Porsche's Alexandre Gibot "very pleased" with podium finishes in Sepang
- Ghazlan Atqiya Firmansyah
- Dec 16, 2025
- 6 min read
Porsche collected a pair of podiums during the opening rounds of the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS), the 4 Hours of Sepang, with Manthey and Origine Motorsport. Alexandre Gibot, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific's (PMAP) Managing Director, was very pleased with the results.
Porsche’s ALMS campaign started with mixed qualifying results. While Proton Competition secured a strong third-place grid spot for Race 1, the remaining entrants struggled for pace: Origine Motorsport started 15th, while the Manthey cars lined up 18th (No.10) and 20th (No.92). The No.10 Manthey car only managed a slight improvement for Race 2, starting 17th.
During the first race, the No.87 Origine car had a good start and briefly battled with the No.37 QMMF by GetSpeed car before the Mercedes pulled away. The No.87 car battled to defend second place during the last 30 minutes while attacking the No.9 Mercedes, but the fight ended with the Porsche needing to refuel.
The No.10 car and the No.9 Mercedes fought a highlight-reel battle for the lead. It culminated in a collision at the final corner, allowing the Porsche to take the chequered flag first. However, the Manthey car was later penalised for the move, handing the victory to the Mercedes.
The No.87 car, driven by Yuan Bo, delivered an immediate charge in Race 2, soaring from 14th on the grid to run in fourth. Nearing the finish, the unpredictable Malaysian weather threw a crisis on track: some corners were soaking wet, while others remained bone dry, creating a massive strategic headache for all teams.
The sudden downpour quickly punished drivers on the wrong tyre compound, leading to multiple spins and incidents that triggered a Virtual Safety Car. Antares Au, driving the No.10 car, was among those caught out by the conditions, forcing an early end to their race.
Thanks to flawless strategy calls, the No.87 car remained in podium contention despite the looming rain. A Safety Car was deployed, leading to the race ending early with less than 15 minutes left. Securing third place, the No.87 car left Sepang third in both the GT Teams' and Drivers' championships.
The surviving No.92 Manthey car salvaged valuable points by finishing eighth, though the Proton car was classified 15th. Meanwhile, PMAP Selected Driver Enzo Trulli finished second in both LMP2 races for Algarve Pro Racing, topping his effort by setting the fastest lap in Race 2.
Porsche reactions after the Sepang rounds
Alexandre Gibot and Harry King
PMAP Managing Director Alexandre Gibot said: "We’re very pleased with the start our entries have made to the 2025–26 Asian Le Mans Series, claiming podiums in both races at
Sepang.
"It was amazing to have all four Porsche cars in the points on Saturday, before Sunday produced an incredible challenge, with constantly changing weather catching out several drivers.
"A huge well done to all those who managed to finish the race despite the tough conditions, and well done to Origine Motorsport for making a solid start into the title fight as they leave Sepang sitting third in both the Drivers’ and Teams’ Championship.
"We’re also very proud of Enzo’s performance in his first official outing since becoming the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver. He showed great speed across the weekend, setting the fastest lap in Race 2 and making a great start to the championship by securing second in both races."
Harry King from Proton said it was a promising debut weekend for his co-drivers Bankcy and Kiyoto Fujinami. The Briton lamented the penalty in Race 1 and the gamble that did not pay off in the second race.
"It was a promising debut weekend for Bankcy-san and Fujinami-san, full of positives and learning opportunities.
"Bankcy was superb in qualifying, taking P3 for both, but our races didn’t go to plan, with an early penalty on Saturday and a gamble on tyres today compromising our chances for a podium.
"On reflection, the team did a great job, and lessons have been learned for future events."
No.87 Origine Motorsport
Laurin Heinrich said it was a big success for himself and the team. The German driver felt they were a bit unlucky to finish third, given that they were in contention for second. Nonetheless, he was pleased with the solid start to the campaign.
"The opening weekend of ALMS has been a big success for me and for the team.
"It’s our first podium in the series, the team did a great job over the weekend to learn a lot about strategy and tyres on Saturday before getting every call right in tough conditions today.
"I think we were a bit unlucky with the late rain, which caused the race to end early, as there was a chance of second, but we have to be happy with our performance. It’s been a solid start to the campaign, and a huge thanks to the crew, my teammates and PMAP for this opportunity."
Yuan Bo said: "It was a very challenging weekend with the weather, but we improved our
performance compared to last year.
"Scoring the podium on Sunday was a great feeling, and I’m confident we can achieve even better results in the final four rounds."
Leo Ye hinted that while their efforts have been rewarded with a podium finish, the Chinese driver is confident they can achieve better results in the following rounds.
No.10 Manthey
Loek Harthog felt great to reunite with Manthey and said they can be proud of what they achieved during the Sepang weekend.
"It was great to be back with Manthey, and I think we can be proud of our efforts this
weekend. We made some good strategy calls, which defined our performance in Race 1.
"I had to go for the overtake at the final corner, but unfortunately, the contact [with the No.9] meant we were penalised back to second, which was a shame.
"In Race 2, Antares was very unfortunate to be caught up in the heavy rain after driving a very good stint up to that point. These things can happen, but we made good progress across the weekend, and we’re very much in the fight."
Antares Au said: "It’s been a weekend of ups and downs in Sepang, but I’m glad to have shown our potential in difficult conditions.
"Manthey prepared a top car, and together we were able to clinch second place on Saturday. Race 2 was looking promising for us until an unexpected shower arrived at a fast corner of the track, and caused me to aquaplane into another car, which suffered the same fate at that spot just moments earlier.
"We hoped for more this weekend, and will return more motivated than ever in the new
year."
Klaus Bachler said the potential was there to achieve the maximum results. The Austrian reflected that the Sepang rounds were still a positive weekend.
"It’s great to be back in Sepang for the Asian Le Mans Series.
"The first race was really strong as we managed to take second and the sister car fourth, making it a positive day for Manthey overall. The car felt great, and the strategy paid off well.
"In the second race, the weather turned so quickly, and Antares was unfortunate to aquaplane and make contact with another car, ending our day.
"It’s a shame, as we know there is potential in the car, but it was a positive weekend, and now our focus moves to the final four races. We know from last year that anything is possible until the final lap, so we won’t give up and will fight hard."
No.92 Manthey
François Heriau made his debut with Manthey. The Frenchman summarised that his weekend was a "rollercoaster" and the weather did not help him acclimatise to the 911 GT3 R, having been accustomed to the Ferrari 296 GT3.
"My first race weekend with Manthey has been a true rollercoaster.
"The weather conditions made it difficult for me to acclimatise to the Porsche 911 GT3 R, but we showed how strong the team is with a great strategy to recover from a difficult qualifying. Given the starting positions, we put together two very solid races, and now I’m really eager for the next races in Dubai."
Riccardo Pera said: "It was a positive weekend for us and an impressive drive from François during his first races in the Porsche.
"We came close to the podium in Race 1 and scored good points in Race 2. So in the end, I am very happy about our performance, especially in difficult conditions, as the weather was very unpredictable.
"To sum it up, we earned some good points, and it’s all to play for in the championship in Dubai and Abu Dhabi."
Richard Lietz said: "It was a solid weekend for us, with two points finishes and coming close to the podium.
"The weather conditions were very unpredictable and challenging, so well done to everyone who completed the races. It was a tremendous effort, especially on Sunday.
"We are now hungry for a podium finish; we know it’s possible with a little more luck, and this will be our target in Dubai and Abu Dhabi."
In geometry dash, every mistake becomes motivation. The rhythm keeps you pushing forward, and the satisfaction of success makes each level unforgettable.