Algarve Pro’s 2024-25 Asian Le Mans roster completed by Jensen, Jakobsen and Rinicella

Algarve Pro Racing can confirm that Michael Jensen, Malthe Jakobsen and Valerio Rinicella will pilot the #25 ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 in the forthcoming 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series.

Having raced LMP3 machinery in Europe and Asia for many years, Jensen arrives at Algarve Pro as a European Le Mans Series (ELMS) LMP3 Champion.

The 2024 season was a close-run thing, but a race win and two podiums ensured Jensen walked away with the crown, and confidence is high as he steps up into LMP2 machinery for the new Asian Le Mans season.

“I am really looking forward to competing in the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing,” said Jensen. “I’m excited about having two very talented young co-drivers in Malthe (Jakobsen) and Valerio (Rinicella), and it will be a pleasure to take on high-quality competition on fantastic racetracks like Sepang International Circuit, Dubai Autodrome and Yas Marina Circuit.

“We have a strong team, as Malthe is supreme and I have found Valerio to be very quick. Testing in the ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 has gone pretty well, but I have never raced the car. It’ll be a case of finding my feet, working out where we stand and delivering some good results at Sepang. We will then continue on to Dubai and Abu Dhabi, and hope we’re somewhere near the top at the end.”

Jakobsen was part of the championship-winning CrowdStrike Racing by APR roster in the 2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series, adding to the three titles Algarve Pro achieved in 2016-17, 2019-20 and 2021, as well as the ‘Gentleman’s Trophy’ it won in 2017-18.

The young Dane came to Algarve Pro as a former ELMS LMP3 Champion and with a host of LMP2 Pro-Am trophies under his belt, including one from the 24 Hours of Le Mans.

As a Junior Driver for Team Peugeot TotalEnergies, Jakobsen actively contributed to the development of the ground-breaking Peugeot 9X8 Hypercar by participating in test days and simulator sessions at the French car brand’s factory.

However, he reunites with Algarve Pro as one of Peugeot’s frontline drivers in the FIA ​​World Endurance Championship (WEC), and he has clear objectives for his forthcoming Asian LMP2 campaign, saying: “I’m very happy and excited to be joining Algarve Pro Racing once again for the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series. The objective is to defend the LMP2 title we won last season.”

Rinicella took his first steps in karting at his local Aprilia circuit and secured victory in six of the nine races he entered during his very first full-time campaign, which preceded a title-winning 2015 season in the Italian ROK Cup.

Those successes propelled Rinicella into the Italian Karting and AME Series Championships, and he continued accruing high profile race and title victories across multiple categories en route to international-level WSK and CIK FIA Championships.

The Rome-born racer who resides in Lanuvio went on to contest selected Formula 4 rounds in Italy, Iberia and the United Arab Emirates and, in 2023, he made a big splash by finishing third in the F4 Spanish Championship with a tally of two wins, 12 podiums and four pole positions.

Two seasons in F4 served as a springboard into Formula Regional by Alpine and the FIA FR World Cup at the Macau Grand Prix, but the 17-year-old Roman driver is now gearing up for a new challenge in endurance sportscar racing.

Looking to his Le Mans Prototypes debut with Algarve Pro, he said: “I’m feeling super great and competing in the 2024-25 Asian Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing will be an incredible experience. I really like driving the ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2 and the team made me feel very welcome from the beginning.

“I come from a single-seater background, but I’ve discovered that LMP2 prototypes are amazing to drive. I don’t have a lot of experience and I have described the car as “The Bull”. It isn’t an easy ride for me at the moment, but I’m working hard with Algarve Pro and expect good results. In fact, I really hope for my first LMP2 win with this car, so I’ll be pushing as hard as I can.”