Climax Racing has confirmed it will return to the 2026 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS season with a two car Mercedes AMG GT3 programme.
The Chinese team will field entries in both the Silver Am and Am classes as part of the six round championship, which begins at Sepang International Circuit on April 4 to 5.
One of the team’s Mercedes AMG GT3s will compete in the Silver Am class with Li LiChao partnering Finnish driver Elias Seppanen. Li returns to the championship after competing with Climax during the 2024 season, where he raced in both Silver Am and Am categories.
Seppanen will make his first full campaign in the series after appearing in two races with Harmony Racing last season. The Finn has experience across a range of international GT competitions and will be aiming to establish himself as a contender in the championship.
“This year marks my return to GT World Challenge Asia and I will be partnering with my new team mate Elias,” Li said. “He has shown strong pace internationally and we believe we can be competitive this season.”
Seppanen is also optimistic about the pairing and believes the team has the potential to fight for strong results.
“I am very excited to compete with Climax Racing in GT World Challenge Asia. Li is one of the fastest gentleman drivers in Asia and together we will aim to challenge for victories.”
In the Am class, Mike Zhou Bihuang will team up with Indonesian driver Setiawan Santoso. Santoso joins the team after finishing second in the Am class standings last season with EBM.
“I am very happy to join Climax Racing for the new season,” Santoso said. “I have raced with Mike before and I am also familiar with the Mercedes AMG GT3, so I hope we can build strong momentum and have a successful season.”
Zhou enters his fourth season in GT World Challenge Asia with Climax Racing and will contest his first full Am class campaign. He previously secured a class win at Suzuka and brings valuable experience to the team’s programme.
The 2026 GT World Challenge Asia season will feature six rounds and 12 races across the region, beginning at Sepang before visiting several of Asia’s leading circuits later in the year.
