Matthias Kaiser (born 22 January 1991) is a Liechtenstein racing driver currently competing in the European Le Mans Series with Algarve Pro Racing.
Kaiser is the 2019 champion of the Ultimate Cup Series in the Challenge Proto-LMP3 category.
Parallel to his racing commitments, Kaiser is the head of production and technology at Kaiser Premier in the US, having gotten a degree in alternative fuel vehicle technology engineering at the FH Joanneum.
Career
Early years Kaiser began his racing journey in the Porsche Super Sports Cup Germany in 2014. He finished second in 2015 before winning the 911 GT3 Cup class title in 2016 and 2017. During the latter year, Kaiser also contested the Touring Car Endurance Series in the TCR category, where he and full-time teammate Felix Wimmer finished the season fourth in the standings. The following year would see Kaiser switch to LMP3 prototypes, as he would race in the V de V Endurance Series. With two race victories the Liechtensteiner won the championship for Wimmer Werk Motorsport, beating two-time champion Jakub Śmiechowski amongst others. In 2019, Kaiser returned to the now rebranded Ultimate Cup Series with Wimmer Werk, where four wins from six races earned him the championship. Additionally, he made his first foray into the Michelin Le Mans Cup, competing at the Road to Le Mans event for Graff Racing alongside Sébastien Page.
LMP3 seasons & LMP2 debut Kaiser drove for Graff in two races of the Asian Le Mans Series at the beginning of 2020, scoring a podium in Thailand, before embarking on a campaign in the MLMC together with Rory Penttinen, driving a Ligier JS P320 in LMP3. With three podiums, which included a second place at Le Castellet, the pair finished third in the standings. They would lose out on a maiden race win at the season finale despite crossing the finish line first, being demoted to seventh for failing to serve a drive-through penalty.
During the 2021 winter, Kaiser made his debut in the LMP2 category, driving an Oreca 07 in the AsLMS for Phoenix Racing as the team's bronze-ranked driver. With three third-place finishes, Kaiser and Simon Trummer, his only full-time teammate, finished fourth overall in a field containing five cars. Kaiser's focus during the regular season shifted towards the European Le Mans Series, which he contested with Graff, once again partnering Penttinen in LMP3. After struggling during the first few races, Kaiser and Penttinen took points three times and finished on the podium at the final round in Portimão, which led them to ninth in the teams' standings – four places below the sister Graff car.
LMP2 full-time For 2022, Kaiser stepped up to contest the ELMS in the LMP2 category after being upgraded to a silver ranking by the FIA, driving together with Thomas Laurent and Ugo de Wilde at Mühlner Motorsport. With a season-best third place which came from a strategic gamble at Monza, the team finished 11th in the standings, having retired from the final two races, including due to a crash caused by Kaiser in Portugal.
The Liechtensteiner stepped into the FIA World Endurance Championship ahead of 2023, partnering Gabriel Aubry and fellow silver Ryan Cullen at Vector Sport. The team finished tenth in the standings due to a number of technical issues, but scored their best finish at the 24 Hours of Le Mans with seventh place in the LMP2 class. After the category was removed from the WEC, Kaiser moved back to the ELMS in 2024, partnering Alex Lynn and Olli Caldwell at Algarve Pro Racing. The trio scored two podiums, second at Barcelona and Mugello, and finished fifth in the standings.
Kaiser remained at Algarve Pro for the 2025 ELMS season, being joined by Théo Pourchaire and Lorenzo Fluxá. Sixth at Barcelona was followed by 14th in Le Castellet, a race which Kaiser had led early on owing to the correct tyre strategy. In Imola meanwhile, Pourchaire qualified on pole and led the team to a third place at the flag, with Algarve Pro benefiting from a late penalty to the Iron Lynx car. The team missed out on another podium at Spa, as they received a three-minute stop-and-go penalty for entering a closed pit lane during a FCY period. Kaiser and his teammates took fifth at Silverstone and retired from the Portimão finale, thus ending up seventh in the teams' standings.
