Kamlung Racing’s Chris van der Drift extended his lead in the 2015 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title chase by taking his sixth consecutive win in Round 8 of the 14-race season. Taking the second podium of his debut Porsche racing season was PICC Team StarChase driver Nico Menzel, with a wheel-perfect performance from second on the grid and setting the fastest lap of the race in the process. Third across the line at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit was Budweiser Absolute Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin of China.
In Class B, it was newcomer Evan Chen who took his second victory on his series debut. He, and second-place local hero Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak of est Racing Team, had the crowds on their feet with a riveting cat-and-mouse battle for the Class B lead. Third in the category, after brilliantly getting by title rival Yuey Tan of Team Jebsen, was OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia.
The weekend saw significant changes to the overall championship leaderboard. van der Drift now has 15 point lead from Clearwater Racing’s Craig Baird in second. Menzel climbs to third in the standings ahead of Tung, who moves up to fourth, two points clear of Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger who was suspended from Round 8 following a racing incident in Round 7. In Class B, Francis Tjia has closed the gap to rival Team Jebsen’s Tan to just three points, while Modena Motorsports’ Wayne Shen retains the third spot.
While van der Drift’s victory looked effortless, it was meticulously planned as the New Zealander was mindful of the two Safety Car periods in Round 7: “My start was OK but Nico’s was better and I had to make sure I had him covered. It was matter of finding where the grip was after the heavy rains overnight, finding the speed, and then not making any mistakes.”
A delighted Menzel, at 17 the youngest driver in the field, a second podium in as many races was the perfect end to a strong weekend: “Qualifying was good, and that was key this weekend. The first few laps of this race I had to fight with Ho-Pin, but the car was very good. For our championship campaign, this has been an amazing weekend, but we need to take it race-by-race.”
Tung, who was racing in his new Budweiser Brewmaster Reserve livery, was pleased to have the chance to show off his new colours: “It’s great to be on the podium! To begin with I was able to attack Nico on a few occasions, but in the second half of the race I struggled a bit so couldn’t keep up. We’ve been in the top three in terms of pace all year, so we’ll definitely be back here on the podium again.”
The undisputed stars of the show, Chen and Vutthikorn, clearly enjoyed their battle. Said Chen: “It has been a special weekend. Yesterday, we only had four or five laps of racing, but today it was full throttle for 13 laps! It was really intense. I think Vutthikorn could overtake me any time he wants to, but he is also very good at defending.”
Vutthikorn, who has had a season of mixed fortunes so far was delighted with his pair of podium finishes on his home track: “I’m very happy. This is the first time this season I have finished the race on a Sunday. I have to say a big thank you to my sponsor for not giving up on me!”
As the lights went out, van der Drift was away, once again with Menzel in hot pursuit. However, the German was forced to defend from a hard-charging Tung. That allowed van der Drift to begin to pull away at the front.
Meanwhile, behind Tung, Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila and Clearwater Racing’s Craig Baird were embroiled in a fight for position. The pair came together with Avila’s car damaged in the impact, forcing his retirement. While Baird continued, he quickly came under fire from Team Yonda’s Ro Charlz Skyangel.
With Menzel fending off Tung, and Baird keeping Skyangel at bay, behind them Vutthikorn and Chen had the crowds on their feet, switching positions in a thrilling high speed chase for the Class B victory.
As the field charged towards the finish line, there was disappointment for China’s Bao Jin Long of Zhen Tong Auto. Running in eighth, just metres from the chequered flag, Bao spun, and Francis Tjia flew past to claim the position.
Having made a spectacular return to Thailand, with two action-paced races at the new Buriram track, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia embarks upon the second half of the 2015 season next month. Asia’s premier sportscar championship returns to Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit for Rounds 9 and 10 from September 4-6. There, Malaysian Alif Hamdan will be back in action and the talented young Malaysian is guaranteed to give his home supporters plenty to cheer about.
