Viper Niza Finishes 10th Overall At 12 Hours Of Paul Ricard, Remains Third In GT3-AM Championship
Malaysia’s Viper Niza Racing Team secured a top-10 overall finish at the 2026 12 Hours of Paul Ricard after a strong and relatively trouble-free outing was affected by a series of late-race Code 60 incidents.
Competing in a field of 32 cars, the Malaysian team completed 303 laps of the 5.822km Circuit Paul Ricard to finish 10th overall and fifth in the GT3-AM class with its #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO.
The result also keeps Viper Niza firmly in the GT3-AM championship fight, with the team now sitting third in the overall standings with two rounds remaining.
Late Code 60s Affect Race Outcome
Held in near-perfect weather conditions, the race became a battle of consistency, pit strategy and fuel management across two days of competition.
According to Team Principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo, Viper Niza was on course for a potential GT3-AM podium finish before three separate Code 60 periods in the final 90 minutes reshaped the race.
The first neutralisation came with 1 hour 20 minutes remaining to recover a stranded car, followed by a second with 35 minutes left after a vehicle caught fire. A third and final Code 60 was deployed just three minutes from the finish to clear debris from the circuit.
“We did not face any issues during the race. We were good to go to the chequered flag with three other cars requiring to stop for fuel but under the Code 60, they saved time and came in for unscheduled refueling. We were just unlucky with the Code 60 in the last hour, but this is the unpredictability of endurance racing and it is what it is,” said Khoo.
The neutralisations ultimately benefited rivals that would otherwise have needed additional fuel stops under green-flag conditions.
Strong Pace Throughout The Weekend
Viper Niza qualified 13th overall and seventh in the GT3-AM category before steadily moving forward throughout the race.
Dominic Ang started the opening six-hour segment on Saturday and quickly climbed into the top 10, running as high as sixth overall before the first scheduled pit stop and driver change.
Khoo then completed a 90-minute stint before handing over to Melvin Moh, who continued the team’s progress by moving the car back into the overall top 10 by the conclusion of day one. The team ended Saturday’s running 10th overall and sixth in GT3-AM before the cars were placed under parc fermé conditions overnight.
On Sunday, Moh resumed driving duties and delivered one of the team’s strongest performances, climbing as high as third overall during his stint before handing the car back to Khoo.
After another solid run from Khoo, Ang took over and fought his way from 16th back to eighth overall before the final driver change. Moh returned for the closing stages and ultimately brought the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO home in 10th overall and fifth in class.
Championship Fight Remains Open
Despite missing out on a class podium, Viper Niza leaves France with valuable championship points.
“We came to Paul Ricard hopeful for a podium in the GT3-AM Class but with how things unfolded over the past two days, we are still able come away with valuable championship points. From being joint 1st place in the overall point standings, we are now 3rd – still very much within our original target this year but it’ll all depend on consistently finishing high up in the points to stay in contention with another two races to go,” Khoo added.
Following the Paul Ricard round, Hofor Racing now leads the GT3-AM standings with 96 points, ahead of GetSpeed Team PCX Racing on 90 points. Viper Niza remains in contention with 80 points.
The race was won overall by Hofor Racing in a Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo after completing 306 laps. GetSpeed Team PCX Racing finished second, 36 seconds behind, while Sainteloc Junior Team completed the overall podium in its Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.
Next Stop – Nurburgring
The team will now turn its attention to the next round of the championship, the 12 Hours of Nürburgring, scheduled to take place from 3 to 5 July.
Viper Niza Racing is supported by Motul, IWC as its Official Watch Brand, Momentum Autoparts and SPARCO Italy.
CarTok.my Editor’s Note
Endurance racing often rewards speed, but it just as frequently rewards timing and luck. At Paul Ricard, Viper Niza had the pace, reliability and strategy to challenge for a class podium. Unfortunately, three late Code 60 periods changed the equation. The encouraging part is that the team remains firmly in the championship hunt — and in endurance racing, consistency in the points is also key to winning.
