The back-to-back weekends for Asian Le Mans have delivered everything for us in the #56 Vantage, from frustrations and bad luck, to the highest high with the win at the final race. We knew we had something special, and definitely showed the pace at each weekend, so it was just a case of bringing everything together, and that happened – eventually – in Abu Dhabi, to sign off the season with Ecurie Ecosse and Blackthorn AMR in the absolute best way possible. But it wasn’t an easy ride!

We arrived in Dubai with a feeling that we had what was needed to raise a real championship challenge. Fully refreshed after the New Year break. However, it was a tough weekend overall, and we didn’t take the momentum we hoped towards the final rounds. It required a complete reset and a mindset change heading into the Abu Dhabi weekend, approaching everything with a clear head. I have always loved Yas Marina, and we knew we had a sorted package with the set up on the #56, so it was a case of just focusing on this last weekend. The championship wasn’t a focus now, but we approached it as if it was.

The pace was clear with Giacomo in qualifying, with a strong result to really set our intentions. We had struggled in Dubai qualifing out of position, leaving a lot to do in the races, so to be starting P3 for both races, put us on a solid footing to really give everything and hopefully bring home the result we knew we could achieve.

The first race of the weekend looked promising, and we were in the hunt for a second podium of the season, but we were hit with two drive through penalties in quick succession. These dropped out us of overall contention, but the pace was clearly there, and we managed to recover to a solid top-10 result. It was a bittersweet result, as we knew what could have been, but it really fired things up for Sunday.

Race 2 delivered all the emotions in one – in fact, most of them came on lap 1! A rocket start from Giacomo saw the #56 move into the lead in the opening corners, but contact with an LMP3 car gave us a puncture. A trip to the pitlane and running at the back of the field by the end of the first lap – not the ideal start. However, this then just took all pressure off, and gave us a clear target – recovery.

Great strategy from the pitlane, and each of just taking the opportunities to capitalise where we could, meant we kept the fight going throughout the whole race. Each of us made good progress across our stints, moving up the order, and strong strategy play put us in contention for a podium in the final stages. As the time clicked down, and with Kobe in the car, we knew we had pace to take the fight to the leaders, with time on our side.

The dice was rolled early on, in part thanks to the setback on lap 1, but everyone played their part brilliantly, and Kobe delivered a faultless final stint to take the lead. From there, he did a great job to stay calm and bring home an incredible win for the team – which is a huge result against a top quality grid, and a real credit to him.

This programme has been a real privilege to be a part of, and I’m incredibly proud to have carried the Ecurie Ecosse badge, and the pride of Scotland, on the car. Looking forward to what is to come next but, for now, it is an amazing feeling to be a winner with such an iconic team, and kickstart to 2026 season in the best way possible.

Asian Le Mans Series 2025/26 –

Team: Ecurie Ecosse Blackthorn AMR

Car number: #56

Circuit: Yas Marina, Abu Dhabi

Race 1: P8

Race 2 : P1

Drivers’ championship: P6

Teams’ championship: P6