GEBHARDT Motorsport has confirmed a two-car programme for the inaugural 2026/27 Asian Le Mans Cup (ALMC), entering a Duqueine D09 under its own banner alongside a Ligier JS P325 operated for the German Motor Sports (GMS) Team. The Sinsheim-based organisation will field four championship-winning drivers as it expands its endurance racing activities during the European winter.
Valentino Catalano and Oscar Tunjo will reunite in the #75 Duqueine, while Danny Soufi and Sven Barth will share the #11 Ligier. The announcement brings together drivers who have already enjoyed considerable success with the German team, providing continuity as it prepares to compete against established international LMP3 organisations.
The programme will also commemorate the 75th anniversary of Gebhardt Fördertechnik GmbH, with the team’s Duqueine carrying the corresponding race number. Team owner Fritz Gebhardt has outlined ambitions to challenge for race victories and the overall championship as the new series prepares for its opening double-header at Circuit Paul Ricard on 14–15 November.
GEBHARDT Motorsport expands prototype programme into Asian Le Mans Cup
GEBHARDT Motorsport’s entry represents another stage in the organisation’s international expansion, following successful campaigns in the Prototype Cup Germany, Michelin Le Mans Cup and IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge. The team will now compete in the newly established ALMC, which provides a dedicated championship for LMP3 prototypes alongside GT3 machinery.
The Automobile Club de l’Ouest (ACO) announced the competition earlier this year following the decision to introduce Hypercar into the Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS). The creation of the Asian Le Mans Cup ensures that LMP3 competitors retain a place within the wider endurance racing structure while offering an additional development pathway for teams and drivers.
The championship follows a format similar to the Michelin Le Mans Cup, featuring two two-hour races at each event and mandatory pit stops. Its inaugural campaign will include separate LMP3 Pro, LMP3 and GT3 categories, allowing competitors with different experience levels and driver classifications to participate.
For GEBHARDT Motorsport, the programme provides an opportunity to build on its existing prototype experience while challenging for honours in a new international championship.
Catalano and Tunjo reunite in anniversary-liveried #75 Duqueine
Catalano and Tunjo will lead GEBHARDT Motorsport’s own entry, reuniting in the #75 Duqueine D09 after previously competing together for the German organisation. Their participation will also mark the 75th anniversary of Gebhardt Fördertechnik GmbH, connecting the team’s latest sporting programme with an important milestone for the wider company.
The 21-year-old Catalano brings considerable experience in LMP3 competition, having secured the 2024 Prototype Cup Germany title with GEBHARDT Motorsport before claiming the 2025 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge championship. His achievements across European and American competition have established him as a proven contender in the category.
Tunjo also arrives with championship-winning credentials after securing the 2026 IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge title. The Colombian previously partnered Catalano during GEBHARDT Motorsport’s 2025 Michelin Le Mans Cup campaign, giving the pair an established working relationship that could prove valuable throughout the upcoming season.
The team’s previous Michelin Le Mans Cup programme also featured the Duqueine D09, providing useful experience with the chassis as GEBHARDT Motorsport prepares for its ALMC debut.
Catalano welcomes opportunity to continue successful partnership
Catalano expressed his enthusiasm about returning to GEBHARDT Motorsport for another championship campaign, particularly after the success he has enjoyed with the organisation. The German driver’s familiarity with Tunjo and the team’s personnel should provide an important foundation as they prepare to compete against established LMP3 rivals.
Although ALMC represents a new challenge, Catalano believes the existing relationship within the team will help them adapt to the championship’s demands and establish themselves among the leading contenders.
“I’m absolutely delighted to be racing with GEBHARDT Motorsport again in a new series, the Asian Le Mans Cup! New challenges are always great, and together with my long-standing team-mate Oscar Tunjo, I’ve got a good feeling about tackling this new series with GEBHARDT Motorsport!”
Their partnership brings together two drivers with recent championship success in prototype machinery. Furthermore, their previous experience of sharing the Duqueine should allow them to concentrate on refining their race strategy and maintaining consistency across the six-race season rather than establishing an entirely new working relationship.
Soufi and Barth complete GMS Team’s Ligier line-up
Alongside its own Duqueine entry, GEBHARDT Motorsport will operate a Ligier JS P325 for GMS Team, with American driver Danny Soufi and Germany’s Sven Barth sharing the #11 prototype. The organisation previously ran the same chassis model for GMS in the Prototype Cup Europe, providing an established technical foundation for the new programme.
Soufi arrives following his successful 2025 Prototype Cup Germany campaign, during which he secured the championship’s final Drivers’ title. His achievements have demonstrated his competitiveness in LMP3 machinery, and he will now aim to build on that experience against an international field.
Barth brings a different background, having spent several years competing in the ADAC GT Masters before returning to prototype racing. He secured the 2026 Interwetten Sports Car Challenge title and maintains a longstanding relationship with GEBHARDT Motorsport.
The German believes the combination of Soufi’s talent and his own experience offers considerable potential, although he recognises the importance of developing the car effectively.
“The deal with GEBHARDT Motorsport came about at relatively short notice, after I’d had a very in-depth conversation with Fritz Gebhardt. The collaboration has been exceptionally open, friendly and based on trust right from the start. Especially in this day and age, a partnership like this is by no means a given. With the driver pairing of Danny Soufi and myself, the motto ‘class meets experience’ could well sum up the season. Danny is an exceptionally talented driver; I set high standards for myself too, and I think that together we have the potential to compete at the front of the field. However, in such a strongly contested field, it will be the joint development and set-up work with the team that will ultimately determine success or failure,”
Barth sees winter programme as valuable preparation for 2027
Beyond the opportunity to compete for another championship, Barth considers his ALMC participation an important part of his preparations for the following European racing season. The winter programme will allow him to maintain his competitive rhythm while gaining further experience in LMP3 machinery before returning to defend his Interwetten Sports Car Challenge title.
