Malaysians Douglas Khoo, Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh raced to a podium finish at last weekend’s (19-20 April) Michelin 12 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium.
The Viper Niza Racing Team finished the grueling race 6th overall (from a field of 37 international drivers), 4th in the GT3 class and 2nd in the GT3 AM class in what was a race of attrition that saw many of the GT3 entries battling to overcome incidents on the track, mechanical and electrical problems.
The 12-hour race proved challenging amidst clear weather and had essentially started with a Code 60 (full course yellow flag at 60km/h) due to an incident on the very first lap, and ended also on a Code 60 due to a collision just five minutes before the chequered flag was due to be waved.
While competitors faced a wet track during free practice, racing was completely carried out in the dry and cars were on full slick tyres when they took on one of the most historical and notoriously high-speed circuits in the world with a total length of 7.004km featuring 19 turns. Viper Niza Racing Team completed the race with 261 laps.
“Spa-Francorchamps has been good to us,” said lead driver and Viper Niza Racing Team Principal Khoo. “We ran a solid race, stayed focus and despite having our fair share of scares on track, did our best to steer clear of trouble. Credit must also go to the team who prepared a strong and trouble-free car (Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo).”
The race had seen the entry of no less than 10 different manufacturers and 37 cars across five main classes doing battle. In their class, Viper Niza Racing’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo was up against the likes of the Lamborghini Huracan GT3 Evo, Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II, Aston martin Vantage AMR GT3 Evo, Ferrari 296 GT3 and Ferrai 488 GT3 Evo.
A podium finish at Spa Francorchamps is also the team’s second successive victory there in only two races. All three drivers had also won the PRO/AM class at the inaugural TCR SPA500 (500 laps) race behind the wheel of a Seat Cupra TCR DSG on their very first visit to Spa Francorchamps in 2019.
The accomplishment at Spa Francorchamps also complements the team’s earlier victory in the GT AM Masters class and a 2nd place in the GT AM class at the Motul 12 Hours of Sepang in March.
Viper Niza Racing Team is due to next take on the Michelin 12 Hours of Misano in Italy from 23-24 May 2025.
Viper Niza Racing Team is backed by Motul in 2025, with other sponsors that include Endless & Momentum Autoparts; IWC as its Official Watch Brand; and Jen Orchard Gateway Hotel in Singapore.