Singha Plan-B by Absolute Racing’s Bhurit Bhirombhakdi swept to victory in a shower of spray on a rain-soaked round four of the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup at the Zhuhai International Circuit.
In the second drama-filled race of the weekend, reigning champion Andrew Haryanto of Absolute Racing crossed the line second after a charge from the very back of the grid, pushing his Thai rival every inch of the way in a white-knuckle, last-lap battle to the line.
Ensport Motors by Absolute Racing’s Vincent Floirendo, meanwhile, continued his remarkable Cup return with a second consecutive overall podium finish, lifting his second Challenger Trophy in the process.
In the GT4 Cup, the developing rivalry between Cup newcomers Li Lin of LEO, winner in round three, and Grid Motorsport’s Tommy Chan saw the latter take his first victory in round four.
“Today was another dramatic Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup race under extremely difficult track conditions,” said Martin Kuehl, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “We have now had four different winners in the first four races of the season, which demonstrates the competitiveness of this field.”
Championship leader and winner of round three, Yasser Shahin of The Bend Motorsport Park, endured a challenging race in which both visibility and grip were at a premium. Despite carrying the maximum 50kg success ballast, however, the Australian powered to a creditable fourth place, collecting 12 valuable championship points to strengthen his position at the top of the leaderboard on 70 points.
Daniel Bilski’s fifth place finish elevates the B-Quik Racing Team driver to second in the standings on 48 points, and although Tony Bates endured a frustrating outing in round four, he sits just four points behind in third (44 points) as the Cup leaves Zhuhai.
Bhirombhakdi’s victory in round four puts him level in fourth with Adelaide race winner Geoff Emery on 41 points.
In the GT4 Cup, Li is now on level pegging with Mark Williamson on 45 points at the top of the championship, while Chan and Anderson Tanoto are tied just two points behind (43 points). Floirendo leads the Challenger Trophy from Ma and Lin.
In the race to secure a coveted seat in the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup team at next year’s prestigious Suzuka 10 Hours, the combined results from the first two of four China rounds of the Cup see Bhirombhakdi and Shahin tied on 37 points, with Floirendo on 30 and Bilski on 28.
The seat will be decided at June’s Shanghai double-header, the Road to Suzuka prize adding an extra level of intrigue to the intensity of the competition.
