Naoto Takeda and Takuya Shirasaka claimed an Am Cup second place in round six of Blancpain GT Series Asia at Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The podium is the KCMG pair’s sixth so far this season, continuing their run of success behind the wheel of an Audi R8 LMS GT3 and extending their classification lead. The Japanese privateers now stand on 118 points in the Am Cup, 46 points ahead of their closest challengers.
“Takeda-san and Shirasaka-san are dedicated privateer drivers and have worked hard all season with the team. Their results reflect this, and we are delighted to have such a strong lead in the Am Cup at the halfway point of the season,” said John O’Hara, Team Manager of KCMG.
In the overall GT3 championship, OD Racing Team WRT drivers Aditya Patel and Mitch Gilbert powered their way through the field from a starting position of 20th to finish an impressive seventh – the highest Audi R8 LMS finish in round six. Phoenix Racing Asia drivers Shaun Thong and Alex Yoong also caught the eye after moving through the pack from their starting position of 14th to be classified eighth.
At the mid-point of the 12-race season, round five winners Martin Rump and Cheng Congfu of Absolute Racing are third in the overall title chase, despite suffering heartbreak in round six. Martin Rump’s late-race charge finished in the gravel after contact with a competitor, who later received a penalty for the incident.
Rump and Cheng remain on 66 points in the overall GT3 championship, 28 points from the top spot.
It was a tough race too for Absolute Racing’s Pro/Am Audi R8 LMS entries. Anthony Liu and Josh Burdon crossed the line third in class, eighth overall, but were hit with a 30-second post-race penalty that dropped them to 17th, while Adderly Fong and Andrew Kim’s race ended in the gravel after an opening lap spin.
Liu and Burdon sit fourth in Pro/Am on 73 points, 25 points from the class lead.
The Audi customer teams and drivers will be back in action in just three weeks’ time at Fuji International Speedway as Blancpain GT Series Asia stays in the land of the rising sun for rounds seven and eight on July 21-22.
