Asian Le Mans Series – Dubai

The second stop of the Asian Le Mans Series passed through Dubai, with four Aussies competing in two separate 4 Hour sessions at the Dubai Autodrome four Rounds 3 and 4.

Jordan Love, Griffin Peebles, James Allen and Yasser Shahin all suited up with different outfits for the weekend, providing ample representation for the country abroad.

Love and the Johor Motorsports Racing squad in the Corvette ZO6 GT3 were solid across both race sessions, despite a shaky start receiving a drive-through penalty early in the first race. The #99 car would finalise the two days with a P13 and P11, finishing inside the top 35 outright on both days.

In the other JMR vehicle, Shahin and the #66 Corvette sat right behind their teammates in the other vehicle, claiming a P14 in Race 1 and improving to P15 in Race 2.

Peebles got back behind the wheel for the first time in 2026 with DKR Engineering following a Vice Championship-winning season in the 2025 Le Mans Cup.

Alongside German Alexander Mattschull and Swisse Mathias Beche, Peebles and his teammates we consistent in Race 1 and Race 2, staying inside the top 10 for both sessions among LMP2 competitors.

The #3 Oreca 07 – Gibson managed to attain outright eighth position on Saturday, before improving one placing on Sunday with an outright seventh place result.

James Allen joined forces with RD Limited in the LMP2 class as part of a successful third and fourth round. A flawless race from the Australian helped the #30 Oreca to a podium finish and only 10 seconds off the race winner.

Another podium was within reach for Allen, but a puncture late in the race dashed the team’s hopes of a step on the podium, instead settling for P5 and average position of fourth for the two rounds.

Formula Regional Oceania Trophy – Highlands

For the first time in the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy’s history, a catch-up session would be held at the start of a round, meaning four races for the final round of the series at Highlands Motorsport Park for Jack Taylor, who notched up a top 10 finish in the rescheduled race. Fellow Aussie James Wharton was absent from the previous round entirely, meaning he would only need to compete in the three originally planned race sessions for the weekend.

In Wharton’s track return for Race 1, he showed strong signs, collecting sixth place, while Taylor finished back in 13th.

Wharton then got an ideal start in Race 2, quickly getting past Liam Sceats and toward the front of the pack. Wharton held his position for the remainder of the race securing runner-up and adding a second podium finish for the season. Taylor also improved his position from the previous race, climbing up to 12th for Race 2.

The Australians maintained their standing in the race order for the final race of the season, the 70th New Zealand Grand Prix. Wharton made it a clean sweep of top 10 finishes after crossing the finish line eighth. Taylor collected another 12th place finish to finish wrap up the series.

Wharton, who now sets sights on final preparations for Formula 3 in 2026, ended the Castrol Toyota Formula Regional Oceania Trophy with 167 points, good enough to put him eighth in the Drivers’ Standings. Taylor completed the series in 14th with 123 points next to his name.

Formula Regional Middle East – Dubai

Following two rounds in Abu Dhabi, Alex Ninovic travelled to Dubai for the penultimate round of Formula Regional Middle East Trophy a week removed from claiming a race win.

Ninovic closed out Qualifying with a 10th in the first session and fifth place in the second. Ninovic hung around the middle of the field in the round’s opening race session. The Rodin Motorsport athlete finished one spot higher than his first qualifying position in ninth.

Carrying momentum into Race 2, Ninovic drove another stellar session, not quite collecting his second win of the series, but instead settling for a runner-up finish behind Salim Hanna by one second. Ninovic’s good results were halted in Race 3, however, dropping down to P26 to conclude the weekend.

Following the most recent race result, Ninovic will be searching to bounce back at the fourth and final round in two weeks at the Lusail International Circuit in Qatar from 11-13 February.