Danny Soufi topped the opening Free Practice session of the inaugural 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Cup (ALMC) at Circuit Paul Ricard, recording a 1:59.744 in the #11 GMS Team Ligier JS P325-Toyota. The American finished just 0.122 seconds ahead of Giovanni Maschio in the #50 23Events Racing entry.
Meanwhile, Kevin Rabin secured the fastest LMP3 time for Brutal Fish Campos Racing, finishing fifth overall, while Pablo Burguera led GT3 in the #90 E2P Racing Aston Martin. All 16 entries completed timed laps during the 90-minute session as teams began preparations for the championship’s first two races.
Soufi leads competitive LMP3 Pro field for GMS Team
GMS Team established the early benchmark in LMP3 Pro, with Soufi recording a 1:59.744 to secure the fastest overall time. The American completed 19 laps in the #11 Ligier, finishing narrowly ahead of Maschio in the #50 23Events Racing Ligier.
Maschio recorded a 1:59.866, leaving just 0.122 seconds between the leading competitors. Team Virage followed third through Max Kammerlander, whose 1:59.986 placed the #92 Ligier only 0.242 seconds behind Soufi.
Calan Williams secured fourth for Bretton Racing with a 2:00.309, finishing 0.565 seconds away from the session benchmark. The Australian completed 29 laps in the #26 Ligier as the team began its inaugural ALMC campaign.
Meanwhile, GMS Team’s second entry finished fifth in class. The #75 Duqueine D09-Toyota recorded a 2:00.519, just 0.013 seconds behind the leading LMP3 entry of Brutal Fish Campos Racing in the overall classification.
CLX Motorsport followed sixth in LMP3 Pro, ahead of R-ace GP and the second 23Events Racing entry.
The results provided an early indication of the competition within the inaugural ALMC LMP3 Pro field, which features several established prototype organisations and previous endurance racing champions.
Full 2026/27 ALMC Le Castellet FP1 LMP3 Pro results
- #11 GMS Team — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 1:59.744
- #50 23Events Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 1:59.866 (+0.122s)
- #92 Team Virage — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 1:59.986 (+0.242s)
- #26 Bretton Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:00.309 (+0.565s)
- #75 GMS Team — Duqueine D09-Toyota — 2:00.519 (+0.775s)
- #17 CLX Motorsport — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:01.030 (+1.286s)
- #85 R-ace GP — Duqueine D09-Toyota — 2:01.169 (+1.425s)
- #19 23Events Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:06.186 (+6.442s)
Rabin puts Brutal Fish Campos Racing ahead in LMP3
Brutal Fish Campos Racing emerged fastest in the four-car LMP3 category, with Kevin Rabin recording a 2:00.506 in the #12 Ligier JS P325-Toyota.
The Swiss driver finished fifth overall, just 0.762 seconds behind Soufi’s leading LMP3 Pro time. His performance also placed the Spanish outfit ahead of several competitors from the faster prototype classification.
Rabin enters the championship following his 2025/26 ALMS LMP3 title triumph with CLX Motorsport. Having joined Brutal Fish Campos Racing alongside Morten Strømsted, he will aim to continue his success in the category.
Motorsport98 followed second, with Gillian Henrion recording a 2:00.645 in the #98 Ligier. The Belgian finished just 0.139 seconds behind Rabin, establishing the closest battle among the three classes for the leading position.
Meanwhile, Laurent Wüthrich secured third for CLX Motorsport with a 2:02.041 in the #86 Ligier. The team’s second LMP3 entry completed the classification, with the #87 recording a 2:02.768.
The results left Brutal Fish Campos Racing ahead of Motorsport98, while CLX Motorsport occupied the remaining two positions.
Full 2026/27 ALMC Le Castellet FP1 LMP3 results
- #12 Brutal Fish Campos Racing — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:00.506
- #98 Motorsport98 — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:00.645 (+0.139s)
- #86 CLX Motorsport — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:02.041 (+1.535s)
- #87 CLX Motorsport — Ligier JS P325-Toyota — 2:02.768 (+2.262s)
Burguera leads GT3 for E2P Racing
E2P Racing secured the fastest GT3 time during the opening session, with Pablo Burguera recording a 2:05.354 in the #90 Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo.
The Spanish team’s benchmark placed it 0.687 seconds ahead of Herberth Motorsport, which finished second through Ralf Bohn. The German recorded a 2:06.041 in the #91 Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo, completing 23 laps during the session.
Racing Spirit of Léman followed third, with Esteban González Beckmann recording a 2:06.700 in the #10 Aston Martin. The team enters the inaugural championship following its success in the 2026 Michelin Le Mans Cup, where it secured the GT3 title.
Herberth Motorsport’s second Porsche completed the four-car GT3 field. The #73 recorded a 2:08.667, finishing 3.313 seconds behind Burguera.
While E2P Racing established a clear advantage, the margins between Herberth Motorsport and Racing Spirit of Léman remained relatively close. Just 0.659 seconds separated the two entries in second and third.
The GT3 competitors will now look to improve their performance during the second Free Practice session before qualifying determines the starting grids for both two-hour races.
Full 2026/27 ALMC Le Castellet FP1 GT3 results
- #90 E2P Racing — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:05.354
- #91 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:06.041 (+0.687s)
- #10 Racing Spirit of Léman — Aston Martin Vantage GT3 Evo — 2:06.700 (+1.346s)
- #73 Herberth Motorsport — Porsche 911 GT3 R Evo — 2:08.667 (+3.313s)
Teams prepare for FP2 and inaugural ALMC qualifying
Following the opening 90-minute session, the 16-car field will return to Circuit Paul Ricard for Free Practice 2 at 11:50 CET. The additional running will provide teams with another opportunity to refine their setups before qualifying begins later in the afternoon.
The first qualifying session will start at 15:10 CET, followed by a second session at 15:35. Both sessions will feature LMP3 Pro, LMP3 and GT3 competitors, determining the starting grids for Saturday and Sunday’s races.
The inaugural ALMC race will begin at 09:15 on Saturday, 14 November, with the second two-hour contest following on Sunday, 15 November.
With the first practice session complete, GMS Team holds the fastest overall time, while Brutal Fish Campos Racing and E2P Racing establish the opening benchmarks in LMP3 and GT3 respectively.
