The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia returned to Zhuzhou International Circuit on 23-25 September for the second time this season, after the successful season opener early in the year. While the weather remained calm, action on the track was furious, with two thrilling races that saw records broken and legends made.

Calamitous opening leads to truncated race

Round 5 began in typical fashion, with JUNJIE Racing’s Leo Ye claiming his fourth pole position of the season, with BD Group’s Ling Kang and TORO Racing’s Luo Kailuo trailing him. For the Pro-Am lineup, we had category leader Lu Wei with R&B Racing once again taking pole and an impressive p5 overall start, with Team C&D’s Hong Shijie starting five places behind him in p10, and Zhou Bihuang in p11. The Am category saw Climax Racing’s Tang Ruobin start in pole, and two spots behind him we had Triple Ace Racing’s Henry Kwong followed by Kiddy World Racing’s Eric K just behind him.

While the starting line-up may have been typical, the remainder of Round 5 was anything but. In the opening moments of the race, Ling Kang managed to nose ahead of Leo Ye. Luo Kailuo joined the duo, with the three cars racing wheel-to-wheel going into turn 2. As the pack moved up to turn 3, disaster struck. Porsche Holding’s Cui Yue collided with reigning champion, Meidong Racing’s Daniel Lu Wenlong, who was forced off the track, with his return to the tarmac setting off a spectacular collision involving a total of five cars. A Full Course Yellow was called as opposed to the safety car, before the race was red flagged and fully restarted. Once the damage had been assessed, Daniel Lu Wenlong, Lu Wei, Cui Yue, Bian Ye and Min Heng would not be re-joining the race.

With five cars being removed from the track, it was a half hour wait before the series was ready for the second race start of the day. The race restarted with just under 20 minutes on the clock. Leo had a better start this time round, maintaining his lead throughout the race and once again finishing in first, taking home points for pole position and fastest lap as well. Ling Kang crossed the finish line four seconds behind Leo, while Luo Kailuo took up the third spot on the podium. Hong Shijie led the Pro-Am pack for the second start, followed by Porsche Beijing Central & Goldenport’s Zhou Bihuang and Team Betterlife’s Li Chao. Team Shanghai Yonda’s Bao Jinlong – reigning Pro-Am champion and currently second in the season standings – had a pit lane start, clearly looking to claw back some points after finding out current points-leader Lu Wei would not be returning to the track. Hong Shijie saw a few threats to his rear from Zhou Bihuang, but managed to keep his composure and claimed his first victory of the season.

Zhou Bihuang finished in second, while Bao Jinlong finished in third, having fought his way back up the field to eventually finish in p11, with a post-race penalty denying the third spot on the podium to Team Betterlife’s Li Chao. The Am category restarted in the same order as the first race, with Henry leading the pack, followed by Tang Ruobin and Eric. Tang held on to his position for the first few laps of the return, however Eric was dogging him every step of the way, with the two drivers engaged in a side-by-side battle, which Eric eventually won. Henry took home the victory, with Eric in second, and Tang coming in third after spinning out on turn 1 with just over 6 minutes left on the clock.

Leo Ye wins historic sixth race in a row

The race began with Leo in pole, followed by Ling Kang in second and Luo Kailuo in third. Lu Wei, having received zero points in the previous race being one of the five cars caught up in the melee, began the race in Pro-Am pole and overall p4, the highest starting grid position for a Pro-Am driver this season. Bao Jinlong was in Pro-Am second, starting four places behind Lu Wei in P8, with Zhou Bihuang starting just behind him in P9. Henry Kwong led the Am pack in p15, followed by Tang Ruobin in p16 and Eric K in p18.

As the lights extinguished, Leo made it clean out of the gate, beginning to build up his lead. Ling Kang and Luo Kailuo began scrapping over second place, with Ling Kang managing to keep his position. Before the action could really begin to unfold, the race was yellow flagged in lap 2 after Team KRC’s Zhu Zhiyao was forced to leave the track. The safety car came on for the next four laps, slowing things down somewhat before coming off in lap 6.

The action began again in earnest, with Bian Ye dropping a few places down to p9, and Henry Kwong taking the Am lead. Lu Wei maintained his p5 position at the head of the Pro-Am pack, with Bao Jinlong a few spots behind him in p8. Daniel Lu and Yuan Bo were the two Pro drivers sandwiched between the two Pro-Am competitors, who were locked in a fierce battle, with both cars changing position a number of times, before Daniel pulled ahead to start bothering Lu Wei ahead of him.

Henry Kwong had built up an almost three-second lead by the time he crossed the finish line, with second-place Am finisher Eric K finishing ahead of Tang Ruobin by an almost identical margin. Going into the final stop of the season, a mere 9 points separates the top three Am competitors, promising a thrilling showdown in Shanghai.

Lu Wei took home another Pro-Am victory, with Bao Jinlong coming in second and Min Heng in third. This leaves Bao Jinlong a mere seven points behind Lu Wei in the season standings.

Despite giving Leo a run for his money this round, Ling Kang finished in second, with Luo Kailuo just behind him in third. Having had another flawless race, Leo Ye finished in first, maintaining his perfect season record of 6 victories in a row. The previous series record was four races in a row, a feat previously achieved on only two separate occasions: by Christian Menzel in 2010 who won his first four races in Shanghai and Beijing, and Alexandre Imperatori in 2012 who won his first four races in Shanghai and Zhuhai. Both drivers eventually went on to become season champions, and international racing stars in their own right. Leo Ye has now shattered that record, sealing his place in Carrera Cup Asia history.

Porsche Dealer Trophy

With JUNJIE Racing sitting pretty at the top of the table, a monstrous 42-points clear of nearest rival BD Group, you’d be forgiven for considering this a done deal. JUNJIE Racing will effectively have to gain zero points over the next two races for BD Group to be in with a chance to win it. Considering Leo Ye’s form all season, that eventuality seems highly unlikely. There’s still plenty to play for further down the points table, however. TORO Racing trail BD Group by 19 points, while Meidong Racing are 13 points behind TORO Racing.

Formation Lap: Celebrating 20 years of racing thrills

With the 2022 season drawing to a close, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd. held a Formation Lap press conference on Friday 23 September to announce the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2023 season calendar. This is an annual Carrera Cup Asia tradition, held towards the end of each season, to reflect on all we have achieved throughout the year and to begin the hype for next year’s competition. Having spent the past two seasons with a China-only calendar, the series returns to its international roots in 2023, with stops in Yeongnam, South Korea; Suzuka, Japan; Sepang, Malaysia; Marina Bay, Singapore; and Bangsaen, Thailand. For those who want to race locally within China, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd. is launching a brand new event, the China Cup, which combines two stops from the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia with four China Sprint Challenge races from the Porsche Sports Cup China, for a 6 stop China Cup. Returning next year will also be the Porsche Dealer Trophy, spread across seven race weekends across Asia Pacific, and also the Talent Pool which will once again be open to all drivers under the age of 26. The 2023 season also marks the 20th anniversary of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. As one of the longest running series on the continent, this is an incredible milestone, and promises a year full of unstoppable celebration, and also a dedicated documentary about the amazing journey the series has been on over the past two decades.