Klaus Bachler joins #911 Absolute Racing Porsche at Suzuka
Porsche driver Klaus Bachler will join Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak at the wheel of the No. 911 AAS Motorsport by Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) in the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS race at Suzuka on July 14-16.
Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak and Alessio Picariello are currently leading in the Fanatec GT Asia GT3 Drivers Championship Standings and in the GT3 Pro-Am class. However, due to commitments elsewhere, the Belgian driver cannot participate in the next round of the championship at the world-famous Suzuka International Circuit in Japan.
Absolute Racing was aware from the beginning that Alessio Picariello would be unavailable to participate in all the races of the season. Therefore, Klaus Bachler was called to join the team for the pre-season test in April at Sepang.
The 31-year-old Austrian, a former Porsche Junior, has been a regular competitor in various sports car racing championships in recent years, including the Fanatec GT World Challenge Europe powered by AWS, the Asian Le Mans Series, and the Intercontinental GT Challenge. He is currently racing in the IMSA SportsCar Championship with a Porsche and will also drive the team's brand-new Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 R in the Malaysian round of the Fanatec GT Asia series in September.
Klaus Bachler said, "I am really looking forward to my first race with Absolute Racing in Suzuka. The team has done an amazing job so far this season, and my aim is to do my best, hoping to maintain Vutthi's position as the championship leader after this weekend as well. Suzuka is an incredible track, and it will be my first time there. However, I am familiar with it from watching F1 in the early days and from the simulator. I can't wait to race there for the first time.”
Team Director Fabien Fior, added “Alessio did an excellent job in the first two rounds of the season, but now it's time for Klaus to assume the reins. During his test with us in April at Sepang, Klaus swiftly acclimated to the team, showcasing his familiarity with the car and bringing a wealth of experience. We have full confidence that he will be instrumental in supporting Vutthi as we strive to maintain our competitiveness in the pursuit of the Fanatec GT Asia titles.”
The third round of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS officially kicks off on Friday with two free practice sessions and an additional 30-minute practice for Bronze-ranked drivers. Two 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday morning will decide the starting grids, and are followed by race one at 14:20 local time. The second 60-minute race begins at 11:30 local time on Sunday (all times UTC+9).