2026-27 Asian Season to Be Held Entirely in Europe

The upcoming Asian Le Mans Series season will be entirely held in Europe, following confirmation of the 2026-27 calendar.

Announced on Monday, the six-race, three-event calendar will kick off at Paul Ricard in November, marking the first-ever European venue to feature on the schedule.

It will be followed by a pair of four-hour races at Jerez in mid-January, with Portimao concluding the season of what has been dubbed the Winter Le Mans Series in February.

This comes in what’s understood to have been multiple internal revisions by series promoters, which were on course to have a mixed European/Southeast Asia season.

However, a holdup in the date availability for a planned event Buriram led to both the Thai rounds and traditional races in Sepang being replaced by European venues.

ALMEM CEO Frederic Lequien revealed to Sportscar365 in June that they would be pursuing an all-European season if a return to the Middle East would not be viable this winter.

Sportscar365 understands this was initially met with opposition by competitors, which led promoters to explore options in Southeast Asia as well as a proposed Australian double-header at The Bend Motorsport Park, which hosted an Asian LMS round in 2020, and Sydney Motorsport Park, alongside Sepang.

The Australia proposal was ultimately rejected due to logistical reasons.

Lequien added that avoiding clashes with the Rolex 24 at Daytona and the Meguiar’s Bathurst 12 Hour further limited the options for holding Asian roumds.

The championship was originally due to kick off in the United Arab Emirates in the weeks following the FIA World Endurance Championship season-ending 8 Hours of Bahrain, with races at Yas Marina Circuit and the Dubai Autodrome, before ending the season in Sepang.

However, the calendar was never announced due to the onset of the Iran war, leading organizers to search for alternate options.

Both Middle Eastern WEC races, meanwhile, have been replaced with European rounds at Barcelona and Monza, respectively.

ACO President Pierre Fillon said: “2026 has proven to be exceptional, with external constraints that are completely out of our control forcing us to make decisions that are in everyone’s interests in difficult circumstances.

“It is with all the facts, and after consultation with all parties, the decision was taken to move the Asian Le Mans Series to Europe for the 2026/27 season.

“The Winter Le Mans Series will provide the best platform for teams and drivers to compete for one of the top prizes in endurance, the Asian Le Mans Series title and, for the LMP2 and GT3 champions, an automatic invitation to the 2027 24 Hours of Le Mans.

“Le Mans is more than a place — it is a spirit. This winter, that spirit will thrive on some of Europe’s finest circuits as we look forward to returning to Asia when conditions allow.”

The revised Asian LMS schedule comes at a crucial period for the ACO and SRO-run championship, which will see the debut of the Hypercar class, for privateer entries, this season.

The class, which will require a qualified FIA Bronze-rated driver in each top-class prototype, will be joined by the LMP2 and GT classes, with LMP3 being spun off to the new Asian Le Mans Cup, which will also feature GT3-spec machinery.

Sportscar365 understands that LMP2 teams will be required to run the Oreca 07’s low-downforce Le Mans aero kit in an effort to create a larger performance gap between the two classes when considering the Bronze driver mandate in Hypercar.

Tire warmers, meanwhile, are set to be permitted for Hypercar teams only.

2026-27 Asian Le Mans Series Schedule:
Nov. 13-15 — Paul Ricard
Jan. 15-17 — Jerez
Feb. 19-21 — Portimao