Reigning Asian Le Mans Series GT and FIA World Endurance LMGT3 Champion Joel Sturm had a mixed start to the defence of his title in Sepang.
The 23-year-old German’s weekend started badly when his teammate Antares Au was hit by another car in Race 1 in Malaysia, meaning the no10 Manthey Porsche 911 was on the back foot going into Sunday’s race.
However, a fighting performance by all three drivers and the whole Manthey team saw Joel Sturm, Klaus Bachler and Antares Au standing on the second step of the podium on Sunday afternoon and heading to Dubai just 17 points behind the championship leader.
We caught up with Joel Sturm as he prepares to return to Dubai where he, and his teammate and fellow ALMS Champion Klaus Bachler, won in 2024. The trio will be looking to gather plenty of points to close the gap to the championship leaders before the season finale in Abu Dhabi on the 15/16 February.
Q1. Sepang was both good and bad for the team with Antares being forced off track during race 1 and classified in second in Race 2 after the red flag came out due to the weather. Talk us through the two races from your point of view.
Joel Sturm: “Sepang was quite a mixed race for us. Having a DNF in the first race is never nice. The way it happened with Antares being hit by another car, so totally not his fault, was not great, especially before the pit stops, but we had to deal with it.
“The team did a great job to rebuild the car for the next day. We had a pretty decent race for the second day and secured the p2 finish, which was a very nice comeback, and very important for us for the championship.
“So, not the race weekend we hope for, but I think we made the best out of it.”
Q2: 2024 was a good year for you, winning the ALMS GT category in February and then going on to win the 2024 FIA WEC LMGT3 title in Bahrain last November. How would you sum up the 2024 season and does coming into the Asian Le Mans Series as world champion put any pressure on you?
JS: “The 2024 season was definitely the best season I've ever had in my whole career, up until today. Having such a dominant season in WEC, with a lot of podium finishes, and even winning the championship in Fuji with one race left, was a great achievement, and all our hard work really paid off at that moment.
“Of course, the season had already started quite well with winning the ALMS title in February. This also meant a lot to me, as it was my first proper championship win in the GT3 car, and there it was quite an intense battle up until the last race.
“But we definitely also had some drawbacks in the season, for example, in Le Mans, where we couldn't finish the race the way we wanted to because of a gearbox issue in the morning, and also one week later, in Spa, where I had my pretty big crash, where we also had good potential to finish the race in a good position. But sometimes those things can also happen in racing.
“Now coming back into ALMS for 2025 doesn't really put a lot of pressure on me, because I've already won the championship last year, so I feel like I've proven what I needed to prove in this championship, and now the pressure is more on the others.”
Q3: You are reunited with Klaus for the 2024/25 ALMS and with Antares Au. Tell a bit about your teammates and also the Manthey team.
JS: “Driving with Klaus again this year, after having the success we had during the last season, is very nice and very special to me, because out of the success we had, we built a nice relationship, and we get along really well. I think that's always quite important, because otherwise you don't have the success you want to have.
“I think also Antares fits really well into this lineup. Klaus has been driving with him in the past as well, so he's already quite familiar with how he is and how he's working. I also met Antares couple years ago, so all of us have known each other for quite some time now, and the three of us are matching really good together.
“So, in the end, we can really create a great lineup, which is super important, especially this year in ALMS, as the lineups got really strong, and you just need to perform well as a team in this championship.
“With Manthey Racing, we have the best crew in the whole paddock behind us, which they have proven in several years of work and very different occasions. So, in the end, even if our car is not the fastest, Manthey always knows a way to get us up onto the podium or get a good strategy together. In the end, you can always count on the guys, and they always make a brilliant job.
“So, I'm really happy to be a part of this team, and that they can give us the opportunity to fight for the podium.”
Q4: Last year in Dubai you won the GT category on your way to the title. What are your thoughts on the track in Dubai and do you have a favourite corner or sequence?
JS: “The Dubai track is definitely an interesting one, which has its very own flair and some very enjoyable corners. For example, the fast double right hand and sector one, but also the whole last sector is pretty enjoyable with the elevation changes and just the way the track was built.”
Q5: This year there will be two 4-hour races in Dubai instead of one that was held there last year. Does having two races change your approach to the weekend, especially in the Saturday race when you know you have another race on Sunday?
JS: “Having a second Dubai race doesn't affect our approach to the weekend. As Dubai is in the middle of the season, you would just want to collect as many points as possible without damaging your car, as Abu Dhabi is only one week away after that. So, there's only all to lose in Dubai and nothing to win.”
Q6: The GT grid is super competitive this season. Following the races in Malaysia, who do you see as your main competitors for the title and what would be a good result for you and the team in Dubai?
JS: “In the end, everyone is your competitor, especially this year, where everyone seems to be quite competitive.
“For us, at the moment, our biggest competitors are the ones who are in front of us in the championship. So, a good result for us would be to collect more points than them in the next races and bringing us back into a position where we can fight for the title.
“Of course, in the end, you always want to win, so this would be a good result for us. But like I said, I think collecting more points than our competitors in front of us in the championship, that's the target for now.”
The next round of the 2024/25 Asian Le Mans Series is the 4 Hours of Dubai. There are two races this year with race 1 on Saturday 8th and race 2 on Sunday 9th February.
