Italy will set the stage for a very much anticipated race weekend for Viper Niza Racing Team as they prepare to compete in the 12 Hours of Misano for the very first time on an unfamiliar circuit.

On what is better known as a motorcycle track as it is home to the San Marino Grand Prix in MotoGP, the Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli plays host to only its second 12 Hour world sportscar endurance race from 23-24 May 2025.

“We have not raced at Misano before and therefore this is going to be an entirely new experience for the team. It is a circuit that appears pretty flat with subtle elevation changes suited more for motorcycles, it looks certainly narrow and so overtaking will be at a premium,” said Viper Niza Racing Team lead driver and Team Principal Douglas Khoo.

“We’re all spending a fair bit of time on the racing simulator to better understand the braking points and how to approach each corner. Some are just straight flat out high-speed corners. We’re also looking at previous on-board videos to see how other drivers are attacking each turn.”

Khoo will be joined by Dominic Ang and Melvin Moh, as well as an all Malaysian crew. Despite the team’s mixed feeling of excitement and uncertainty of the unknown, Viper Niza Racing will however, head to Misano with an inspiring race record so far this year: 6^th overall, 4^th in the GT3 class and 2^nd in the GT3 AM class in the Michelin 12 Hours of Spa Francorchamps in Belgium; and victory in the GT AM Masters class and  2^nd in the GT AM class at the Motul 12 Hours of Sepang.

Khoo added that the team’s Mercedes-AMG GT3 EVO will head to Misano with the same overall package with no additional upgrades. “It’ll still be the same car with some part replacements due to wear and tear. We will only know what set-up to use when we get down to putting some laps during practice.”

Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli is 4.226kmm, features 16 corners and runs clockwise. It was originally designed in 1969 measuring 3.488km with the first expansion dating back to 1993 when the track was lengthened to 4.060km. In 2006 the track was further lengthened to 4.180km and subsequently in 2008, it was expanded to its current 4.226km configuration.

The circuit boasts a spectacular design that is demanding on both cars and bikes with a mix of fast straights, high-speed corners, technical and slower corners. The circuit overall lap record is held by Porsche in Formula E with a time of 1 minute:18.582 seconds, while the fastest time recorded by a traditional race car is 1 minute:48.50 seconds by a Porsche GT4RS and 1 minute:30.03 seconds by Ducati in MotoGP.

In 2024, Misano World Circuit Marco Simoncelli joined the world endurance sportscar series, and at that very first 12 Hours of Misano, Audi reigned supreme taking the overall top two places, winning the GT3 Class as well as the GT3 AM Class with its Audi R8 LMS GT3 EVO II machines.

Viper Niza Racing is backed by Motul and other sponsors that include Endless & Momentum Autoparts; IWC as its Official Watch Brand; and Jen Orchard Gateway Hotel in Singapore.