porsche carrera cup asia 2015 rounds 13&14 post race report

The 13th season of the region’s premier sportscar championship is heading for a season finale of truly epic proportions as the 28-strong Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field heads home to Shanghai for Rounds 13 and 14 from October 30 to 31. Closing the season in fitting style as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Shanghai, both the overall and Class B championship titles have once again gone right down to the wire.

Two drivers remain in contention for overall honours, both countrymen of the series’ most famous graduate, 2015 Le Mans 24 Hours winner Earl Bamber: Kamlung Racing’s Chris van der Drift; and fellow Kiwi, Craig Baird of Clearwater Racing.

In what has been a spectacular Porsche racing debut season, 29-year-old van der Drift has so far notched up an astonishing seven outright victories and an additional two podium finishes. However, so close is the competition amongst the sterling international field, that his extraordinary performance has only given him a slim eight-point advantage from championship rival Baird.

Baird holds the world record for the most number of Porsche Cup victories, and has kept van der Drift within striking distance all season, amassing two victories plus six podium finishes. With a total of 41 points on offer in Shanghai, Baird will need to claim both wins and rely on

his fellow drivers to keep van der Drift down the order if he is to claim the crown.

Although now out of championship contention, the next six drivers on the overall leaderboard are more than up to the task, and will each be gunning for victory to add to their season-ending points tally; another rookie sensation this season, 17-year-old Nico Menzel has already given his PICC Team StarChase their maiden victory together as well as a further four podiums; China’s Tung Ho-Pin and his Budweiser Team Absolute Racing have taken two victories so far this year, the first of which was the opening round in Shanghai which bodes well for the weekend; Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger of Austria; Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila; Team Yonda’s Ro Charlz Skyangel; and Malaysian youngster Alif Hamdan.

While the battle for the coveted Porsche Carrera Cup Asia overall championship crown may be intriguing, it pales in comparison to the epic showdown on the cards for the Class B title where four drivers remain in contention.

After 12 races unrivalled in the series’ history in emotion and tension, Team Jebsen’s Yuey Tan of Singapore heads the charge into the final rounds. Despite not having taken an outright Class B victory so far this year, six podiums and a points finish after every race have given Tan an eight-point leadcontinued on page 2

Preview :

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2015Race Report: Rounds 13&14Shanghai International Circuit, ChinaOctober 30 - November 1, 2015

In This Issue:

Rounds 13&14 Preview P1Qualifying P2Qualifying Results P3Rounds 13&14 P5Round 13 Results P7Round 14 Results P82015 Championship P9Standings General and Media P10Enquiries

The Shanghai International Circuit

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia heads home for epic season finale

Class B leader Yuey Tan

Overall title contenders Chris van der Drift and Craig Baird

continued from page 1from OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia. Tan has twice been Class B runner-up and Tjia once, and neither driver is willing to concede an inch in their quest for the title.

Tied in third, however, are two drivers equally equipped to seize the championship win both just two points adrift of Tjia: Thailand’s Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak of est Cola Racing Team and 2012 Class B Champion, Wayne Shen

Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger set the fastest lap in the single qualifying session to set the grids for the final rounds of the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season at the Shanghai International Circuit. Overall championship leader Chris van der Drift of Kamlung Racing will line up alongside the Austrian for the start of the penultimate round of the season, with 17-year-old Nico Menzel of PICC Team StarChase and Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila taking the second row of the grid.

Menzel’s second fastest lap won him pole position for the final race of the year, with

van der Drift once again second on the grid. Crucially though, van der Drift’s title rival, Craig Baird, qualified in sixth for both races. The Clearwater Racing driver is just eight points behind van der Drift on the overall leaderboard, and will have to execute two wheel-perfect starts if he is to overhaul his opponent.

With no fewer than four drivers in contention to take the hotly-contested Class B title, it was points leader Yuey Tan of Team Jebsen who locked in pole position for both races. Second fastest in the session was est Cola Racing’s Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak, with title contender Francis Tjia of OpenRoad Racing, third quickest. Going in to the final rounds, Tjia is second on the Class B leaderboard, eight points adrift of Tan and two ahead of the Thai driver.

The times were close, with less than a second covering the top six, and three drivers

clocking laps under 2:08 seconds on the 5.4km Formula 1 track.

The pole-setting lap marked an emphatic return to the Porsche Carrera Cup for Ragginger, who missed the last two rounds due to driving duties elsewhere, and he was pleased to have nailed the lap early on in the session: “On my first set, it was nearly the perfect lap when the tyres came in on the second lap. On the second set, it seems everyone was a little bit slower. I couldn’t go faster on the second set but I wish I could have done as the second race is important. On the long straight here you get a lot of slipstream, so it’s going to be an exciting race. I hope it’s as exciting as when we were here at the start of the season, except this time with a different winner!”

