Hypercar Privateer Class to Be Introduced in 2026

The ACO has announced that privateer Hypercars will be eligible to compete in the Asian Le Mans Series as a Pro-Am class starting with the 2026/27 season.

Revealed on Friday during the traditional pre-race press conference ahead of the 24 Hours of Le Mans, the move has been described as a “strategic development welcomed by the series’ stakeholders” which will “further expand access to the premier class.”

In a separate statement, the series outlined that the move was made following “following requests received by some manufacturers.”

ACO President Pierre Fillon first hinted at the introduction of a class for privately-run top class cars last year.

Currently, the Asian series has a structure consisting of three categories, with LMP2 serving as the top class and sharing the grid with LMP3 and GT.

No word has yet been given on what will happen to the other categories, or whether the Hypercar entrants will be able to compete for an automatic invitation to the 24 Hours of Le Mans like is currently the case in LMP2 and GT.

Of note, it was revealed that the class will run to a Pro-Am format similar to the rest of the categories in the series, with at least one Bronze-rated driver required to be part of the lineup.

To date, only one Bronze-rated driver has ever competed in the current breed of top-class prototypes, which came when Ben Keating joined JDC-Miller Motorsports for the Rolex 24 at Daytona in 2024.

The introduction of Hypercars to the Asian series comes as interest in customer cars in the FIA World Endurance Championship has been on a downwards trajectory and is set to be likely reduced even further as more manufacturers enter the Hypercar category.

Currently, just two cars compete in the FIA World Cup for Hypercar Teams, intended for privateer entries: the No. 83 AF Corse Ferrari 499P and No. 99 Proton Competition Porsche 963.

At present, Porsche is the only manufacturer to have a widely established customer racing network for its LMDh car, which also competes in the IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship with Proton as well as JDC-Miller Motorsports.

Hertz Team JOTA also ran a pair of customer 963s in WEC last year before it made a switch to Cadillac to become a factory squad with the GM brand.

BMW M Motorsport boss Andreas Roos has previously indicated that the Bavarian marque is in talks with prospective customer teams to run its M Hybrid V8, potentially starting in 2026.

“The ACO is very pleased to reveal the inclusion of the Pro/Am Hypercar category in the Asian Le Mans Series for the 2026/27 season, to further increase the appeal of Endurance Racing in Asia,” said Fillon.

“The interest in the ALMS has grown exponentially over the past few years, as seen by the large grids last season, with more Chinese and Asian teams joining the series for the first time.

“The Asian motor sport market is booming and there is strong interest from manufacturers and teams to race the cars that take centre stage at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in front of the fans nearer to home.

“The ACO is supporting that interest by including the Hypercar category in the ALMS.”