Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific enjoyed another strong Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia weekend at Okayama International Circuit in the final Japanese stop of the 2024 season, as Origine Motorsport defended their Teams’ Championship title with two races to spare.

Locking out the second row, both Origine Motorsport cars showed excellent pace in the first race of the weekend, with strong opening stints putting them in the frame for victory. Following the pit stops, Leo Ye was on a charge in the #87 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), while a five-second success penalty for Lu Wei and Porsche Driver Bastian Buus in the #4 car meant the Dane re-joined fifth.

A tight finish followed, with the top six nose-to-tail for the closing laps, although neither car was able to improve on their position. Yuan Bo and Ye earned a third overall podium of the year in second, along with Silver-Am victory.

Anthony Liu and Alessio Picariello took their seventh consecutive points finish for Absolute Racing in eighth, one place ahead of Porsche Center Okazaki’s Hiroaki Nagai and Yuta Kamimura, who also secured second in the Silver-Am category.

Chris Chia and Dorian Boccolacci rounded out the points in 10th in the #13 Phantom Global Racing car, as Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter took third in the Am class at the wheel of the #51 AMAC Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2).

A superb lap from Buus in qualifying meant the #4 Origine Motorsport car started on pole for Race 2, which was made tricky for everyone thanks to the slippery conditions.

Chia and Boccolacci put in a fantastic effort for Phantom Global Racing, claiming third for the team’s maiden GT World Challenge Asia podium. The duo was narrowly ahead of Wei and Buus, whose fourth place was enough to secure the Teams’ title for Origine Motorsport, successfully defending the crown they won in 2023.

Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak and Joel Eriksson made it a double top-10 for Phantom Global Racing in sixth, while Vollgas Motorsport’s Han Min-kwan and Kim Jae-hyun took their first overall points in the series in ninth, along with Silver-Am victory. Bo and Ye rounded out the points in tenth, and although they were beaten to the Silver-Am win by the Korean pair, second was enough for them to wrap up the class title.

Porsche Center Okazaki’s Tsubasa Kondo and Kiyoshi Uchiyama made it a full Porsche podium in the Silver-Am class in third, as Eshan Pieris and Tanart Sathienthirakul kept up their push for the Silver Cup title, securing second in class.

Japan Cup

In the final Japan Cup event of 2024, season debutants Bankcy and Kiyoto Fujinami clinched victory with a brilliant performance in Race 1 for Seven x Seven with KFM, before taking sixth overall and third in class on Sunday.

GAMA 83 Racing’s Makoto Haga and Mineki Okura claimed both wins in the GTC category, ahead of Satoshi Konno and Keita Sawa for ABSSA Motorsport.

Finally, Sunrise BLVD’s Yoshitomo Makino and Daiki Fujiwara ended their campaign with a fifth and a fourth in the #82 car.

Lu Wei, Origine Motorsport: “I had a strong weekend on track, and Bastian also performed really well, taking pole and setting great lap times in the race. Although it would’ve been great to score a podium, we’re happy with the points we’ve taken away for the championship.”

Bastian Buus, Origine Motorsport: “It was a very good weekend overall, I’m very happy to have had this opportunity and thankful to Origine Motorsport. It’s a privilege to jump into a championship leading car, obviously there is pressure as well but the team is very well run and professional, so I felt comfortable straight away. The pace was good on track, to take strong points is a big positive and I really enjoyed working with the crew.”

Yuan Bo, Origine Motorsport: “We’re all so pleased to clinch the Teams’ Championship with a round to go at Shanghai! The drivers’ standings is also looking good for Leo and I, sitting second behind Lu, and we’ll look to keep fighting for top spot.”

Leo Ye, Origine Motorsport: “A huge thanks to the crew for their hard work, we’re delighted to be Silver-Am champions and also for the teams’ title. Looking forward to Shanghai!”

Dorian Boccolacci, Phantom Global Racing: “An overall podium in our first weekend together with the team! I felt strong throughout in a good car, and even more so despite the wet track in Race 2. Chris also did a superb job to manage the race and help secure third place. Thanks to Phantom Global Racing for their trust and I hope to work with them again soon.”

Anthony Liu, Absolute Racing: “Unfortunately the event in Okayama wasn’t what we expected, we had a few moments that didn’t go our way and limited our performance. Now, we need to focus on the final race weekend in Shanghai. We are still in the championship fight, so we’ll give it everything.”

Eshan Pieris, Absolute Racing: “We had good pace throughout and overcame some difficult track conditions to secure a Silver Cup podium today. Our results were important for the championship, and we’re looking forward to doing everything we can to win at the final round in Shanghai, together with Absolute Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific.”

Tanart Sathienthirakul, Absolute Racing: “It was a bit of an unlucky weekend for us, as we couldn’t maximise our pace in Race 1 and the weather today caught us out. However, we know we have a good car and I’m fully confident heading into the last event of the season.”

Kim Jae-hyun, Vollgas Motorsport: “Firstly, I’m delighted to have taken Silver-Am victory, which shows how far we have come in our first year in the championship. We’ve had some challenges this year, but the team never stopped working to help us improve. Additionally, I’m even more thrilled because we were able to win in the Porsche 911 GT3 R, a car I’ve always admired!”

Han Min-kwan, Vollgas Motorsport: “We have gradually adapted to the Porsche and grown as a team, and our dedication has been proven through our performance today. We’ll continue to push and develop and do our best to climb higher up the overall standings.”

Brian Lee, GTO Racing Team: “Qualifying was tough and that put us on the back foot for the two races. Unfortunately we had contact in Race 1, and today I was spun while in a good position. Now all our focus turns to Shanghai, where we hope to be competitive enough to score a class podium, which was one of our goals for the season.”

Hideto Yasuoka, GTO Racing Team: “We almost got a miracle in Race 2! It was really cool to inherit the lead after all the other cars pitted for wet tyres, and I felt good on track despite the conditions. Unfortunately, Brian was spun by a competitor midway through his stint, but showed great determination to fight to the finish. We’ve gained some confidence and momentum heading to Shanghai, and I’m looking forward to being in the mix for class podiums.”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “Overall a very good weekend for Porsche, with a massive 15 cars competing across GT World Challenge Asia and Japan Cup. A huge congratulations to Origine Motorsport for securing the Teams’ Championship with two races to spare, and we’re excited for the showdown in the drivers’ standings next month in Shanghai. Additionally, a big well done to Phantom Global Racing, who took their maiden podium in the series. We are also satisfied with the performance in the final Japan Cup event of the year, as Seven x Seven with KFM clinched victory on debut. We’re very happy with the level of performance and looking forward to the season finale.”