Building up to the Asian Le Mans Series double header finale ##UPDATED

Just a few more days to go now before drivers and crew make the long journey out to Malaysia for next weekends penultimate round of the 2019-20 Asian Le Mans Series from the Sepang International Circuit.

Having already competed at both Shanghai last year and The Bend Motorsport Park in Australia just three weeks ago, next weekend sees the series finish off their four race calendar series in quick succession in first Malaysia before quickly moving off in Thailand and the final race of the season in Buriram, Thailand just a week later.


Having enjoyed the spoils of their GT class spoils at the opening race of the season in Shanghai, Japanese based D'Station Racing AMR suffered a hard and difficult journey down to and around the second longest permanent race circuit in the world over in Australia where the make up of the track definitely didn't adapt well to the characteristics of the teams #77 Aston Martin Racing V8 Vantage GT3.

Despite the perseverance of drivers Satoshi Hoshino, Tomonobu Fujii and Ross Gunn, their hard work aboard the #77 car was to be all but destroyed in a totally avoidable incident involving an LMP2 car that later went on (including having served their drive through penalty for the collision) to claim a place on the overall podium!!


That result leaves the D'Station Racing crew P2 in the GT class, just two points behind the class leading #7 Car Guy Ferrari 488 crew who themselves did not fare well in China. The #77 in turn is five points ahead of the #27 HubAuto Corsa Ferrari crew who lay in third having finished second in class at The Bend behind Car Guy.

Indeed, such was the pace of the 2019 and 2020 evo specification of the Ferrari 488 at The Bend that the Series has now adjusted the infamous Balance of Performance on those cars ready for the third round in Malaysia - that sees 10kg added to those model of cars. That may appear little but weight over another abrasive and hot race surface takes its toll wherever you maybe racing.


Also, Malaysia will be Gunn's final race with the Japanese team as the final round of the season in Thailand clashes with his World Endurance Championship duties with the AMR factory team as that Championship contests its revised race date from should have been at Interlagos, Brazil on the 1st February to the Circuit of the America's in Austin, Texas on the same weekend as Buriram.

To date we have not yet found out the identity of the driver who AMR will supply their Partner Team with for this final race - a race that may of course dictate whether or not the team win an automatic invitation to the next Le Mans 24Hr in the GTE Am class.


Obviously at the moment, there are concerns about the global spread of this Corona-virus but the Series have already stated this week that everything shall continue to run as organised and programmed unless there is an escalation in travel restrictions throughout Asia and their Malaysian and Thai destinations. How that in turn works out with any self imposed isolation requirements for people travelling out of Asia we will also have to wait and see??



#####UPDATE

Tom Gamble has today confirmed that he will deputising for Gunn at the final round of the season. We last saw Gamble in an AMR at the AMR Festival at Le Mans in 2019 when he shared the TF Sport car Vantage GT3 with Flick Haigh.

Photo credits - D'Station Racing