99 Racing finally has its third driver

The drivers' soap opera at 99 Racing seems to have found an outcome just as incredible as its storyline. 

Reminder of the facts: on January 28, the mysterious 99 Racing team, entered with an Oreca 07 in the LM P2 category of the Asian Le Mans Series, announced its crew in which we found the former pilot of Formula 1 Nikita mazepin. The Russian was accompanied in this adventure by Ben Barnicoat and Félix Porteiro. Two pilots ultimately absent from the crew for different reasons.

Barnicoat was the first to withdraw, a conflict of dates with another engagement of the official Lexus driver preventing him from taking part in the ALMS with 99 Racing. The Briton was quickly replaced by Neel Jani. With the winner of the 24 2016 Hours of Le Mans and a former F1 driver, the team looked good. Enough to play the leading roles in the general classification, moreover that the third man, Porteiro, has great experience in motorsport even if he had not played at a high level since his last season in the FIA ​​WTCC, in 2009.

Porteiro failed, Hughes too

So much so that some competitors questioned its Bronze categorization, leading the FIA ​​to a late review of its status. The 39-year-old Spaniard therefore learned that he was reclassified as Silver while he was already there. This is why 99 Racing had to find a new replacement at the last minute, the presence of a Bronze driver being mandatory according to the regulations of the Asian Le Mans Series.

And it was not one, but two replacements who followed one another within a few hours of each other. On the entry list shared on Saturday morning before qualifying, Warren Hughes was present alongside Mazepin and Jani. The winner of the 24 2005 Hours of Le Mans in LM P2, now aged 54, is well classified Bronze with the FIA.

Decision #06 – Driver Approval for Car #98 (Hughes)

The Asian Le Mans Series spotter guide (Photo: Asian Le Mans Series)

Gomes as a last resort

Surprise this Saturday morning during qualifying. It was not Warren Hughes who sat behind the wheel in a session reserved for Bronze category drivers, but Gonçalo Gomes.

The 47-year-old Portuguese also has Bronze status and especially distinguished himself in his native country by winning the Formula Ford Portugal (1993) or the Formula Novis Portugal (2001, 2002). Why this new turnaround? The categorization of the two drivers is still in question since Warren Hughes was still Silver in 2022 and the regulations of the Asian Le Mans Series are based on the categorizations of the previous year. The commissioners therefore declared their previous authorization of the replacement of Porteiro by Hughes as null and void, before formalizing the entry into the running of Gonçalos Gomes as “force majeure” (this was already the case for Hughes).

Decision nº09 – Non-compliant driver replacement for car nº98 (Hughes)

Without having had time to test the British team's car before, the Portuguese could only do better than eighth place in qualifying, lagging almost four seconds behind the best times. It is also stipulated in the official document that “the driver is prohibited from driving after 18:25 p.m. in race 1 and after 18:27 p.m. in race 2”. Gomes will therefore not be able to ride at night in the race, because he was unable to take part in the test session held in these conditions this Friday.

Decision #10 – Driver Approval for Car #98 (Gomes)

Meet at 13:45 p.m. (French time) for the start of the first race of the weekend in Dubai. The 4H Dubai will be followed live video on AUTOhebdo via the official YouTube channel of the Asian Le Mans Series. 

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