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In Round One of the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Martin Ragginger took victory at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit as part of Formula 1 support race yesterday.

Martin Ragginger of Team Eagle, led from pole to chequered flag over the 10 lap race, but was never given the chance to pull clear of his closest rival, crossing the line just over three tenths of a second ahead of Imperatori. Series newcomer, 22-year-old Earl Bamber of Nexus Racing surprised us for taking the final podium place in this race.

Fourth across the line was LKM Racing Team’s Keita Sawa of Japan, ahead of Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila.  Budweiser Kamlung Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin crossed the line in 6th, but was later excluded for a technical infringement.

In Class B, it was category pole sitter Egidio Perfetti who took the win in his Mentos Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, finishing 7th overall amongst an intensely competitive field.  Second was OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia ahead of newcomer, Alif Hamdan.  Hamdan was the top finishing of the three Malaysian drivers, Nexus Racing team mate Adrian Henry D’Silva going out early on in the race with a broken radiator, and Sime Darby Auto Performance guest driver, Fairuz Fauzy, succumbing to pressure from a hard-charging Avila.  Fauzy rejoined the race, but was unable to climb back through the field before the flag as we expected.

As the lights went out and the season got underway as part of the 2013 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX Ragginger bolted off the grid, holding the lead into Turn 1.  Behind him, Imperatori dived past Bamber and up to second, while Avila passed Tung on the outside. Tung went off at Turn 5 after a tangle with Team Yongda Dongfang’s Benjamin Rouget, before regaining his position.

Francis Tjia diced with Hamdan for Class B runner-up position, the pair putting on thrilling battle for the crowds.  Tjia won the day this time, claiming second, but the stage is set for a thrilling season in the category.

But it was the fight for victory which had the crowds on their feet, with Imperatori piling on the pressure in a desperate bid to claim the psychologically-significant opening win.  Ragginger held firm, despite the lock-up on the penultimate lap giving a clue as to the intensity of the fight.

After the dramatic race in Malaysia, where the entire 25-strong field put on a display of GT racing at its finest, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will be back in action next month @ 2013 FORMULA 1 UBS CHINESE GRAND PRIX in Shanghai from 12-14 April 2013.

2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

Round 1 Results

*Non-series registered 

Fastest Lap: Alexandre Imperatori/PICC Team StarChase/2:12.046/Lap 4

Points After Round 1

Overall

Class B

Martin Ragginger took the pole position for the opening round of the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia during yesterday qualifying session in Sepang International Circuit. At the close of the session, the top four drivers were separated by less than a single second.

The Austrian, embarking on his second season with the region’s premier sportscar championship, topped the timing sheets for most of the session, temporarily nudged off the top spot only by reigning champion Alexandre Imperatori of PICC Team StarChase. Imperatori took provisional pole mid-way through the 30-minute session, waiting in the wings before putting taking to the track and snatching provisional pole. Ragginger replied with a scorching lap of 2:10.022 on the 5.54km Sepang International Circuit to retake the lead.

Nexus Racing newcomer, 22-year-old Earl Bamber of New Zealand, made a thunderous entry to the series, putting his Porsche 911 GT3 Cup alongside Ragginger’s for the start of the 10-lap race with an impressive last-minute charge.

Imperatori will line up on the second row of the grid alongside LKM Racing Team’s Keita Sawa of Japan, ahead of Sime Darby Auto Performance guest driver Fairuz Fauzy of Malaysia, and Budweiser Kamlung Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin of China.

Class B pole position was won by Mentos Racing’s Egidio Perfetti, back with the series for a second season, 12th quickest overall in the session. Second fastest in the category for non-professionals was series newcomer, Nexus Racing’s Alif Hamdan of Malaysia, 22, with OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia third quickest in the session.

