Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific is all set for Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia’s final visit to Japan this weekend at Okayama International Circuit competing alongside Japan Cup, with a massive 15 Porsche entries ready to take to the track.

Following a strong season so far, which has seen Porsche representation on all but one of the eight overall podiums, an intriguing title battle is in full flow. Origine Motorsport’s Lu Wei currently leads the standings with 95 points, and will tackle the weekend with new teammate Bastian Buus in the #4 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

Just one point behind, the ever-consistent Anthony Liu and Alessio Picariello have missed out on points just once so far this campaign, including three podium finishes for Absolute Racing. Sitting third on 82 points, Yuan Bo and Leo Ye are still a feature in the championship fight, and their strong performances in 2024 have helped Origine Motorsport extend a significant lead on Absolute Racing as they look to defend their Teams’ Championship crown.

The improving duo of Eshan Pieris and Tanart Sathienthirakul continues in the second Absolute Racing car, aiming to maintain their recent run of superb results in the Silver Cup. Competing in the #911 car, the pair has been on the podium in class in each of the last six races, winning three of them.

Phantom Global Racing’s #13 entry features a brand-new driver partnership, with Xie An teaming up alongside Porsche Carrera Cup France champion Dorian Boccolacci. Meanwhile, Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak and Joel Eriksson continue in the #93 machine, targeting a return to the overall points.

Both Porsche Center Okazaki line-ups have eyes on the top-three in the Silver-Am category, with Tsubasa Kondo and Kiyoshi Uchiyama just one point away from third in the standings thanks to excellent recent form, which has seen them stand on the class podium three times in four races. On the other side of the garage, the #18 duo of Hiroaki Nagai and Yuta Kamimura is looking to improve on its positive showing at Suzuka.

Still in their maiden GT World Challenge Asia season, Han Min-kwan and Kim Jae-hyun have been regularly improving and scoring solid points in the Silver-Am class, and will be aiming to break through into the overall top-10 for the first time for Korean team Vollgas Motorsport.

Second-year pairing Brian Lee and Hideto Yasuoka will also be looking to continue upping their pace as they fight for the higher end of the points in the Silver-Am category.

Finally, AMAC Motorsport’s Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter have been showing excellent speed all year in the #51 Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2). The Australians have taken two Am class victories in the last three races, and currently sit second in the standings as they look to re-claim the title they last won in 2022.

Japan Cup

Porsche doubles its entries for the final Japan Cup event of the season, with four cars set to be on track across three classes. In the GT3 category, Bankcy returns to the series in Porsche colours for the first time since Fuji Speedway in 2022, teaming up with Kiyoto Fujinami in the #666 Seven x Seven with KFM Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

The marque’s second new entry sees Satoshi Konno and Keita Sawa join forces in the GTC category for ABSSA Motorsport in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (991), while Makoto Haga returns for GAMA 83 Racing in the same class, this time partnered by Mineki Okura.

Finally, Sunrise BLVD duo Yoshitomo Makino and Daiki Fujiwara will look to add to its four GT4 podiums so far this year in the #82 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

Okayama International Circuit, which twice held Formula 1 Grands Prix in the 1990s while in its previous guise of TI Circuit Aida, is the last time the field takes on a Japanese circuit in 2024. The 3.7-kilometre track tests all aspects of driver and car, with fast corners in the first half of the lap leading into a more technical finish. Overtaking is most likely at the end of the two longest straights, on the run down to heavy braking zones at Turns 1 and 5.

Alessio Picariello, Absolute Racing: “I’m looking forward to getting back on track at Okayama after a long break. I have good memories from this circuit last year, so we have high hopes for the weekend. The championship is really tight, every detail will count so we’ll try to maximise our results to arrive in Shanghai in a good position. We know it’s not going to be easy, but we showed our pace at Fuji and Suzuka so we’ll aim to continue that here.”

Anthony Liu, Absolute Racing: “I’m really happy to be back with the team ahead of this weekend at Okayama. The championship is entering its decisive phase and every point is valuable. We know our opposition are very strong, but we are aiming to win the title and will be working towards that objective during the weekend.”

Tanart Sathienthirakul, Absolute Racing: “We’re expecting a really tough fight this weekend as we take on the penultimate event of 2024. We’re still leading in the Silver Cup, and I believe we can leave Okayama with two more positive results.”

Eshan Pieris, Absolute Racing: “It’s my first time racing at Okayama and I’m excited to discover a new track. With the help of Absolute Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, I’m confident we can work towards another strong weekend.”

Lu Wei, Origine Motorsport: “I’m excited to team up with Bastian for the first time, he’s a great driver and I hope we can perform strongly and score plenty of points.”

Bastian Buus, Origine Motorsport: “I’m very keen to join Origine Motorsport for this event. The team is leading the standings, and the car seems very strong from what I’ve seen in previous rounds, so I’m really looking forward to being at Okayama, working with Lu and the crew and scoring strong points across both races.”

Yuan Bo, Origine Motorsport: “I’m excited to return to Okayama and to be back racing. Last year wasn’t the best weekend for us here, so we will be looking to learn from that experience and help the team in the championship.”

Leo Ye, Origine Motorsport: “I will give it my best this weekend to put in two positive performances. We are in a good position in the standings and will look to maintain our lead ahead of the final two races of the year.”

Dorian Boccolacci, Phantom Global Racing: “I'm really happy to be making my debut in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia. It’s exciting to be joining a strong team in Phantom Global Racing, and to be discovering a new track and country! I can’t wait to get started with the crew and give my best this weekend.”

Hiroaki Nagai, Porsche Center Okazaki: “Okayama is the final Japanese event of the season, so our aim is for both cars to perform strongly and to stand on the Silver-Am podium together.”

Yuta Kamimura, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We were back on the podium at Suzuka, which was a huge positive for us. Okayama is a track we are familiar with, so we will do our best along with the team to secure another strong finish.”

Kiyoshi Uchiyama, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We’ve been improving throughout the season and we’ll be looking to make another step at Okayama in the final round in Japan. Our target is to reduce the gap to those ahead of us in the standings to set up an interesting finale in Shanghai.”

Tsubasa Kondo, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We are making progress every time we take to the track, so I’m really excited for this weekend. Hoping for strong results and to stand on the podium!”

Andrew Macpherson, AMAC Motorsport: “We’re all set to return to Japan for the fifth round of the season, and we’ll be aiming for top spot in the Am class. Our eyes are on the title, and we’re currently sitting second, so we’ll need to be at our best against a strong field.”

Bankcy, Seven x Seven with KFM: “I’m looking forward to getting on track for our first race of the season in the Japan Cup. We’ll work hard with the team and target a strong result.”

Kiyoto Fujinami, Seven x Seven with KFM: “It’s exciting to be competing at Okayama, and we’re hoping to fight at the front of the Japan Cup field throughout the weekend.”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’re coming into the key part of the season in Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia, with several of our crews ready to make a charge for their respective titles. It’s amazing for us to have so many cars competing across all different classes, together with Japan Cup it’s a record 15 Porsche entries set to be on the same track this weekend. The field is full of very competitive line-ups, so our teams will need to be at their best to be in a strong position for the season finale in Shanghai.”