Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific enjoyed a fantastic Sepang 12 Hours, with R&B Racing leading home Absolute Racing to clinch the top two steps on the podium.

Having taken victory at last year’s Shanghai 8 Hours as a trio, the R&B Racing line-up of Yuan Bo, Leo Ye and Lu Wei all put in strong laps in qualifying to take second on the grid. Absolute Racing’s #911 machine was close behind in fourth, while Phantom Global Racing’s #13 car and the #61 of Earl Bamber Motorsport shared Row 4. In the GTC category, Modena Motorsport enjoyed a solid qualifying to secure second in class.

In the first half of the race, R&B Racing, Absolute Racing and Phantom Global Racing all spent time in the lead of the enduro, before the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia champions took control, holding the lead when all cars were aligned on pit-stop strategy.

As darkness came, the Chinese team had a comfortable cushion over the chasing pack, eventually taking victory by over 40 seconds to claim the overall and GT3 Am trophies. Absolute Racing’s trio of Andrew Haryanto, Eshan Pieris and Dorian Boccolacci followed them home to clinch second and the GT3 glory.

In just their second race and following an excellent performance at the Bathurst 12 Hour, Phantom Global Racing once again put in a positive showing to finish fifth, with two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Timo Bernhard, Sun Jingzu and Rio at the wheel of the #13 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992).

In the GTC category, Modena Motorsport’s trio of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia racers Francis Tjia, John Shen and Christian Chia teamed up with Danish driver Benny Simonsen in the #216 machine. The quartet held position in class throughout the event, taking second at the end of the 12 hours.

Finally, an on-track incident ended the progress of Adrian D’Silva, Tanart Sathienthirakul and Ryan Wood’s EBM Giga Racing car, forcing them to retire from the race.

Yuan Bo, R&B Racing: “I’m thrilled to win the Sepang 12 Hours. We had a tough start to the week with our equipment arriving late, so we didn’t have the preparation we hoped for, but the team worked so hard throughout the event. Our pace and consistency were brilliant, Lu and Leo both drove exceptionally well and we were delighted to clinch the victory. Following this result, we’re now extra motivated to dive into our upcoming programme for the 2024 season, and to take this momentum into our next event.”

Leo Ye, R&B Racing: “It was a big physical challenge to take on this race, having not driven for the past three months, especially with the high temperatures. Bob and Lu performed really strongly despite the tough conditions, and the crew did a fantastic job, so a big thanks to them. We’re obviously really happy with the result, and for the support of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, and the organisers to ensure a successful event.”

Lu Wei, R&B Racing: “The race was really challenging with the weather, so physical fitness was a really important factor. The second half of the 12 hours was so exhausting, but we worked well as a team to take the win. I’m looking forward to the start of our main programme in 2024 and will be working hard to be in the best shape possible. A special thanks goes out to our team for their incredible effort, ensuring the car was ready and never making a mistake.”

Ray Li, Team Director, R&B Racing: “It was our first outing in a 12 hour endurance race, so we are delighted to come out of it with a victory! We didn’t get as much testing as we hoped for, but the team made sure the car was always ready and in great condition. The drivers also performed really well. Bob and Lu both had great speed, while Leo pushed immensely to keep pace with the Gold and Platinum drivers. It was not easy to beat some top quality teams and line-ups, so we’re delighted with the result and excited for our 2024 season.”

Dorian Boccolacci, Absolute Racing: “Qualifying was a challenge but we found good pace in the race. The hot conditions made it difficult initially, but as it cooled down, the car performed better, allowing us to push to our full potential. A huge thanks to Absolute Racing and my teammates for this opportunity, I enjoyed the event!”

Eshan Pieris, Absolute Racing: “We managed to bounce back in the race after a tough qualifying. Dorian and Andrew performed very strongly and I had a lot of fun on track. It was a positive race, thank you to the team and to Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for the support!”

Andrew Haryanto, Absolute Racing: “It was great to be back at Sepang and we had a good race! We performed well as a team, so a big thanks to Absolute Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific.”

Martin Young, Team Director, Phantom Global Racing: “Overall, this week was excellent preparation for our upcoming programme. All three drivers performed well, and considering two of them had never driven the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), their strong performance was a positive for events to come. We learned a lot as a team, and now we know where to improve and are looking forward to the rest of the season.”

Pierre Rigaudin, Team Manager, Modena Motorsports: “I couldn’t be more proud of our team and drivers for their exceptional performance at the Sepang 12 Hours, taking a fantastic second-placed finish in the GTC class. It was not a race without challenges, as our drivers John, Francis, Christian and Benny had to battle extreme cockpit temperatures without air conditioning in our Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992). A heartfelt thank you to the organisers for a fantastic event that we truly enjoyed, and to Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for the support.”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “It was an incredible weekend for our teams! We knew we had a strong line-up heading into the Sepang 12 Hours, and to come out with a 1-2 finish is amazing. R&B Racing showed their potential in endurance racing at the Shanghai 8 Hours last year, and to back it up with victory this weekend is impressive. Absolute Racing proved their speed with an excellent second-placed finish, and we’re delighted to see Phantom Global Racing continue their superb start to competitive racing with another strong display. In the GTC category, Modena Motorsport performed very well to take P2 in their class, so we’re very happy with the weekend!”