Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific will have a strong presence in the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia campaign, with 11 cars racing this weekend at Sepang International Circuit, making up a third of the grid.

Ten of those entries are in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), with the marque hoping for a repeat of 2023’s performance, which saw Porsche representation on the podium in all but one of the 12 races.

Last year’s teams’ champions R&B Racing has undergone a re-brand ahead of the new season, now racing under the Origine Motorsport name. The Chinese squad returns to the championship after its exceptional debut campaign, with Lu Wei partnering Laurin Heinrich for three rounds, and Porsche driver Patrick Pilet joining the team for a second year, for the other half of the season. Heinrich will be in the #4 car for the opener at Sepang, competing in the Pro-Am class. Meanwhile, 2023 FIA GT World Cup Silver winner Leo Ye again teams up with Yuan Bo in the Silver-Am category with the entry also contesting the China Cup. The squad has already seen success at Sepang in 2024, winning the Sepang 12 Hours in March.

Narrowly missing out on the teams’ title at the end of last year, Absolute Racing again takes on the series with a pair of cars. 2023 series champion Anthony Liu arrives to team up with former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Alessio Picariello in the #1 car, while Eshan Pieris and Tanart Sathienthirakul tackle the Silver class in the #911 machine.

Phantom Global Racing have had an excellent start to life in motorsport, with superb performances in both the Bathurst 12 Hour and Sepang 12 Hours. Now, the Chinese team enters a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) into Asia’s premier GT racing championship. Sun Jing Zu and Joel Eriksson will be at the wheel of the #13 entry, while 2019 Pro-Am champion Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak and 2023 Porsche Junior Bastian Buus pilot the #93 car, both in the Pro-Am class.

The final two-car entry is series regulars Porsche Center Okazaki, who have teamed up with fellow Japanese squad NK Racing. The line-ups are unchanged from 2023, with reigning Japan Cup champions Yuta Kamimura and Hiroaki Nagai in the #18, while Tsubasa Kondo and Kiyoshi Uchiyama aim to learn from their debut season last year in the #25 car.

Brian Lee and Hideto Yasuoka return as a pairing for 2024, competing for GTO Racing Team in the #14 car. The duo were regular challengers for the points last season, and compete in the Silver-Am category.

Making their debut in the championship, South Korean team Vollgas Motorsport will tackle the full season in the #44 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). Racing in the Silver-Am class, Kim Jaehyun and Han Mingwan target a strong maiden campaign.

Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter will take on the season in the #51 Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2). The duo narrowly missed out on the Am title in 2023, and look to reclaim the title they won in both 2019 and 2022.

Following the event in Sepang, the series travels to Chang International Circuit in Thailand, ahead of three consecutive race weekends in Japan, at Fuji, Suzuka and Okayama. Finally, the series comes to an end in Shanghai on 13-15 September. New for this year, the Japan Cup will feature its own races, rather than being part of the main championship. The campaign starts at Sugo in a standalone event on 7-9 June, before competing on the same weekends as Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia for the final six races.

Meanwhile, the 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season will also be in action, as it gets its 21st campaign underway in Shanghai, on the support bill for the Chinese Grand Prix.

Finally, five Porsche 963 and two Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) tackle Imola in Italy, as the World Endurance Championship takes on Round 2 of the season. The marque will be looking for a repeat of the season opener in Qatar, where it took the top-three places in the Hypercar class, along with victory in the LMGT3 category’s debut.

Yuan Bo, Origine Motorsport: “I’m really looking forward to this season, our second year competing in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia. We’ve been working hard ahead of the campaign, I’ve been preparing physically and mentally and I feel ready to take on the championship. It’s an extremely competitive series, with some of the region’s best gentlemen drivers paired with Pros from Europe, so we’re expecting an intense competition. Leo and I are targeting a positive first weekend in Sepang as we aim to defend the Teams’ Championship.”

Leo Ye, Origine Motorsport: “Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia is a championship we are familiar with, and I’m excited to jump back into the fight. The standard of drivers and teams is very high, and it’s a great honour for me to compete again several world-class racers. It’s a great opportunity for us to challenge ourselves and grow as drivers. I hope we can all enjoy this season, make improvements throughout and entertain the fans with some exciting races.”

Lu Wei, Origine Motorsport: “I’m delighted to return to Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia with Origine Motorsport. Our experience last year in extremely valuable, we learned a lot and achieved some great results, so we’re even more excited to be back. We’re looking to improve on our results from last season, but the level of competition is incredibly fierce, so we will have to be on top of our game.”

