Asian Le Mans Series reveals record 39-car grid

As was the case with this year's ALMS, the 2022 championship will be condensed into a two-week period with two races each at the Dubai Autodrome and Abu Dhabi's Yas Marina Circuit on 11-12 and 19-20 February, with a mix of day and night racing.

The largest single class is the GT class, with 25 GT3 cars from seven different manufacturers represented. The LMP3 field is unchanged with 10 entrants, while the LMP2 has been trimmed slightly from seven cars to four.

It marks an increase from the 36 cars that entered this year's series, of which 19 were GT3 cars.

The ALMS is run by the Automobile Club de l'Ouest that also organises the Le Mans 24 Hours. The ACO awards six entries to the sportscar blue riband, three for the champions in the ALMS's respective classes, plus an additional three for the teams finishing between second and fourth in the GT class.

Among the new entrants to the GT division this year is DTM title-winning squad Haupt Racing Team with a single Mercedes-AMG GT3, while fellow DTM squad Walkenhorst Motorsport has committed to entering two of the new-for-2022 BMW M4 GT3s.

The four-car LMP2 entry is headed by 2019-20 LMP3 championship-winning squad Nielsen Racing, returning to the division for the first time since a one-off appearance with an ORECA 07 in the 2020 Le Mans 24 Hours.

The other three entries in the class - Graff, ARC Bratislava and High Class Racing - are all entered in the Am sub-class.

ACO president Pierre Fillon said: "This new season of the Asian Le Mans Series looks promising once again. With 39 cars coming from different horizons, the show on track will be exciting."

Frederic Lequien, CEO of the ACO-owned Le Mans Endurance Management organisation, added: "It is very positive to see such a strong grid for the 2022 Asian Le Mans Series.

"I would like to congratulate the entire Asian Le Mans Series team who have worked incredibly hard to deliver such a strong grid."

It was announced last month that the Stephane Ratel Organisation will work with the ACO in organising the ALMS from the end of next season, forming a joint classification across the ALMS and SRO-run GT World Challenge Asia.