This weekend’s Motul 12 Hours of Sepang endurance race at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit will officially kick off one of the most challenging seasons in place for Malaysia’s Viper Niza Racing Team as it sets out to take on a 7-round season in 2025.
Fielding a Mercedes-AMG GT3, Team Principal and driver Douglas Khoo will lead a three-man team in 2025 strengthened by the presence of Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh. The team is so far committed to taking on two endurance races in Asia, with another five in Europe.
The Motul 12 Hours of Sepang from 14-15 March will be an important start for Viper Niza Racing – not only for the drivers but also the race engineers as well mechanics, and to have the right momentum going forward – as the following weekend of 21-23 March will see them travelling 9,785km to take on the 12 Hours of Mugello in Italy.
With what is almost back to back racing in 2025, the team will then prepare for the 12 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium from 18-20 April followed by the 12 Hours of Misano in Italy from 23-24 May. They then essentially have a one-month break in preparation for the 12 Hours of Paul Ricard in France from 3-5 July. Viper Niza Racing’s European tour will conclude with the 24 Hours of Barcelona in Spain from 26-28 September before returning to Asia for the Shanghai 8 Hours in October.
“Throughout the team’s racing history we’ve enjoyed a great degree of success in endurance racing compared to participating in sprint races. I guess this is where Viper Niza Racing’s strength truly lies and we are focused on developing this potential to its fullest moving forward,” said Khoo who was also crowned two-time TSS The Super Series Supercar GT3 amateur champion in Thailand in 2024. “For example, fitness is a very important pre-requisite as it is to have a race engineer to make the right call at the right time. The team also must also be able to function as a very well-oiled machine. These are all factors that greatly contribute to your chances of finishing the race in a stronger position.”
At the Motul 12 Hours of Sepang in 2024, the team finished 6th overall, securing a class win. They were 10th overall in 2023. The team was also strong at the Shanghai 8 Hours last year with a 5th overall and 3rd in ProAm class finish. Viper Niza Racing has also won in Spa Francorchamps, albeit a different event in the 2019 TCR SPA500 24-Hour endurance race behind the wheel of a Seat Leon Cupra, and in 2022, finished 6th in the TCR Class of the Hankook 24 Hours of Barcelona in Spain.
“Sepang is a very important race because we consider this our home race as an all-Malaysian team and also a home race for our sponsor Motul. I’ve had the privilege of being on the podium here several times, both in a GT car as well as in a touring car, and Dominic (Ang) is also a two-time overall winner…But it’s never an easy race especially with so many competitive regional teams and drivers, the uncertainty of weather and the underlying realization that almost anything can happen.
“A great deal of our success on track has also been the result of our strong partnership with Motul that is now close to 10 years. We continue to rely on and trust Motul products to ensure that all our cars run smoothly. We hope that the new partnerships we have fostered with Endless, Momentum Autoparts and IWC this season will be as long lasting as our partnership with Motul,” said Khoo.
Viper Niza Racing continues to be 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.
