Audi Wins GT Asia Round 8 in Suzuka

The Audi claimed a perfect weekend in a not so perfect weather at the Suzuka Circuit after claiming a second win in the GT Asia Series Round 8 today. Driving the Audi R8 LMS GT3, Hiroshi Hamaguchi also set the fastest lap of the day with 2:25.714 on a wet track. In the season’s first wet race, Hamaguchi once again used his knowledge of the circuit to his advantage, finishing the race with a comfortable 55.891 second gap.
Meanwhile, Hong Kong driver Eddie Yau claimed yet another podium finish with a second place in his Porsche 997 GT3 R ahead of the Ferrari F458 GT3 of Mok Weng Sun.  Yau now leads the Championship, heading into the last three rounds with a three point lead from Mok. Yau did not keep that position for too long, Mok found a way past him on the same lap. But at the next lap Mok was caught into a spin while avoiding a backmarker, losing his position again to Yau and dropping down the order. Mok then had to fight all the way back up the ranks and by the end of the race, managed to get back up to finish on the podium.  
Fourth placed finisher, Frank Yu and his Ford GT GT3, had to battle the whole weekend with gearbox problems. He held on and managed to work his way around the problem and even had a few laps battle with Yau midway through the race. Yu currently lies fifth on the leaderboard, behind Dilantha Malagamuwa and Tunku Hammam respectively.  Malagamuwa finished the race in sixth after a first lap incident that saw his and David Lai’s Lamborghini LP560’s tangle and go off into the gravel. Both rejoined the race but Lai’s rear wing was badly damaged and had to be called in to the pit, where his race ended.
Hisamori Hayashi claimed the win for the GTM class when he crossed the chequered flag fifth in his Porsche 997 Cup 3.8. The Direction Racing was flanked on the podium by Wayne Shen who finished the race seventh overall in the Ferrari F430 GT  and Kenji Kobayashi in the Porsche 997 Cup 3.8, who finished the race eighth overall.
The GT4 Asia was won by Ryan Marsden, who for the first time claimed a pole to flag win, and ahead of his more experienced Concord Absolute Racing teammates. Marsden was elated with the results citing it was to make up for how his race ended the day before. Driver partners, Simon Waters and Mark Williamson claimed second for GT4 Asia, finishing the race ahead of yesterday’s race winner, Nigel Farmer. Farmer, who drove the Ginetta G50 cited that the Aston Martin Vantage N24 had the advantage of traction control and ABS suitable for the wet weather racing. Meanwhile, in the CS Class, Naoki Furuya took home the winning trophy for HTR & Beec Racing ahead of Privateer, Jacky Yeung and Direction Racing’s Takeomi Mima. The GT Asia Series will head to the Autopolis International Circuit for the penultimate weekend in the 2011 Season this 30th September to 2nd October.