Danish team High Class Racing is leaving the first round of the Asian Le Mans Series as runner up in the championship standings after superb performances by Mark Patterson and Anders Fjordbach.
South African born Patterson (72), who retired from racing in 2021, made a surprise comeback to motorsports and prototypes, when he appeared on the entry list for the 2024/2025 Asian Le Mans Series with his former Danish squad High Class Racing and teammate Anders Fjordbach. The duo raced several years in the World Endurance Championship and secured the inaugural European GT2 Championship together back in 2021.
Having qualified his Ligier JS P320-Nissan LMP3 in the back of the grid, Patterson stayed out of the initial drama in race 1 and drove a rock-solid stint, before handing the car over to Fjordbach in 5th position.
“I couldn’t have hoped for a better start in this championship. Anders had our first races together in Asia almost a decade ago, and returning to Malaysia with him is just a dream. I immediately felt comfortable in the car, so I could focus re-building confidence and speed after all the years out”, says Mark Patterson.
Fjordbach continued his great form shown in the past seasons in IMSA, by bringing the car home in 2nd place, at some point even looking to secure the top spot with a few laps to go.
“Mark did a fantastic job. Almost two hours is extreme heat requires something extraordinary, and at the same time being able to fight for position with people 40 years younger than you is just incredible. I am out of words”, says Anders Fjordbach.
Race 2 saw almost a repetition of Saturday’s race. Great tire management and a good strategy call by the team, brought the car up to 2nd position, before weather conditions brought out the red flag with a little more than an hour left.
High Class Racing aiming for a return to the 24 Hours of Le Mans
Having initially been placed as 1st reserve for the 2025 European Le Mans Series, High Class Racing has set its target for the 24 Hours of Le Mans with Patterson becoming the oldest driver in history to start the legendary race.
