Asian Le Mans Series to feature Hypercar Pro-Am category in 2026-27

The Automobile Club de l'Ouest has officially announced the introduction of the Hypercar class to the Asian Le Mans Series starting with the 2026-27 season. The top-class prototypes competing in the FIA World Endurance Championship and the 24 Hours of Le Mans will be eligible to race in the Asian series under a Pro-Am format, requiring at least one Bronze-rated driver per car. Pierre Fillon, President of the ACO, publicly endorsed the initiative and projects between two and three LMH prototypes on the inaugural grid.

Vanwall Returns With Brand New Engine

The Vanwall Racing Team has publicly confirmed its intention to participate in the new Hypercar class. The team led by Colin Kolles has replaced the original 4.5-litre Gibson V8 engine with a 3.5-litre Pipo Moteurs twin-turbo V8, the same unit that powered the Glickenhaus 007 LMH. Modifications include a redesigned intake system, optimized radiators and intercoolers, and improvements to the exhaust gas flow.

"The performance analysis from our initial WEC campaign clearly identified key areas for improvement," explained Kolles. "I am confident that the actions taken and the latest modifications implemented will bring significant on-track improvements."

Vanwall completed a single season in the 2023 WEC plagued by consistent power issues. The team had three retirements, including at Le Mans, and achieved an eighth-place finish as its best result in Sebring. On-track problems were compounded by off-track conflicts, firing Jacques Villeneuve before Le Mans and using six different drivers throughout the season. The team never received an invitation for 2024.

The Asian program will serve as a test bed for a potential return to the WEC in 2027, though Kolles acknowledges that "participation depends on the team being invited to compete." Vanwall will have to fight for a spot on a grid that will await the arrival of Ford and McLaren to Hypercar in 2027. The team will have 18 months to validate the improvements to the 680 before applying for entry to the world championship again.

Photo By Maxime Lantz

BBM Sport Acquires Peugeot 9X8

BBM Sport plans to acquire up to two units of the rear-wingless Peugeot 9X8 for the Asian program. The private team awaits the final regulations to formalize entries. JDC-Miller Motorsports is evaluating a program with the Porsche 963, though it has not formally submitted an entry. No team plans to build its own prototype, opting instead to purchase hardware from existing manufacturers.

The Exodus of Private Teams

The Asian class arrives as multiple private teams have left the WEC. Proton Competition confirmed last week the closure of its 963 program, unable to meet the requirement of fielding two cars necessary to maintain Porsche's homologation after the factory Penske team's exit. Christian Ried, Proton's team principal, explained in Bahrain that "adding a second car is not exactly double the cost, but it's close to double and we simply don't have the budget."

Glickenhaus withdrew from the WEC before the end of the 2023 season, skipping the Fuji and Bahrain rounds due to budgetary constraints. The team completed three seasons in Hypercar without a win but demonstrated reliability at Le Mans and beat Porsche and Peugeot on track. Jim Glickenhaus had entered the WEC backed by Team Joest, proving it was "serious business" and not just another rich man spending money. Maintaining prototype development proved financially unsustainable.

Photo By Maxime Lantz

Isotta Fraschini left the championship prematurely in 2024, withdrawing after Le Mans due to conflicts with the Duqueine team and a lack of on-track testing. The Italian constructor had developed the Tipo-6 with a hybrid system, requiring massive investments.

In May 2024, Maxime Lantz wrote "The Uncertain Future of Private Constructors in the WEC", questioning whether the era of private teams in endurance racing was coming to an end. The analysis documented how Glickenhaus had left the WEC, how Vanwall did not receive an invitation for 2024, and warned that the two-car rule "would likely lead to the death" of Isotta Fraschini. Lantz identified the fundamental problem: developing and maintaining a competitive LMH prototype required investments no private team could sustain, and proposed that the solution would be to "approach other constructors to purchase and use their LMDhs" instead of building their own prototypes.

Eight months later, the prediction came true. Isotta left in 2024, Proton closed its program this week, and no independent private constructor remains in Hypercar for 2026. AF Corse maintains the Ferrari #83 but operates as a third factory car with direct support from the Italian manufacturer. The WEC currently operates as a manufacturers-exclusive championship with teams capable of maintaining two cars per homologation. The Asian class follows the model Lantz proposed: teams buying hardware from existing manufacturers (BBM Sport with Peugeot 9X8, JDC-Miller evaluating Porsche 963) without attempting to develop their own prototypes.

Reduced Format for Privateer Structures

The ACO designed the Asian class exclusively for private teams with amateur drivers from the region seeking experience in top-class prototypes. The Pro-Am format guarantees that each Hypercar includes at least one Bronze-rated driver, traditionally an amateur or a driver with limited experience.

The class allows participation with a single prototype, removing the main financial barrier of the WEC. Fillon aims to attract privateer structures and Bronze drivers interested in driving manufacturer hardware like Porsche, Ferrari, or Peugeot without the level of investment required in the world championship. No similar plans exist for the European Le Mans Series, where LMP2 will continue as the premier class.