In the shared double-header season finale weekend of the Blancpain GT Series Asia and China GT Championship at China’s 3.139km Zhejiang International Circuit, Audi customer teams and drivers took all four GT3 wins.
In Blancpain GT Series Asia, an heroic performance by Mitch Gilbert and Aditya Patel saw the Absolute Racing-serviced OD Racing Team drivers close to within a single point of winning the inaugural series title, the duo becoming the first double-winners of the season in Rounds 11 and 12. Marchy Lee and Shaun Thong clinched the Blancpain GT Series Asia Silver Cup in the rain-soaked season finale. The class win offset, somewhat, the Phoenix Racing Asia-serviced Audi Hong Kong pair’s disappointment at missing out on the overall GT3 title after coming into the weekend as series leaders and ultimately finishing third overall.
The race to become the first Blancpain GT Series Asia champion was closely fought all season, with Gilbert and Patel finishing second (160 points) just two points ahead of Lee and Thong, who were third (158 points). In the Pro/Am championship, Alex Yoong and Alex Au of Team Audi R8 LMS Cup finished second overall on 147 points, just one point ahead of third-placed Jeffrey Lee of J-Fly by Absolute Racing, who finished on 146.
Xu Jia secured the China GT Championship title with a Round 11 win and third place in Round 12 alongside teammate Dries Vanthoor, with their team, Kings Racing, also winning the Team championship.
Xu Jia’s weekend points haul sees him finish on 189 points, 14 clear of his nearest challengers. Wang Liang was fourth overall on 162 points with Martin Rump fifth on 160 after the Kings Racing pair finished fourth in Round 11 and won Round 12.
“Congratulations to all of our Audi drivers and teams in both the Blancpain GT Series Asia and the China GT Championship,” said Martin Kuehl, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “This season we have seen more Audis competing across the region than ever before.”
