Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific customer team Absolute Racing are set to return to the China GT Championship this year and will field a Porsche 911 GT3-R for Bian Ye and Leo Ye Hongli. The team will compete in the GT3 Pro-Am class in the five-round Championship.

Having taken part in selected GT races in China in the past, Bian Ye will participate in the China GT Championship for a full season for the first time. Former China Touring Car Championship champion and reigning Macau GT Cup winner Ye Hongli finished three times on the podium in the 2019 GT World Challenge Asia with Absolute Racing, notching up an overall victory in the last race of the season at Shanghai and two Silver Cup class wins.

The season kicked off this week with the official pre-season test at the first permanent racetrack to be built in China. Bian Ye and Ye Hongli spent two days testing at the challenging 4.318km Zhuhai International Circuit, during which they were able to go through the team’s testing programme without any issues.

The opening round of the 2021 China GT Championship is scheduled for the Ningbo International Circuit on May 29/30, before the championship travels the length and breadth of the country across five more exhilarating race weekends. The championship continues at the Shougang GT Circuit (Qinhuangdao) on July 23/25 and returns to the Shanghai F1 circuit on August 20/22. The Wuhan Street Circuit is planned for September, with the second Zhuhai weekend taking place on October 20/22 as season finale.

TEAM QUOTES

Bian Ye (Absolute Racing - Am Driver): “I’m really happy to be racing with Absolute Racing in the China GT Championship. I just want to go racing and improve myself. Leo is a person with a great sense of humor, and also a very fast driver. I’m happy to have him as my teammate.”

Leo Ye Hongli (Absolute Racing - Pro Driver): “It's really exciting to have the chance to join Bian Ye and Absolute Racing! When you combine their professionalism, expertise and ambition, it's a perfect fit. Bian Ye is a very committed driver and takes it seriously. Along with him, it’s going to be a really fun year!”

Fabien Fior (Absolute Racing - Team Director): “This two-day round of testing here in Zhuhai has given us a great opportunity to ensure that we are well prepared going into the new season. This is a proven driver line-up and it’s fantastic to have Bian and Leo teaming up in the China GT Championship this year. It’s certainly going to be a challenge as we need to rely exclusively on the staff based in China, but it is one I believe we are more than capable of taking on. We are ready to kickstart the season and we don’t hide our ambitions to fight for overall victories.”

Alex Gibot (Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific): “We’re extremely excited to be racing in China again. Absolute Racing has been working hard during the hiatus to test their cars at every opportunity and now we finally see them return to competition. We’re keen to see Bian Ye again after making his Porsche debut at the Porsche Sports Cup China and alongside Leo Hongli who had a very strong GT World Challenge Asia season in 2019. We wish the team all the best for the year.”