The final two automatic invitations to the 2025 Le Mans 24 Hours were awarded on Sunday by the ACO at the Yas Marina Circuit in Abu Dhabi after the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series season finale.
Portuguese-flagged LMP2 team Algarve Pro Racing and German Porsche powerhouse Manthey Racing have punched tickets to the French classic by securing the LMP2 and GT class titles, respectively. LMP3 cars also feature in the ACO’s Asian series that runs over the winter months, but no Le Mans invitation is awarded to the title-winning team.
APR earned its Le Mans entry after winning four of the six races in the hotly-contested LMP2 category with its pair of ORECA 07 Gibsons. It took the title with its No. 25 crew of Michael Jensen, Valerio Rinicella, and newly-minted Peugeot Hypercar driver Malthe Jakobsen.
After a drama-filled fortnight in the UAE, which featured four races – two in Dubai and two at the Yas Marina Circuit – fourth place w as enough in the final race for them to claim the title by 21 points over RD Limited’s drivers.
RD, owned by three-time Le Mans winner Romain Dumas, missed out on the title but impressed throughout the season, winning on its LMP2 debut in Sepang back in December and taking a further three podiums.
The team is understood to be planning to apply for an entry to Le Mans despite missing out on the Asian Le Mans Series title. This would keep its LMP2 effort active during the summer after it failed to get a spot on the oversubscribed ELMS grid for 2025.
For Algarve Pro, which now has five Asian Le Mans LMP2 titles under its belt, this year’s Le Mans 24 Hours will mark its tenth consecutive start.