Nick Cassidy’s return to prototype racing showed flashes of front-running potential, but ultimately delivered a frustrating outcome as the Kiwi driver endured a challenging opening round of the 2025/26 Asian Le Mans Series at Sepang.
Cassidy teamed up with Nolan Siegel and Georgios Kolovos in the #43 Inter Europol Competition Oreca 07 LMP2 for the two-race, four-hour weekend at the demanding Malaysian venue. While outright results proved elusive, the trio demonstrated competitive speed across both races in conditions that repeatedly caught teams out.
Qualifying for Race 1 offered early encouragement, with Kolovos delivering a strong lap to place the #43 Oreca third on the LMP2 grid. That momentum carried into the opening stages of the race, as Kolovos immediately asserted himself following an early Safety Car.
On the restart, the Greek driver made a decisive move on pole-sitter Giorgio Roda in the #5 United Autosports Oreca, seizing the class lead and quickly opening a gap at the front. However, a slow first pit stop, compounded by a switch to wet tyres that later proved unnecessary, dramatically altered the team’s fortunes.
The strategy call dropped the Inter Europol entry deep into the field, and despite solid stints from Cassidy and Siegel, the car was unable to recover in a tightly packed LMP2 field. The #43 crew ultimately crossed the line classified 13th.
Up front, Cetilar Racing claimed victory in the season opener, with Antonio Fuoco producing a standout drive to overcome a late five-second penalty. A well-timed Virtual Safety Car pit stop vaulted the #47 Oreca to the lead, from where Fuoco controlled a tense final run to the flag.
Race 2 told a familiar story for Cassidy and Inter Europol Competition. Once again, the #43 car showed genuine speed in the opening stages, with both Kolovos and Cassidy running inside the leading group as weather conditions began to play a pivotal role.
Short, highly localised rain showers repeatedly threatened to swing the race, with one particularly tricky downpour soaking the run between Turns 3 and 4 while much of the circuit remained dry. Several cars were caught out on slick tyres as grip levels changed corner by corner.
Despite handling the changing conditions well, the #43 entry was hampered by a combination of electrical issues and poorly timed Virtual Safety Car and yellow flag periods. The interruptions stalled their progress and dropped the car down the order, leaving Cassidy and his co-drivers classified 12th at the finish.
Cetilar Racing again emerged on top, completing a clean sweep of victories. Fuoco starred for a second straight day, carving out a commanding advantage on wet tyres before extending his lead on slicks as the track dried.
Although a late Safety Car erased his margin, worsening weather forced race control to red flag the event with 13 minutes remaining, securing Cetilar’s second win of the weekend.
While results did not reflect the pace shown by Cassidy and the #43 Inter Europol Competition squad, the Sepang weekend underlined their potential as the Asian Le Mans Series season gets underway.
The championship resumes with another double-header of four-hour races at the Dubai Autodrome, running from 30 January to 1 February 2026, where Cassidy and his team will be aiming to convert speed into stronger results.
Header Image: Inter Europol Competition
