It was a late call, but great to get my 2025 campaign off to a start over the weekend, joining the Blackthorn AMR crew for the second weekend of the Asian Le Mans Series. It was also really exciting to join Reema Jaffali and Charles Bateman in the #19 Vantage GT3, as we looked to shock a few people on the #4hDubai grid. And, I think we did.

It is a fantastic series, and as a result, continues to get stronger each season. This year is as good as I can remember, and the grid has some of the best teams and drivers. Plus, multi-class racing is always thrilling – to watch and be part of – and ALMS delivers a great show. This weekend was no different, across both races, with more than 40 cars battling it out.

Out of the box, our pace was strong – across a single lap, and on longer race runs. Early sessions went well, and we made good progress, and qualifying delivered really promising results as Reema showed what she is capable of. P6 for the first grid, and a spot on the second row for race 2.

The races were chaotic, especially in the opening laps, and we were unlucky in both. With the track covered in sand off-line, and a lot of jostling for position in the first race, Reema was unfortunate to be pushed wide after gaining positions. Despite the setback, the following laps saw us climbing the order, and the overall pace was strong. Good battles for position, looking to make inroads throughout the four hours. At the end, we had moved back to P14, which was no reflection of our true pace or effort.

Race 2 felt quite similar in many ways, not least with the second P14 final result, and we were hit with some bad luck. A storming start saw Reema was deemed a little too storming, but despite a penalty, pace was there throughout. Her strong longer run pulled us back up the order, and Charles did a great job again before I took the final stint. After a heavily interrupted first race with cautions, we were unlucky that the second race didn’t offer the same opportunities to roll the dice on strategy, but overall it was a solid first outing for us with the team in the championship, and there are plenty of positives to build on for next week.

We now travel to Yas Marina for the final rounds of the series, with a slightly different line-up, but the same focus and determination. The base pace is certainly there, and we will be looking to convert that into a stronger result to sign off the first campaign of h 2025 season.

Asian Le Mans Series 2024-25 –

Team: Blackthorn AMR

Car number: #19

Circuit: Dubai Autodrome, UAE

Race 3: P14

Race 4: P14