Laurin Heinrich, Origine Motorsport: “Making my Asian racing debut together with Origine Motorsport is the perfect addition to my 2024 programme. Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia has proven to be a very strong series. Together with Lu Wei and Patrick Pilet, we have a great line-up in the #4 car to hunt for trophies and I hope to help the team build on their success from 2023.”

Patrick Pilet, Origine Motorsport: “I’m honoured to re-join the team for the 2024 season. We’ve got a fresh look, but the ambitions remain the same. Last year’s experience will be valuable as we take on the 2024 season, having secured race victories and the teams’ title. I hope to fully optimise our potential this year and assist Lu Wei in his title challenge.”

Anthony Liu, Absolute Racing: "It feels great to be returning to my motorsport ‘family’ at Absolute Racing. It's shaping up to be a fantastic year, and I'm highly motivated to drive the new Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992). I'll be aiming to defend my crown, and I’m sure with Alessio on board I will have a great chance of more success!”

Alessio Picariello, Absolute Racing: “I'm happy to be back in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia with Absolute Racing and to partner with the reigning champion, Anthony. The goal is clear for everyone, and I'm looking forward to helping him defend his crown and getting Absolute, Porsche, and myself our first one.”

Eshan Pieris, Absolute Racing: “The Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia will be a step up for me, but I am feeling motivated for it. With a strong team like Absolute Racing, I am sure the year is going to be an exciting one!”

Tanart Sathienthirakul, Absolute Racing: "I'm pleased to be back with Absolute Racing this season, competing alongside Eshan in the Silver Cup. The grid looks strong, but I am confident that with Porsche, we have the car to achieve positive results this year. I am super excited for the first round in Sepang."

Martin Young, Phantom Global Racing Team Manager: “This weekend will be the start of a new chapter for Phantom Global Racing. Everyone in the team has worked hard to get here, and we’re excited for the season to start. We’ve got two strong line ups, with Vutthi alongside young star Bastian in the #93, and then the experience of Joel with JZ in the #13 car. Aiming to start the season strong!”

Hiroaki Nagai, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We’re really happy to have a two-car entry this season. On our side, Yuta and I won the Japan Cup class last year, and now we are targeting more success in the overall championship.”

Yuta Kamimura, Porsche Center Okazaki: “It was an amazing feeling to win the Japan Cup title last season. However, our work doesn’t stop there and we’re looking for more this year, starting with this weekend in Sepang, where we hope to get the campaign off to a great start with a win.”

Kiyoshi Uchiyama, Porsche Center Okazaki: “I’m really happy to race with Porsche Center Okazaki this year. 2023 was a great learning experience and we’ll hope to pick up even more knowledge from the team. Excited to get on track and begin the championship.”

Tsubasa Kondo, Porsche Center Okazaki: “I’m delighted to be racing in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia again. We’ll be looking to improve on our performances from last season and we’re hoping to start the year with some strong points at Sepang.”

Brian Lee, GTO Racing Team: “It’s exciting to be back in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia. We will continue to work hard and aim to finish in the top-five of our class.”

Andrew Macpherson, AMAC Motorsport: “Returning for 2024, we’ve decided to upgrade our beloved 991.1 to a newer 991.2 Porsche 911 GT3 R. We’ve been out testing and we feel confident that we’ll be competitive in our fifth year racing in this championship. I’m looking forward to being back with Ben and we’re hoping to improve from last season’s runner-up finish in the Am class and be back on the top step. With the help of our team, plus the addition of engineer Erik Pender, we’re looking forward to getting started in Malaysia!”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “This weekend is a massive one for Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and we’re really excited for it. In Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia, to have 11 cars from eight teams is amazing. It’s important for Porsche to work closely with our customers on their programmes, and we will continue with support engineering and technical and parts support on site. This weekend is a massive one for Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and we’re really excited for it. In Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia, to have 11 cars from eight teams is amazing. It’s important for Porsche to work closely with our customers on their programmes, and we will continue with support engineering and technical and parts support on site. We’ve got a great mix of crews across all classes, and I’m hopeful that we will perform to a high level. 2024 has been a positive year so far for Porsche entries, with wins in Bathurst and Sepang, so we’re hoping for more success in Malaysia this weekend. Over in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the entry list is looking amazing, with 27 identical cars on the support bill for the Chinese Grand Prix. It’s going to be a fantastic weekend!”