Vector Sport RLR left wanting after ALMS podium run ends with gearbox troubles in Abu Dhabi

Vector Sport RLR’s podium-worthy pace and strategy came to nothing when gearbox troubles took the team and drivers Daniel Schneider, Jacob Abel and Vladislav Lomko out of contention in the 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series (ALMS) 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi (7-8 February).

Schneider placed the #70 ORECA 07-Gibson 13th on the grid for both four-hour races on the 5.28km Yas Marina Circuit and, on Saturday, he only lost track position to the #47 Cetilar Racing, which bailed for pit lane on lap seven.

Brazil’s Schneider ran his own race during a quiet, uneventful opening stint, but gains were made in the first round of scheduled pit stops and he later reached the edge of the top ten by executing a superbly opportunistic move on the #88 Proton Competition in traffic.

Abel then circulated in seventh with no immediate threat from behind, and the American racer was so efficient through lapped GTs and LMP3s that he kept his pursuers at arm’s length until the next fuel-fill.

A relatively long mid-race pit stop dropped Vector Sport RLR out of the top ten, but while Abel was 12th at halftime, he edged up the leaderboard and concluded an outstanding stint in eighth. 

It was up to Lomko to race the #70 prototype into the night and he began by snatching a net P8 from the #64 Nielsen Racing as the sun set and Yas Marina’s artificial lighting began to dominate, but Vector Sport RLR ultimately classified tenth.

The British team hoped for more in the season-ending ALMS 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi (Sunday 8 February) and, although the #70 ORECA pitted on lap three to replace a damaged nose section, Schneider resumed still on the lead lap and was quickly back up to where he started in 13th.

A 70-minute red flag followed and there were major changes in the pack once racing restarted with just over two hours on the clock.

The race wasn’t extended in lieu of the stoppage and drivers’ minimum stint-lengths were adjusted accordingly, LMP2 teams taking the first opportunity to pull their Bronzes in.

Vector Sport RLR was a big winner in the shuffle, as Abel took to Yas Marina Circuit in seventh, but the INDYCAR racer swiftly returned to pit lane, where the #70 ORECA was wheeled back into the garage with gearbox troubles.

Mechanics went to work and righted the car in super quick-time so that Abel and Lomko could each complete the 2025-26 ALMS season on the track but, 15 laps off the lead, they could go no higher than 14th in the definitive finishing order.

“The 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series has been an incredible experience and very helpful for my personal development as a racing driver,” said Schneider. “I had a blast learning to drive a new car on unfamiliar circuits with a different team. We ran the car on full tanks in preparation for the races and that paid off for me, but I need to extract far more from the car on low fuel and new tyres in qualifying, and that’s what I’ll be working on moving forwards.

“I got on with my teammates Jacob (Abel) and Vlad (Lomko) really well and Vector Sport RLR impressed me. Everyone is really passionate, the mechanics and engineers always seek perfection and I loved their approach, especially as they only wanted honesty rather than sugar-coated feedback.”

Schneider continued: “All the boxes were checked and we had no issues until the final race of the season, which is when our pace, strategy and execution were worthy of a podium. It was very unfortunate to be struck down by a gearbox issue and, while there’s nothing we could have done to prevent it, it really hurts.”

Abel said: “Ultimately, we’re all a little disappointed to have not achieved our full potential over the course of the 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series, as we definitely left some results on the table through misfortune. However, I gained a tonne of experience in what was my first sportscar racing campaign, learning the whole flow and structure of the events, dealing with multi-class traffic and getting to grips with the ORECA 07-Gibson LMP2. Considering all of that, I’m happy with what I’ve achieved personally.

“We were strong in Dubai and, although we lacked a bit of pace in the first 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi, we looked really fast and had the right strategy to finish on the podium in Sunday’s race. To be struck with a gearbox issue was just unfortunate, but this ALMS season has still been an invaluable experience. I don’t know what the future holds, but I’m trying to be all-in sportscar racing.”

Lomko said: “The 2025-26 Asian Le Mans Series 4 Hours of Abu Dhabi wasn’t the best weekend because it didn’t go how we wanted and we had the potential to achieve much more. In Saturday’s race we had a strategic offset and the green flag running meant we couldn’t quite get in the pack, even though we had a good car.

“We then had the pace to fight for the podium on Sunday, but a gearbox problem took away any chance of a good, representative result. In general, it wasn’t an easy season, but we always pushed to do our best and are now ready for the European Le Mans Series, which is the team’s main focus.”