Code 60 cruelty costs Viper Niza shot at podium finish

PETALING JAYA: Viper Niza Racing Team looked set for a podium finish in the GT3-AM class at the 12 Hours of Paul Ricard in France, but a series of late Code 60 interventions and unfavourable refuelling circumstances ultimately dashed the Malaysian team’s hopes.

The first Code 60 was deployed with one hour and 20 minutes remaining to recover a stranded car, followed by a second with 35 minutes to go after a car caught fire.

A third and final Code 60 was activated with just three minutes left to clear debris from the track.

“We did not face any issues during the race. We were on course to reach the chequered flag, while three other cars still needed to stop for fuel. However, the Code 60 periods allowed them to save time and make unscheduled refuelling stops,” said team principal and lead driver Douglas Khoo.

“We were simply unlucky with the Code 60s in the final hour, but that’s the unpredictability of endurance racing. It is what it is.”

Viper Niza eventually finished 10th overall in the 32-car field on Monday after completing 303 laps, placing fifth in the GT3-AM class.

Hofor Racing won the race after completing 306 laps, with GetSpeed Team PCX Racing finishing 36 seconds behind in second place. Both teams competed in Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo machinery, while Sainteloc Junior Team secured third in an Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo II.

“We came to Paul Ricard hoping for a podium finish in the GT3-AM class, but given how events unfolded over the past two days, we can still take away valuable championship points.

“After being joint leaders in the overall standings, we have slipped to third. We remain within our target for the season, but with two races left, staying in contention will depend on consistently scoring strong points finishes,” said Douglas.

The result leaves Hofor Racing atop the GT3-AM standings with 96 points, followed by GetSpeed Team PCX Racing on 90 points and Viper Niza Racing Team on 80 points.