For Tan, on the verge of realising a long-held dream of lifting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Class B title, qualifying well was crucial, but he is determined to remain focussed: “It’s great to get pole. We were pushing pretty hard out there. I’d like to know why nobody set faster laps on the second sets of tyres. Today wasn’t the fastest day ever, but not a lot is going to ruffle us this weekend.”

Racing together with their Porsche counterparts at the FIA Word Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Shanghai this weekend, the 27-strong Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field will be tested to the max as they contest continued on page 3

of Modena Motorsport. Vutthikorn made a welcome return to the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the start of the season after a seven-year hiatus and, despite enduring more than his fair share of misfortune, has powered on to take four wins and three podiums so far. Wayne Shen, meanwhile, has been consistent all season, clocking up the championship points to remain in contention for the title.

In what will be a blockbuster of a Porsche Carrera Cup Asia weekend, the region’s finest teams and drivers will be sharing the Shanghai International Circuit with their Porsche Motorsport counterparts as they contest the penultimate round of the FIA WEC. By winning

the fourth race in a row with the Porsche 919 Hybrid at the 6 Hours of Fuji earlier this month, the Porsche Team took an important step forward in the battle for the 2015 FIA World Endurance Championship, and now leads both the manufacturers’ and the drivers’ standings.

As the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia heads home to Shanghai to celebrate the conclusion of its 13th triumphant season at the pinnacle of regional motorsport, it is fitting indeed that the Porsche family comes together as it goes all out for victory in the world’s fastest-growing FIA world championship.

Qualifying:Ragginger and Menzel take pole apiece ahead of Shanghai showdown

Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger took pole poistion for Round 13.

Qualifying Results - Round 13

Pos No Name Class Entrant Time1 86 Martin RAGGINGER (AUT) Team Porsche Holding (CHN) 2:07.694

2 68 Chris VAN DER DRIFT (NZL) Kamlung Racing (MAS) +0.136

3 99 Nico MENZEL (GER) PICC Team StarChase (CHN) +0.280

4 20 Rodolfo AVILA (MAC) Team Jebsen (HKG) +0.562

5 58 TUNG Ho-Pin (CHN) Budweiser Team Absolute Racing (HKG)

+0.736

6 12 Craig BAIRD (NZL) Clearwater Racing (SIN) +0.769

7 72 Alif HAMDAN (MAS) Alif Hamdan Motorsport (MAS) +1.072

8 8 Ro Charlz SKYANGEL (SIN) Team Yonda (CHN) +1.484

9 5 Yuey TAN (SIN) B Team Jebsen (HKG) +2.192

10 18 Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK (THA)

B est Cola Racing Team (THA) +2.298

11 21 Francis TJIA (HKG) B OpenRoad Racing (HKG) +2.365

12 55 BAO Jin Long (CHN) Zheng Tong Auto (CHN) +2.548

13 16 Wayne SHEN (HKG) B Modena Motorsports (HKG) +3.119

14 11 Ringo CHONG (SIN) B Team Kangshun (CHN) +3.447

15 9 LI Chao (CHN) B Team Betterlife (CHN) +3.503

16 3 Michael S. (INA) B OpenRoad Racing (HKG) +4.089

17 69 Christian CHIA (CAN) B OpenRoad Racing (HKG) +4.349

18 78 Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN (THA)

B True Visions Motorsports Thailand (THA)

+5.155

19 51 Johnson HUANG (TPE) B Team BC Racing (TPE) +5.252

20 22 *SIU Tit Lung (HKG) B LKM Racing (HKG) +5.486

21 28 John SHEN (HKG) B Modena Motorsports (HKG) +5.902

22 65 ZHU Jun Han (CHN) B Absolute Racing (HKG) +6.765

23 23 Paul TRESIDDER (AUS) B Paul Tresidder (AUS) +7.118

24 88 Hugues RIPERT (HKG) B Spark Motorsports (HKG) +7.203

25 17 FUNG Yui Sum (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +7.280

26 2 *Kelvin KWAN (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +7.544

27 80 Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA) B Racing Spirit Thailand (THA) +8.158

*Non series registered

continued from page 2both final rounds of the season in a single day. While van der Drift and Tan may line up on the grid ahead of their championship rivals, everyone will be acutely aware that just about anything can happen in motorsport. In Asia’s premier sportscar championship, and with so much at stake, never has this been truer than in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season finale at the series’ home track of Shanghai.

