Hypercar to be added to the Asian Le Mans Series for 2026/2027

Written by Evan Veer

The customer Proton Competition Porsche 963 at the 2025 6 Hours of Spa | Credit: Porsche

At this morning’s traditional press conference the Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) announced its plans for the Hypercar category in the coming years, including the shock announcement that the class will become eligible for the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS).

Pierre Fillon, president of the ACO, stated that: “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.”

The new class will be added to the championship for the 2026/2027 season, giving teams and manufacturers more than a year to prepare. 

The series will only be open to privateer entries without direct factory support, allowing customer teams that would otherwise not be able to make it onto the full-season World Endurance Championship (WEC) entry list to race these Hypercars elsewhere, while being significantly cheaper than a full season in either the WEC or IMSA. 

The class’s driver structure will be on a Pro-Am basis, requiring teams to use at least one bronze rated driver in their lineup. Since bronze drivers generally come with financial backing this measure makes entries more affordable, while also allowing bronze drivers to get a taste of the Hypercars which they are not allowed to drive in the WEC.

As of right now many details are yet to be revealed, such as whether the winning team will be granted a direct invitation to the Hypercar grid for the 24 Hours of Le Mans the next year.

The start of the 2024 4 Hours of Sepang (race 1) | Credit: Algarve Pro Racing

While Porsche is currently the only manufacturer that has supplied its cars to true customer teams, the addition of the class to the ALMS came at the request of multiple manufacturers aiming to supply their cars to customers as well.

This announcement comes alongside the news that the Hypercar ruleset itself has been extended until 2032 at least.

The ALMS season takes place during the winter break for many other championships, allowing teams from series like the WEC, IMSA, and European Le Mans Series (ELMS) to come over and fight the Asia based teams for the Le Mans invitations that are offered to each class’ champions. 

This year’s ALMS calendar consists of three tracks, each hosting two four-hour races in a weekend, running from December to February.