wet track in slicks. As the rain increased it looked to be a mistake before a drying track saw it become a strategy masterclass to recover and take line honours.
Pole sitters no50 23Events Racing Ligier JS P325 of Giovanni Maschio and Colin Queen had a dominant start, with the former holding a massive lead, before rain arrived and changed fortunes to finish in second overall. Kyuho Lee and Luciano Morano round out the podium positions in the no85 R-ACE GP Duqueine D09.
The no11 GMS TEAM of Danny Soufi, Sven Barth finished fourth but could face a post-race investigation. Emily Cotty and Calan Williams in the no26 Bretton Racing Ligier held on for fifth after a pit stop interrupted by a badly placed no92 saw them lose time in pit lane.
LMP3
The no86 CLX Motorsport Ligier of Laurent Wuthrich and Louis Iglesias were able to turn their pole position into a class win, despite a spin at the beginning of the race saw them have to fight back through the field and overtake sister car, the no87 CLX Motorsport Ligier of Terrence Woodward and Vic Stevens who finished second, for a team one/two in LMP3 for the inaugural Asian Le Mans Cup race.
A solid drive by Morten Stromstead and Kevin Rabin saw them stay consistent and finish in third, to take the final podium position. A tricky day of spins and a broken rain light saw a challenging race unfold for the no98 Motorsport98 Ligier of Eric De Doncker and Gillian Henrion.
GT3
Experience saw Ralf Bohn and Alfred Renauer win GT3 in the no91. Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO from pole.
At the beginning of the race, the no10 Racing Spirit Léman Aston Martin AMR GT3 EVO of Sebastian Moreno and Esteban Gonzalez Beckmann was able to go from fourth to first in class to take the lead after having missed qualifying with a broken gearbox. The position was lost soon after the mandatory pit stops as rain began to fall, and LMP3 traffic hit right as Renauer make his overtake for first. A late race spin saw the Aston finish third in class.
In second was the no90 E2P Racing Aston Martin AMR GT3 EVO of Pablo Burguera and Antonio Sainero. Jorg Dreisow and Manuel Lauck finished fourth in the no73 Herberth Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R EVO.
CLICK HERE for the result from Round 1 of the 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Cup
Race 2 at Le Castellet will start at 9:25 Sunday 15 November.
Valentino Catalano, no75 GMS Team Duqueine D09-Toyota: “I can't even describe it how that race was. In the first place, it was all going quite well. I took it easy because in the beginning it was really damp, and I was just looking for the long distance, so I kept it safe in P2, saved the tyres and everything, and then in the end I started to push. Right before the pit window, my tyre just flew away, and I had three tyres left. I still pushed because I knew we can still pit, so I went flat out with three tyres, and then Oscar jumped in, and I can't even describe how we still won the race. Everyone did a mega job with the decision of Oscar and the team in the end to stay on slicks. It was mega.”
Oscar Andres Tunjo, no75 GMS Team Duqueine D09-Toyota: “Today we had everything that looked like it was not going to happen, but we kept the faith. Thankfully, we took the right decisions. There was a point in the race, I was like, ‘What I'm doing with dry tyres in the rain?’ But in the end, it worked out, and I am super happy. Thanks to all the Gebhardt team for the effort. I was praying in the car, please, no more rain, no more rain. I just need a little bit of dry track, and we can fight back. And yeah, at the end, super result for the team. So, super happy to get the first win of the Asian Le Mans Cup.”
