Title Shakeup as LMP3 Winner Disqualified

The battle for the LMP3 title in the Asian Le Mans Series took another twist when Inter Europol Competition’s winning crew were disqualified from Saturday’s 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi.

Alexander Bukhantsov and Chun Ting Chou provisionally held a five-point lead in the standings heading into Sunday’s season finale after their No. 13 Ligier JS P325 Toyota shared with Henry Cubides, who did not complete all of his drive time in the second Dubai race and therefore was ineligible to score points at that event, took an on-the-road victory over CLX Motorsport’s No. 17 Ligier driven by Paul Lanchere, Kevin Rabin and Alexander Jacoby.

However, CLX Motorsport lodged a protest after the race because the Inter Europol Ligier was missing its front damper cover, resulting in mechanical components being visible. This is in breach of Article 1.5 b of the LMP3 Prototype Technical Regulations.

A report issued by the stewards of the meeting stated that Inter Europol “confirmed that they were aware the issue required rectification and that the replacement part became available only after their final pit stop. The Stewards note that the Competitor nevertheless had the opportunity to rectify the non-compliance after the final pit stop and chose not to do so. The Stewards therefore determine that the car was non-compliant as a direct result of the Competitor’s decisions, and the protest is upheld.”

Lanchere, Rabin and Jacoby therefore inherit the win and score maximum points, with the No. 23 23Events Racing Ligier of Louis Stern, Isaac Barashi and Matteo Quintarelli promoted to second place ahead of Forestier Racing by VPS crew Nick Adcock, Lucas Fecury and Luciano Morano.

A separate protest, lodged against the 23Events runners-up by Forestier Racing by VPS, was deemed inadmissible.

The non-score for Inter Europol rules Bukhantsov and Chou out of mathematical contention for the championship, with Adcock, Fecury and Morano now the only drivers able to deny CLX the crown. The trio trails by 19 points with 25 available.

The Asian Le Mans Series concludes on Sunday with Race 2, which begins at 4:30 p.m. local time (7:30 a.m. ET).

FINAL RESULTS: Race 1