The opening round of the 2025/2026 24H SERIES Middle East delivered exactly what endurance racing is loved for: tight margins, strategy battles, and a finale no one could have predicted.

Qualifying had already hinted at how evenly matched the field was, with Climax Racing securing pole in their Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO by just 0.017 seconds, setting an average time of 2:04.556 over Absolute Racing’s Porsche 911 GT3 R. It was the closest GT3 qualifying the series had seen at Sepang, setting the tone for the race ahead.

After 12 hours of running, it was Herberth Motorsport who crossed the line first. But in endurance racing, the stopwatch is only part of the story. In the final 15 minutes, the team received a four-lap penalty for exceeding permitted drive time for one of their Bronze-rated drivers, a regulation designed to ensure fair participation across driver categories.

This late penalty dramatically reshaped the classification

The inherited victory went to Origine Motorsport and their No. 87 Porsche 911 GT3 R, who had delivered a consistent, disciplined run throughout the event. Their approach, steady and mistake-free, placed them perfectly to capitalize when Herberth’s penalty was confirmed. The result capped off an inaugural Malaysian round filled with pace, pressure, and shifting fortunes across every class.

With the season now officially underway, the championship moves forward with a clear reminder: in endurance racing, precision, compliance, and execution matter as much as outright speed.