Racing record
Racing career summary SeasonSeriesTeamRacesWinsPolesF/LapsPodiumsPointsPosition2014Porsche Super Sports Cup - 5c???????2015Porsche Super Sports Cup - 911 GT3 CupTeam FMT??????2ndPorsche Sports Cup Endurance12213.52nd2016Porsche Super Sports Cup - 911 GT3 CupTeam FMT??????1st2017Porsche Super Sports Cup - 911 GT3 CupTeam FMT2412??22235.41stTouring Car Endurance Series - TCRWimmer Werk Motorsport40001244th2018V de V Endurance Series - LMP3Wimmer Werk Motorsport720042011stVLN Endurance200000NC†2019Ultimate Cup Series - Challenge Proto - LMP3Wimmer Werk Motorsport645051921stLe Mans Cup - LMP3Graff200000NC†24 Hours of Nürburgring - V5QTQ-Raceperformance Florian Quante10000N/A4thVLN Series - V4Team AVIA Sorg Rennsport300008.5471stVLN Series - V5N/A100000NC†2019–20Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3Graff Racing20001219th2020Le Mans Cup - LMP3Graff7000370.54th2021Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Phoenix Racing40003574thEuropean Le Mans Series - LMP3Graff Racing6000124.514th2022European Le Mans Series - LMP2Mühlner Motorsport600011915th 2023 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 Vector Sport700002916th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A7th 2024European Le Mans Series - LMP2Algarve Pro Racing60002505th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A8th 2025 European Le Mans Series - LMP2 Algarve Pro Racing60001407th 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP210000N/A8th2025–26Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2Algarve Pro Racing60002456th2026European Le Mans Series - LMP2Algarve Pro Racing5100254* 3rd* † As Kaiser was a guest driver, he was ineligible to score points. * Season still in progress.
Complete Ultimate Cup Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) YearEntrantClassChassisEngine1234567RankPoints 2019 Wimmer Werk Motorsport LMP3 Ligier JS P3 Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8ESTDIJSLRMUGVALMAGLEC 1st 192
Complete Le Mans Cup results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) YearEntrantClassChassisEngine1234567RankPoints 2019 Graff LMP3 Norma M30 Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8LECMNZLMS1LMS2CATSPAALG NC 0 2020 Graff LMP3 Ligier JS P320 Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8LEC1SPALEC2LMS1LMS2MNZALG 4th 70.5
Complete European Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; results in italics indicate fastest lap) YearEntrantClassChassisEngine123456RankPoints2021Graff RacingLMP3Ligier JS P320Nissan VK56DE 5.6L V8CATRBRLECMNZSPAALG14th24.52022Mühlner MotorsportLMP2Oreca 07Gibson GK428 V8LECIMOMNZCATSPAALG15th19 2024 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA MUG ALG 5th 50 2025 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA SIL ALG 7th 40 2026 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 CAT LEC IMO SPA SIL ALG 3rd* 54*
Complete FIA World Endurance Championship results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) Year Entrant Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 Rank Points 2023 Vector Sport LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEB PRT SPA LMS MNZ FUJ BHR 16th 29
Complete 24 Hours of Le Mans results
Year Team Co-Drivers Car Class Laps 2023 Vector Sport Gabriel Aubry Ryan Cullen Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 325 15th 7th 2024 Algarve Pro Racing Olli Caldwell Roman De Angelis Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 294 22nd 8th 2025 Algarve Pro Racing Lorenzo Fluxá Théo Pourchaire Oreca 07-Gibson LMP2 364 25th 8th
Complete Asian Le Mans Series results (key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap) + Year Team Class Car Engine 1 2 3 4 5 6 Pos. Points 2025–26 Algarve Pro Racing LMP2 Oreca 07 Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 SEP1 SEP2 DUB1 DUB2 ABU1 ABU2 6th 45
References
External links