For Ragginger, who took the first championship point of the season with his pole position, it was a perfect start to his title campaign:  “It’s my first points for the season. It’s my goal to collect as many points as possible and win the championship, and pole position for sure is a big help. At the last corner it was a bit wet, so my first run was not good enough – I knew that. I knew I needed a good lap with my second set of tyres, and all in all, the car was good. It’s nice to have Earl (Bamber), another quick driver makes the top (of the grid) more interesting.”

Newcomer Bamber was unable to disguise his delight at his debut, and was full of praise for Nexus Racing where he is partnered with Malaysian drivers Hamdan and Adrian Henry D’Silva: “I’m very surprised, but really stoked with the car and the setup. I’m a bit rusty myself, but the team made a huge effort. I’d only had about two days’ experience in the car, so I was just getting more and more comfortable with the car. It would be fantastic to be in the top three (in the race), but the plan is to build up for Shanghai and Zhuhai. We’re not planning to set the world on fire so early. This is a real quality field and you just couldn’t pick the order of the top five or 10.”

Class B pole man Perfetti was pleased with his run:  “Not so bad!  It was the same as in practice. The car is sliding a bit, and so I don’t think I was quite as happy as I was with the test.” 

The 25-car field roared onto the track at the start of the session shot with slicks on a track drying after a downpour. Ragginger shot to the top of the times, with Tung second quickest out on track ahead of Benjamin Rouget of Team Yongda Dongfang who missed out on Friday’s practice session with a broken radiator. Basetex Racing’s Zhang Da Sheng of China and newcomer Jason Zhang Zhiqiang of China both put in strong performances, before dropping down the order later in the session as both Tung and Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila found the pace.

2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

Round 1 Qualifying

*Non-series registered

The new season of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2013 will be kicking off this weekend as part of the 2013 F1 Petronas Malaysian GP in Sepang International Circuit.

The 25-strong field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will take to the track for the first of the 11 races which make up the 2013 calendar, which will see the intriguing entry of successful professionals and fascinating young talent compete across the region for two championship titles, including eight drivers from eight Porsche China dealer teams: Team Jebsen, PICC Team StarChase, Team Betterlife, Team Kangshun, Team C&D, Team Eagle, Team Yongda Dongfang and Basetex racing.

Fresh from his first appearance in the 12 Hours of Sebring at the weekend, where a strong performance saw the team lead the GTC class before mechanical glitches struck, reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion Alexandre Imperatori will be back at the wheel of his PICC Team StarChase entry.  He will get his title defense underway against one of the strongest fields in the series’ history, which includes last year’s runner-up and 2011 champion Keita Sawa of Japan in the LKM Racing Team car, Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila of Macau, and Austrian talent Martin Ragginger of Team Eagle.

Another former Formula 1 test and reserve driver, Tung Ho-Pin of China, made a strong entrance to sportscar racing with the series last year. Tung will compete with Kamlung Racing this season, and retains his backing from Budweiser in 2013. Other hot favorites include Frenchman Benjamin Rouget with Team Yongda Dongfang, Zhang Da Sheng of Team Basetex, and Team Betterlife ace Wang Jian Wei. From Singapore comes one of Asian racing’s best known names, Ringo Chong, with Team Kangshun.

New racers for the season include New Zealand’s Earl Bamber with Nexus Racing, quick in testing at Sepang earlier this month and who, at just 22 years-of-age, comes with an impressive single seater career.  Also amongst the professionals making their first appearances are Tung’s team mate, Peter Li Zhi Cong, together with Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang entered by Team C&D.

The 2013 entry is almost evenly matched between the professionals and the Class B category for non-professional drivers, with last year’s champion Wayne Shen moving up to compete for the overall title for the first time per series regulations.

A hot favorite in Class B this year is Francis Tjia of OpenRoad Racing, second in the standings last season, but he can expect a fierce challenge from Switzerland’s Egidio Perfetti in the Mentos Racing entry. Class B debutante Malaysia’s Alif Hamdan, also 22, is the second of three Nexus Racing entries, with fellow countryman and team mate Adrian Henry D’Silva and guest driver Fauzy giving the local crowds a trio of drivers to cheer.

