STRONG 1-2 FINISH IN ABU DHABI AND VICE-CHAMPIONS IN MAIDEN ASIAN LE MANS SERIES SEASON

After securing its first Asian Le Mans Series victory last weekend in Dubai, Team WRT closed the championship in style by claiming a commanding 1–2 finish at the final round in Abu Dhabi. Thanks to a
perfectly executed opening race, the BMW M4 GT3 EVO #69 of Dan Harper, Anthony McIntosh and Parker Thompson took a dominant win, followed closely by the sister car #28 of Augusto Farfus, Gabriele Piana
and newcomer Rinat Stalikhov. 

The first race of the weekend showcased exactly what the team is capable of when everything comes together. Despite facing an unexpected challenge with a last‑minute driver change, both crews performed at a very high level. Rinat Stalikhov joined the line‑up after FP2, discovering the car and meeting his teammates on the same day as he stepped in to replace Sergey Stolyarov, who was unable to attend for professional reasons.

Despite the late adjustment, both cars showed strong pace and avoided penalties. The strategy was executed with precision, highlighted by well‑timed undercuts from the Silver drivers on rival Bronze line‑ups, which moved the team from fourth and fifth to second and fourth. Their pace advantage then pushed car #69 into the lead and car #28 into third. In the final stages, BMW M Works driver Farfus made a decisive overtake to secure the second post and offer the team a deserved 1–2 finish.

The second race of the weekend brought a different kind of challenge, as a team-side issue affected the planned strategy and limited the final result. The Team WRT BMW M4 GT3 ultimately secured P7 with car
#28 and P10 with car #69.

Serving as ideal groundwork for the World Endurance Championship, Team WRT concludes its first Asian Le Mans Series season as vice‑champions, with four podiums, two victories and a remarkable 1–2 finish in Abu Dhabi. The momentum now shifts to the other side of the world, with the Bathurst 12 Hour taking place on February 14–15. Team WRT will return to Mount Panorama aiming to defend both its title and the 1–2 finish achieved in 2025.

Kurt MOLLEKENS, Program Manager GT: "This first season in Asian Le Mans Series was full of valuable lessons and great achievements. 
We celebrated four podiums in six races. Two victories with car #69 including an outstanding 1–2 finish with car #28 here in Abu Dhabi and a second place in Sepang for #69 again. Finishing as vice-champions in our very first season is a milestone we can be truly proud of. Our focus moving forward is clear: to take the insights gained from every race, continue building on this very positive debut, and approach the WEC with more confidence. It was the perfect preparation for the season ahead!"

Parker THOMPSON, 69: "Overall, back-to-back wins in Asian Le Mans Series, along with two victories and three podiums across the campaign, make this a fantastic start with Team WRT and BMW. Of course, we all wanted to win the championship, but we came in with the objective of getting to know each other and building toward the WEC campaign. That was the real goal for the season. I’m very proud to finish second in the championship. Everyone drove amazingly, and the team delivered exactly what was needed. Now, we focus on Qatar". 

Dan HARPER, driver #69: "Obviously, it’s disappointing to finish P10 on the last race of the season, but overall we can be very proud of what we achieved in Asian Le Mans Series. These were our first races together as a team with Tony and Parker, and we managed to secure a podium in Malaysia and two wins, one here in Abu Dhabi and one in Dubai. It’s definitely been a learning curve, but I think we accomplished
everything we wanted in terms of preparation for the WEC. The team did a fantastic job in their first season competing in this championship, which is a very tricky one with short races and plenty of strategic opportunities. I’m very proud to be part of it all, and I would absolutely love to do it again. It’s been a great season. The highlight, of course, was yesterday’s one-two finish, with our sister car following us home in second place. Huge credit to the entire team, and I can't wait for WEC!"

Anthony MCINTOSH, driver #69: "We came here to do what we set out to do: win a bunch of races and get ready for the WEC. So, a very successful campaign! We had a monster run with trophies, podiums, and championships. We won the 24H Series championship and we are vice-champions in Asian Le Mans Series. Overall, it’s been fantastic and a perfect start. Thank you to everyone involved!"

Augusto FARFUS, driver #28: "We executed a perfect first race, but today, unfortunately, things didn’t go our way unfortunately. Still, I’m very pleased and proud of how the season went. I had several different teammates throughout the year, but we always got a long very well and the team always delivered a strong car. I’m really happy with what we achieved, and I truly enjoyed my first ALMS season!"

Gabriele PIANA, driver #28: "I was really happy to join WRT for this last round. The result we achieved yesterday was mega: jumping straight into the car and immediately performing at that level was the maximum we could do. The team did an amazing job as well, securing P1 and P2, which honestly couldn’t have been better. It was also great to work together, to drive such a nice car, and to be surrounded by such professional people. Today’s result, unfortunately, wasn’t what the team was pushing for, but that’s racing. We keep looking forward.

Rinat SALIKHOV, driver #28: “I was really happy to join WRT for this last round. The result we achieved yesterday was mega: jumping straight into the car and immediately performing at that level was the maximum we could do. The team did an amazing job as well, securing P1 and P2, which honestly couldn’t have been better. It was also great to work together, to drive such a nice car, and to be surrounded by such professional people. Today’s result, unfortunately, wasn’t what the team was pushing for, but that’s racing. We keep looking forward.”