His involvement also provides an opportunity to strengthen his working relationship with GEBHARDT Motorsport, particularly after the agreement came together shortly before the championship’s opening round. Barth believes the trust established with team owner Gebhardt will play an important role as the partnership develops.
“Personally, I’m really looking forward to being able to compete actively during the winter months for the first time in my career. As we all know, the end of one season is the start of the next, and nothing can replace time spent behind the wheel. The Asian Le Mans Cup is therefore not only an exciting new challenge for me, but also vital preparation for our mission to defend the title in the Interwetten SCC with my own team, Barth Racing. Having won the SCC title, I feel ready for this step and am delighted by the trust that Fritz and the whole team have placed in me. My aim is to repay this trust with strong performances and to fight together for top results.”
With Soufi and Barth bringing contrasting experience to the partnership, GMS will aim to establish a competitive presence from the opening event while developing its programme across the winter season.
Fritz Gebhardt targets victories and inaugural championship title
Team owner Fritz Gebhardt has outlined ambitious expectations for the organisation’s first ALMC campaign, identifying race victories and the overall championship as its principal objectives. The team’s previous success in international prototype competition provides a strong foundation, while the familiarity between its drivers and technical personnel should support its preparations.
Gebhardt also highlighted the competitiveness of the two chassis, particularly the Ligier that the organisation previously operated in the Prototype Cup Europe. With four established drivers completing the line-ups, he believes GEBHARDT Motorsport has assembled the necessary ingredients to challenge at the front.
“We are very much looking forward to the Asian Le Mans Cup’s debut season. We will be lining up with strongly competitive cars and aim to be serious contenders for race wins and the title in the overall standings. We’re familiar with the Ligier we’re fielding for the GMS Team from last season’s Prototype Cup Europe, and we know just how competitive it is. We’ll also be fielding a well-staffed Duqueine. Furthermore, we’re well aware of the pace of Danny, Oscar, Sven and Valentino, who have already impressed us whilst racing for our team in the past. “We’re heading into the season well prepared and are now ready to go on the attack!”
His comments underline the team’s intention to compete for honours immediately rather than using the inaugural season solely as an opportunity to gain experience.
GEBHARDT Motorsport joins competitive LMP3 Pro field
GEBHARDT Motorsport’s two entries will compete in the LMP3 Pro category, which will feature eight cars during the inaugural race weekend at Circuit Paul Ricard. The field includes several established prototype racing organisations with championship-winning experience, creating a competitive environment for the German team’s first appearance.
Reigning Asian Le Mans Series LMP3 champions CLX Motorsport will enter the category alongside Michelin Le Mans Cup champions R-ace GP. Bretton Racing, Team Virage and 23Events Racing will also compete, bringing additional experience from international endurance racing.
The confirmed 17-car Le Castellet entry list includes eight LMP3 Pro entries, four LMP3 cars and five GT3 competitors, representing a range of teams already familiar with the demands of prototype and endurance competition.
Although GEBHARDT Motorsport’s two cars feature different chassis manufacturers, the team will draw upon its existing knowledge of both the Duqueine and Ligier. However, competing against several established championship-winning operations will require consistent execution throughout qualifying, pit stops and the races.
The shorter two-hour format will also place considerable importance on avoiding mistakes, particularly with only six championship races available to accumulate points.
Asian Le Mans Cup prepares for European winter debut
The inaugural ALMC season will take place entirely in southern Europe after organisers relocated the programme because of the ongoing geopolitical and logistical uncertainty in the Middle East.
The championship will follow the same three-event calendar as ALMS, with two two-hour races taking place at each venue. Circuit Paul Ricard will host the opening double-header in November before the series travels to Spain and Portugal following the winter break.
The 2026/27 ALMC calendar and championship structure reflect the organisers’ decision to maintain the competition’s debut campaign despite the disruption to its original geographical plans.
2026/27 Asian Le Mans Cup calendar
- 14–15 November 2026: Circuit Paul Ricard, Le Castellet, France — Races 1 and 2
- 16–17 January 2027: Circuito de Jerez, Spain — Races 3 and 4
- 20–21 February 2027: Autódromo Internacional do Algarve, Portimão, Portugal — Races 5 and 6
The compressed calendar will require teams to maintain reliability and consistency across each double-header, particularly because the championship offers limited opportunities to recover from setbacks.
Fans will also be able to follow the races through the official Asian Le Mans Series platform, which will provide access to the championship’s livestream coverage.
GEBHARDT Motorsport targets strong start at Le Castellet
GEBHARDT Motorsport’s entry into ALMC represents another important step in its continued development across international prototype racing. Having already secured championships in Germany and the United States, the organisation will now aim to translate that experience into success during the inaugural season of a new endurance racing series.
Catalano and Tunjo bring established knowledge of the Duqueine D09, while Soufi and Barth will combine their experience in the GMS Ligier. The two entries also provide the team with an opportunity to challenge for results using different LMP3 chassis while continuing to strengthen its technical operations.
However, the presence of several established championship-winning competitors means that GEBHARDT Motorsport will face significant opposition from the opening weekend. Effective race strategy, consistent driving and strong operational execution could therefore prove decisive as the team pursues its ambitions.
With the opening races scheduled for 14–15 November, GEBHARDT Motorsport will now complete its final preparations ahead of the championship’s historic debut. The German organisation enters the new competition with two competitive driver pairings, considerable prototype experience and the ambition to challenge for the inaugural ALMC title.