The 10-lap Round 1 of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2013 will be held on this Sunday with qualifying session today in Sepang.

2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 

Provisional Entry List

*Non-series registered

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2013

Provisional Race Calendar 

* subject to confirmation of commercial agreement.

Edoardo Mortara, the Audi DTM ace took his 4^th straight victory at the 59^th Macau Grand Prix, defending his Macau GT Cup crown with a masterful manoeuvre to stand atop the podium. Known as ‘Mr Macau’ for his successful dominance of the 6.2km Guia street circuit, Mortara competed with team Audi R8 LMS Cup in an Audi R8 LMS ultra, along with newly crowned Audi R8 LMS Cup Amateur Cup champion Jeffrey Lee.

Edoardo Mortara has twice won the Formula 3 Macau GP and also the current lap record holder. In the first of two qualifying sessions, Mortara found himself caught in traffic and could not do better than second in Friday’s session. A day later, however, Mortara found a completely clear lap, recording the fastest time of the two sessions with a 2:20.617.

Starting from pole position, Mortara dropped a place as the cars thundered off the grid. While Lucas di Grassi in a Ferrari 458 GT3 would later be penalized for jumping the start, at the time Mortara was solely focused on finding a way past his rival. The opportunity came on Lap 4, with Mortara getting by at the notorious Lisboa Bend to grab the lead.

Mortara held the lead as he stormed relentlessly towards the flag, even after the restart which followed a Safety Car period, ultimately winning his second straight Macau GT Cup, ahead of Alexandre Imperatori in a Porsche 911 GT3 R and Danny Watts in the McLaren MP4-12C GT3.

Meanwhile Lee continued to fly the flag for Audi in the regional GT Asia Series, for which the Macau GT Cup served as its final round. Lee put in a strong performance in the second qualifying session to find himself lining up on the fifth row of the grid. While Lee did not finish as high as he had hoped, the Chinese Taipei driver finished fourth overall in the GT Asia Series points standings, while the team finished fifth.

Rene Koneberg, the Director of Audi Sport customer racing in China commented, “We are thrilled to celebrate Edoardo’s second win with Audi in the Macau GT Cup at the Macau Grand Prix and bring the curtain down on a fantastic season of Audi customer racing China. I would also like to congratulate Jeffrey on a strong Audi season this year, first with his Amateur Cup title in the Audi R8 LMS Cup and a strong result in this year’s GT Asia Series.”

The two entries in the Macau GT Cup are part of the expanding reach of the Audi China motorsport programme. Rounding out the Audi R8 LMS ultra trio was Hong Kong’s Philip Ma with Team Hong Kong Racing, who finished 13th in the race.

Photo Gallery: Audi 2012 Macau GT Cup

Asia Racing Team will run a trio of Porsche 911s in the 2012 Macau GT Cup at the 59th Macau Grand Prix. Chinese driver and 2012 AAMC Trophy winner Li Zhi Cong will remain at the team for the GT Asia Series grand season finale, with Hong Kong’s Keith Chan and 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia vice champion Rodolfo Avila joining him.

3 years after his first appearances in the streets of Macau with a single seater, Li Zhi Cong returns to Circuito da Guia but now driving a Porsche 911 GT3 R. Li Zhi Cong now lies second on the championship leaderboard heading into November’s season finale held as part of the Macau GT Cup. Keith Chan will take the seat of Sasha Chu, who raced in GT Asia Series events at Fuji and Autopolis, in his Porsche 911 GT3 R. The Hong Kong Gentleman Driver never raced a 911 GT3-R but he tested the car during the winter at Zhuhai.

The third driver is the well-known Rodolfo Avila from Macau. Supported by StarWorld Hotel the local hero will be driving a Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the same model he has been driving in the past three seasons in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.