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2015
Round 8 Results
| Pos | No | Driver/Nationality | Class | Entrant/Nationality | Time |
| 1 | 68 | Chris VAN DER DRIFT (NZL) | Kamlung Racing (CHN) | 21:37.900 | |
| 2 | 99 | Nico MENZEL (GER) | PICC Team StarChase (CHN) | +2.569 | |
| 3 | 58 | TUNG Ho-Pin (CHN) | Budweiser Team Absolute Racing (HKG) | +4.824 | |
| 4 | 12 | Craig BAIRD (NZL) | Clearwater Racing (SIN) | +6.108 | |
| 5 | 8 | Ro Charlz SKYANGEL (SIN) | Team Yonda (CHN) | +7.043 | |
| 6 | 2 | *Evan CHEN (TPE) | B | Evan Chen (TPE) | +25.507 |
| 7 | 18 | Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK (THA) | B | est Racing Team (THA) | +26.541 |
| 8 | 21 | Francis TJIA (HKG) | B | OpenRoad Racing (HKG) | +29.483 |
| 9 | 55 | BAO Jin Long (CHN) | Zheng Tong Auto (CHN) | +30.212 | |
| 10 | 5 | Yuey TAN (SIN) | B | Team Jebsen (HKG) | +30.608 |
| 11 | 9 | LI Chao (CHN) | B | Team Betterlife (CHN) | +32.940 |
| 12 | 51 | Johnson HUANG (TPE) | B | Team BC Racing (TPE) | +36.385 |
| 13 | 16 | Wayne SHEN (HKG) | B | Modena Motorsports (HKG) | +36.702 |
| 14 | 78 | Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN (THA) | B | True Visions Motorsports Thailand (THA) | +47.437 |
| 15 | 3 | Michael S. (INA) | B | OpenRoad Racing (HKG) | +53.938 |
| 16 | 98 | *Max CHEN (TPE) | B | Max Chen (TPE) | +58.520 |
| 17 | 65 | ZHU Jun Han (CHN) | B | Absolute Racing (HKG) | +58.978 |
| 18 | 22 | SIU Yuk Lung (HKG) | B | LKM Racing (HKG) | +1:19.490 |
| 19 | 80 | Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA) | B | Racing Spirit Thailand (THA) | +1:36.073 |
| DNF | 17 | FUNG Yui Sum (HKG) | B | Arrows Racing (MAS) | – |
| DNF | 60 | Marcel TJIA (SIN) | B | OpenRoad Racing (HKG) | – |
| DNF | 28 | John SHEN (HKG) | B | Modena Motorsports (HKG) | – |
| DNF | 23 | Paul TRESIDDER (AUS) | B | Paul Tresidder (AUS) | – |
| DNF | 11 | *Mikko Patteri NASSI (MAL) | B | Team Kangshun (CHN) | – |
| DNF | 88 | *Daniel BILSKI (AUS) | B | Spark Motorsports (HKG) | – |
| DNF | 20 | Rodolfo AVILA (MAC) | Team Jebsen (HKG) | – | |
| DNS | 72 | Alif HAMDAN (MAS) | Alif Hamdan Motorsport (MAS) | – | |
| DNS | 86 | Martin RAGGINGER (AUT) | Team Porsche Holding (CHN) | – |
*Non series registered
Fastest Lap: Nico Menzel/PICC Team StarChase/1:39.130/Lap 3
Overall Points after Round 8 (top 5)
| Pos | Comp No | Driver | Entrant | Points |
| 1 | 68 | Chris van der Drift | Kamlung Racing | 140 |
| 2 | 12 | Craig Baird | Clearwater Racing | 125 |
| 3 | 99 | Nico Menzel | PICC Team StarChase | 96 |
| 4 | 58 | Tung Ho-Pin | Budweiser Team Absolute Racing | 85 |
| 5 | 86 | Martin Ragginger | Team Porsche Holding | 83 |
Class B Points after Round 8 (top 5)
| Pos | Comp No | Driver | Entrant | Points |
| 1 | 5 | Yuey Tan | Team Jebsen | 117 |
| 2 | 21 | Francis Tjia | OpenRoad Racing | 114 |
| 3 | 16 | Wayne Shen | Modena Motorsports | 100 |
| 4 | 18 | Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak | Est Racing Team | 85 |
| 5 | 51 | Johnson Huang | Team BC Racing | 78 |
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2015
Series Partners
Supporting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia are two of the most recognised names in international motorsport, Mobil1 and Michelin. Mobil and Porsche have been partners since 1996. Close co-operation in research and development has led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil1 high-performance lubricant. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the advantage of racing on cutting-edge tyres supplied by series partner Michelin. The consistent performance and leading technology of Michelin tyres constantly improve the performance of many teams in international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between Porsche AG and the Michelin group. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is organised and promoted by Malaysian based Motorsport Asia Ltd.
Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991)
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the motorsport version of the new 911 GT3 (Type 991). The near-standard race car, based on the seventh generation of the 911, made its debut in Asia in 2014, having previously run exclusively in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is powered by a 3.8-litre, six cylinder boxer engine which, due to the weight optimized modular race exhaust system, generates 460hp (338 KW) at 7,500 revs per minute, ten horsepower more than its predecessor. Power is delivered to the rear axle via a race clutch and a Porsche Motorsport designed six-speed dog-type gearbox with a mechanical limited slip differential. For the first time in a Porsche makes cup race car, gear shifting is activated with paddle shifts on the steering wheel. The single piece race wheels with centre mount were also newly designed by Porsche Motorsport. The width of the Michelin race slicks was increased by two centimetres to 27 centimetres at the front and by ten millimetres at the rear axle to now measure 31 centimetres.
Compared to its predecessor, the wheelbase has grown by 100 millimetres, improving handling at the limit, while Porsche Motorsport newly designed the forged single-piece 18 inch race rims with central locking. The new racing brake system improves the endurance qualities of the 911 GT3 Cup, and the internally vented and slotted steel brake discs are operated by aluminium six-piston racing calipers in the front, and four-piston units at the rear.
Safety features have also been further enhanced, and drivers are protected by a newly calculated safety cage and newly designed race seat, while a rescue hatch in the roof enables easy access and extrication.
Like the road going version, the body of the new 911 GT3 Cup combines maximum rigidity with low weight thanks to its aluminium-steel construction, and weighs in at just 1,175 kilograms.