Team Jebsen’s Yuey Tan was the quickest Class B driver in Rounds 13&14

Kamlung Racing driver Chris van der Drift was the second fastest in Rounds 13&14 Qualfiying

est Cola Racing Team’s Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak was the second fastest Class B driver in Rounds 13&14 Qualfiying

Qualifying Results - Round 14

Pos No Name Class Entrant Time1 99 Nico MENZEL (GER) PICC Team StarChase (CHN) 2:08.088


3 86 Martin RAGGINGER (AUT) Team Porsche Holding (CHN) +0.239



+0.479
















+4.837


20 22 *SIU Tit Lung (HKG) B LKM Racing (HKG) +5.206


22 23 Paul TRESIDDER (AUS) B Paul Tresidder (AUS) +6.782

23 88 Hugues RIPERT (HKG) B Spark Motorsports (HKG) +6.954

24 65 ZHU Jun Han (CHN) B Absolute Racing (HKG) +6.995

25 17 FUNG Yui Sum (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +7.673

26 2 *Kelvin KWAN (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +7.787

27 80 Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA) B Racing Spirit Thailand (THA) +8.140


Budweiser Team Absolute Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin.

Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila

PICC Team StarChase’s Nico Menzel took pole poistion for Round 14.

Zheng Tong Auto driver Bao Jin Long.

Arrows Racing’s Fung Yui Sum.

Tung Ho-Pin (centre) celebrates with Craig Baird (left), second, and Chris van der Drift (right), who finished third.

Rounds 13&14 :

van der Drift and Tan crowned 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champions

Kamlung Racing’s Chris van der Drift clinched the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia overall championship after the title chase went right down to the wire at the final race of the 14-round season. Team Jebsen’s Yuey Tan of Singapore lifted the Class B honours by a single point after a white-knuckle finale which almost saw the longed-for title slip through his fingers.

Second overall at the conclusion of what has been a momentous season for the region’s premier sportscar championship was Clearwater Racing’s Craig Baird, 14 points ahead of Nico Menzel, the 17-year-old PICC Team StarChase driver emerging as an exciting new talent in his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut season. Fourth in the standings is Budweiser Team Absolute’s Tung Ho-Pin after a strong end to his 2015

campaign, while Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger, who missed four races of the season, rounds out the top five.

Runner-up to Tan in the Class B championship is est Cola Racing Team’s Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak of Thailand after a four-way fight to the finish between Tan, Modena Motorsports’ Wayne Shen, third, and OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia, fourth. Team Betterlife’s Li Chao finished fifth on the leaderboard.

Thanking his Kamlung Racing team for what has been a fairytale debut for the 29-year-old New Zealander, newly-crowned champion van der Drift commented: “It all began here in Shanghai in April after I got a last-minute call-up. We finished on the podium after my first race in a 911, but then had a DNF. But we came back with a double win and pole position in Korea. It’s great racing with these drivers and the competition in the series is very strong. It keeps you sharp that’s for sure!”

For Tan, it was an emotional title win after a year in which he kept his head down and focused on the main prize, his impressive consistency proving crucial. Heading in to Round 14, which was interrupted by a brief Safety Car period,

Tan had a five-point advantage over Inthraphuvasak, but all the top four drivers remained in contention. Understandably, the pressure began to take its toll, nerves getting the better of him allowing all three of his rivals to get by. For two miserable laps for Tan, it looked as though the Class B title would go to Vutthikorn, until Francis Tjia was tripped up by tyre wear, spinning and dropping down the order. Said Tan: “I was thinking ‘I’m not winning this thing at the moment’, with a few colourful metaphors thrown in! Wayne came at me hard and strong after the Safety Car, but we kept it clean and it was a really good race. I was really lucky to have taken pole position and the extra point that went with it.”

Sharing the track with their Porsche Team counterparts in the FIA World Endurance Championship 6 Hours of Shanghai, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field took to the 5.45km circuit on Friday for a single qualifying session to set the grids for both races. Ragginger set the continued on page 6

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Round 13 start.

Nico Menzel (centre) celebrates with Martin Ragginger (left), second, and Tung Ho-Pin (right), who finished third in Round 14.

continued from page 5fastest overall lap, securing pole for Round 13, while Menzel’s second-fastest time saw him secure pole for the final race of the season. Tan was the quickest amongst the Class B field, earning what was to be a crucial additional point for pole.

As the lights went out for the start of Round 13, Ragginger got away well and didn’t look back, winning from van der Drift and Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila. Baird crossed the line in sixth behind Tung. Tan, meanwhile, was unable to capitalize on his Class B pole, his hard-charging rival Wayne Shen grabbing

the win and Francis Tjia nudging the Singaporean down to third.

