Viper Niza Racing heads into this weekend’s 24 Hours of Barcelona with more than just championship points on the line. The all-Malaysian outfit will be fighting to secure a top-three finish in the 2026 Michelin 24H Series European Series GT3-AM Class. The team’s #65 Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO, shared by Team Principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo, Dominic Ang, Melvin Moh and Aaron Lim, will line up alongside 40 other cars for the five-round championship’s season finale at the 4.657km Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya.

Heading into the decisive endurance race, Viper Niza Racing sits third in the GT3-AM standings with 116 points. Getspeed Team JR286 leads the class on 130 points, followed by Hofor Racing on 124, while Continental Racing by Simpson Motorsport remains close behind in fourth with 110 points. That leaves Viper Niza Racing with both an opportunity and a challenge: close the gap to the teams ahead while keeping the chasing Continental Racing outfit at bay. The Malaysian team is also sixth in the overall GT3 standings with 76 points.

“The team has worked incredibly hard this season, albeit some strong results and some equally challenging races, to get to where we are and the focus in Barcelona will be to consolidate our current 3rd position if not fight for a better position in the overall GT3-AM Class standings,” said Khoo.

Barcelona is also a venue that carries some unfinished business for the team. During Viper Niza Racing’s debut season last year, the team finished fourth in the final GT3-AM standings and came agonisingly close to claiming third. However, its podium hopes disappeared during the Barcelona finale after contact damaged the car’s upright and steering wheel.

When the Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO eventually returned to the circuit, it was 90 laps behind the leaders. Before the incident, the team had been running as high as seventh overall and looked well placed to achieve its target of a GT3-AM podium. This time around, Viper Niza Racing arrives in Barcelona in a considerably stronger position.

After four rounds, the team has already collected two podium finishes and steadily improved its results throughout the season. It opened the campaign with fourth in GT3-AM at Mugello, followed by another fourth-place finish in the class at Spa-Francorchamps. At Paul Ricard, the team stepped onto the GT3-AM podium with third, before producing its strongest result of the season so far at the Nürburgring, finishing second in GT3-AM and third overall in GT3. Those results have put the Malaysian squad firmly in the fight for the championship’s final podium.

However, the Barcelona finale is unlike the preceding rounds. The 24-hour race carries double the distance, double the racing time and, crucially, double points, meaning the championship order could change dramatically before the chequered flag falls. Khoo knows there is little room for error.

“Returning to Barcelona for the final race of the season does bring with it some degree of anxiety, especially after what we endured during last year’s race, but the team is confident we can get the job done this time! With double the race distance, double the racing time and double points, so much is at stake and we are doing all we can to prepare for a strong finish to the season.”

For the Malaysian team, the recipe for success is relatively straightforward: stay fast, stay consistent and, above all, stay out of trouble for 24 hours. “A lot can happen during 24 hours of racing,” Khoo added. “We are hoping for both a competitive and incident-free race. All four drivers are dialed in to what needs to be done and the car has been equally strong and competitive all season long, therefore if we can keep this all together, there is a real shot of not only finishing 3rd overall but much higher up in the standings.”