The Asian Le Mans Series saw Matteo Cairoli’s debut in the 2023 season. All the way from Como, the Italian driver born in 1996 ended the championship sixth in the GT standings with the #20 Porsche 911 GT3 R of Herberth Motorsport, shared as a gold driver with bronze driver Niki Leutwiler and silver driver Mikkel Pedersen.
During the four rounds, held in Middle East due to the travel restrictions still going on after the Covid-19, the Dubai Autodrome and the Yas Marina Circuit hosted the two 4 Hours races that decided the 2023 championship. The #20 Porsche, with Matteo as the leader, collected 24 total points thanks to the first round in Dubai, where he crossed the checkered flag fifth in the first race, and the Top 10 finishes at the second round in Abu Dhabi, with a ninth place in race 1 and a thrilling fourth place in race 2.
Matteo Cairoli, at the wheel of the Porsche 911 GT3 R, always showed a consistent race pace and pure speed during his stints. The young Italian was able to keep the team high in the standings thanks to his abilities despite traffic challenges, as shown during the first race in Dubai, when Matteo completed the 59th lap with a time of 1:59.148, and in Abu Dhabi, as he managed to close the 76th lap of race 1 in 1:53.370.
This championship was a great way to train for Matteo as he will compete in WEC, with the Porsche 911 RSR-19 of Project 1 -AO, and in the European Le Mans Series, where he’ll race the same car, one that he knows really well by know, but with Iron Lynx: “This Asian Le Mans Series was a great way to prepare for the world and continental series. I want to be as ready as possible for the World Championship, with kilometers already run. It was an amazing chance to get back into the car flow, even if the BoP made it difficult for us to fight with the other manufacturers. I hope Niki and Mikkel, my teammates, were happy with my support.”