That set the stage for what was a truly epic season finale, with van der Drift and Baird both in contention for the overall championship, and the four Class B rivals all intent on claiming the crown.

van der Drift stole the march on Menzel off the start, but the youngster fought back, reclaiming the lead and making full use of his new tyres. Menzel set about pulling a gap from the chasing pack, setting the fastest lap of the race. At the restart after the mid-race Safety Car period, he controlled the pace superbly to retain the lead and thunder to the flag more than two seconds ahead of Ragginger in second. Ragginger had got past van der Drift who, with his eye on the main prize, was taking no chances. Tung took the final podium after a superb drive.

The four Class B contenders were locked in a relentless battle, with first Vutthikorn getting by Tan, followed by Francis Tjia and then - crucially - Wayne Shen. As Tan fought desperately to gain some ground on Shen, suddenly Tjia spun, promoting the Team Jebsen driver back up to third and making him the new Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Class B champion.

After 14 hard-fought races across six countries, the Shanghai double-header contained all the ingredients that have made the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia the most admired and respected sportscar championship in the region: the highest standards of motorsport; fair, exciting and close racing; and the most iconic sports car ever built, the Porsche 911 GT3 (Type 991) Cup.

Martin Ragginger (Centre) with Chris van der Drift (left), second, and Rodolfo Avila (right), who finished third in Round 13.

Pos No Name Class Entrant Time1 86 Martin RAGGINGER (AUT) Team Porsche Holding (CHN) 26:00.224



4 99 Nico MENZEL (GER) PICC Team StarChase (CHN) +5.820


+10.207















+51.842

18 23 Paul TRESIDDER (AUS) B Paul Tresidder (AUS) +1:10.063

19 28 John SHEN (HKG) B Modena Motorsports (HKG) +1:20.314

20 51 Johnson HUANG (TPE) B Team BC Racing (TPE) +1:20.790

21 65 ZHU Jun Han (CHN) B Absolute Racing (HKG) +1:32.058

22 22 *SIU Tit Lung (HKG) B LKM Racing (HKG) +1:40.646

23 88 Hugues RIPERT (HKG) B Spark Motorsports (HKG) +1:40.793

24 80 Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA) B Racing Spirit Thailand (THA) +1:53.692

25 17 FUNG Yui Sum (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +2:00.512

26 2 *Kelvin KWAN (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +2:09.178

DNF 55 BAO Jin Long (CHN) Zheng Tong Auto (CHN) -


OpenRoad Racing driver Michael S.

Team Yonda’s Ro Charlz Skyangel

Results - Round 13

Round 13 Class B podium- Left to right: medal winner John Shen, Wayne Shen, Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak and Yuey Tan

Team Kangshun’s Ringo Chong

Spark Motorsports driver Hugues Ripert

Results - Round 14

Pos No Name Class Entrant Time1 99 Nico MENZEL (GER) PICC Team StarChase (CHN) 26:53.978

2 86 Martin RAGGINGER (AUT) Team Porsche Holding (CHN) +2.274


+4.776












14 78 Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN (THA) B True Visions Motorsports Thailand (THA)

+32.466






20 23 Paul TRESIDDER (AUS) B Paul Tresidder (AUS) +1:12.122

21 88 Hugues RIPERT (HKG) B Spark Motorsports (HKG) +1:13.048

22 80 Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA) B Racing Spirit Thailand (THA) +1:13.384

23 22 *SIU Tit Lung (HKG) B LKM Racing (HKG) +1:14.724

24 2 *Kelvin KWAN (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) +1:23.239

25 11 Ringo CHONG (SIN) B Team Kangshun (CHN) -

26 17 FUNG Yui Sum (HKG) B Arrows Racing (MAS) -

- 65 ZHU Jun Han (CHN) B Absolute Racing (HKG) - *Non series registered

Top down:

• Clearwater Racing’s Craig Baird finished fifth in Round 14• OpenRoad Racing’s Christian Chia• Team Betterlife driver Li Chao• True Visions Motorsports Thailand’s Suttiluck Buncharoen

Right:OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia quote of the weekend:

Overall Standings after Round 14

Pos Comp Driver Entrant Points1 68 Chris Van der DRIFT Kamlung Racing 234

2 12 Craig BAIRD Clearwater Racing 216

3 99 Nico MENZEL PICC Team StarChase 192

4 58 Ho-Pin TUNG Budweiser Team Absolute Racing 161

5 86 Martin RAGGINGER Team Porsche Holding 159

6 20 Rodolfo AVILA Team Jebsen 140

7 72 Alif HAMDAN Alif Hamdan Motorsport 101

8 8 Ro Charlz SKYANGEL Team Yonda 96

9 18 Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK

est Cola Racing Team 80

1021 Francis TJIA OpenRoad Racing 67

16 Wayne SHEN Modena Motorsports 67

5 Yuey TAN Team Jebsen 67

13 55 BAO Jinlong Zheng Tong Auto 65

14 9 LI Chao Team Betterlife 40

15 11 Roelof BRUINS Team Kangshun 32

1686 ZHANG Zhendong Team Porsche Holding 21

51 Johnson HUANG Team BC Racing 21

182 Evan CHEN Evan Chen 20

3 Michael S. OpenRoad Racing 20

2098 Maxwell TWIGG Max Twigg 19

11 Ringo CHONG Team Kangshun 19

22 88 Egidio PERFETTI Spark Motorsports 18

23 78 Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN True Visions Motorsports Thailand 8

24 2 Samson CHAN Prince Racing Hong Kong 7

2569 Christian CHIA Modena Motorsports 5

28 John SHEN OpenRoad Racing 5

27 11 Andersen P MARTONO Team Kangshun 4

2823 Paul TRESIDDER Paul Tresidder 3

60 Marcel TJIA OpenRoad Racing 3

3088 Hugues RIPERT Spark Motorsport 2

98 Henri RICHARD Silicon Tech Racing LLP 2

65 ZHU Junhan Absolute Racing 2

33 98 Max CHEN Max Chen 1

34

80 Sontaya KUNPLOME Racing Spirit Thailand 0

22 SIU Yuk Lung LKM Racing Motorsports 0

17 FUNG Yui Sum Arrows Racing 0

2 Kenneth LAU Prince Racing Hong Kong 0

69 Gary CHEUNG OpenRoad Racing 0

11 Mikko Petteri NASSI Team Kangshun 0

22 SIU Tit Lung LKM Racing 0

88 Daniel BILSKI Spark Motorsports 0

“It’s great racing with these drivers and the competition in the series is very strong. It keeps you sharp that’s for sure!”

- Chris van der Drift

Behind the Scenes at the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

We want to hear from you!

General Enquiries:Alexandre GibotMotorsport Manager, Porsche [email protected]: +86 21 – 6156 5830

Media Enquiries:Chester ZhangSupervisor Public Releations and Press Motorsport, Porsche [email protected]: +86 21 6156 5710

Class B Standings after Round 14

Pos Comp Driver Entrant Points1 5 Yuey TAN Team Jebsen 201

2 18 Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK

est Cola Racing Team 200

3 16 Wayne SHEN OpenRoad Racing 196

4 21 Francis TJIA OpenRoad Racing 186

5 9 LI Chao Team Betterlife 136

6 51 Johnson HUANG Team BC Racing 105

7 3 Michael S. OpenRoad Racing 96

8 78 Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN True Visions Motorsports Thailand

82

9 11 Ringo CHONG Team Kangshun 75

10 23 Paul TRESIDDER Paul Tresidder 68

11 28 John SHEN Modena Motorsports 67

1298 Maxwell TWIGG Max Twigg 52

65 ZHU Junhan Absolute Racing 52

14 69 Christian CHIA Team Kangshun 49

15 88 Egidio PERFETTI Spark Motorsports 41

16 2 Evan CHEN Evan Chen 40

17 2 Samson CHAN Prince Racing Hong Kong 38

18 22 SIU Yuk Lung LKM Racing 32

19 80 Sontaya KUNPLOME Racing Spirit Thailand 31

20 60 Marcel TJIA OpenRoad Racing 27

2111 Andersen P MARTONO Team Kangshun 21

88 Hugues RIPERT Spark Motorsports 21

2398 Henri RICHARD Silicon Tech Racing LLP 17

17 FUNG Yui Sum Arrows Racing 17

25 98 Max CHEN Max Chen 12

26 2 Kenneth LAU Prince Racing Hong Kong 4

27 69 Gary CHEUNG OpenRoad Racing 2

2811 Mikko Petteri NASSI Team Kangshun 0

22 SIU Tit Lung LKM Racing 0

88 Daniel BILSKI Spark Motorsports 0

(Clockwise from top right)• Team Jebsen’s Yuey Tan celebrates his victory• Li Chao of Team Betterlife prepares for the race• An interview with PICC Team StarChase driver Nico Menzel• In the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia paddock

porsche carrera cup asia 2015 rounds 13&14 post race report

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