Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand joins Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in action-packed Sepang weekend
Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand enjoyed an eventful weekend in Sepang alongside Thailand Super Series, despite heavy rain stopping the scheduled Race 2, while Porsche Carrera Cup Asia hosted their first ever Endurance Challenge event with strong performances from drivers.
The #17 AAS Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) driven by Nattachak Hanjitkasem and Kmik Karnasuta claimed pole position for the opening round in GTM qualifying with a stunning lap. During Race 1, both would battle hard, narrowly missing out on the podium in fourth, with Fire Monkey Motorsport’s Simon Chan and Jia Li finishing just behind in fifth.
In the GT4 category, Kantadhee Kusiri took a superb double pole position in the #18 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. Later in the day he would convert this into a podium finish, as the 2W Zoomies pair of Prakhun Phornprapha and Warren Adulayavichitr claimed Am victory. The #26 B-Quik Absolute Racing duo of Henk Kiks and Erwin de Smit would also join them on the Am podium, securing third.
On Sunday, after a rain delay, the cars went on a reconnaissance lap to the grid, but due to poor weather conditions and driver safety concerns the race didn’t take place.
The Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand entries will be back in Thailand Super Series action when the series returns to the Sepang International Circuit on 6-8 September.
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia hosted three excellent races, with each won by a different driver. Mathys Jaubert took his maiden victory in Race 1, with Bao Jinlong continuing his excellent Pro-Am form and Eric Kwong securing the win in the Am class.
Dylan Pereira triumphed under the lights in the second event, while Liu Kai Shun clinched his first PCCA win in the Pro-Am class. Meanwhile, Munkong Sathienthirakul fought back in his title battle against Eric Kwong, with first place in the Am category.
The third race of the weekend was the much-anticipated Endurance Challenge, a 43-minute + 1 lap race, was made even more difficult for the record 29 entries by the wet weather. Championship leader Alessandro Ghiretti relished the tough conditions, streaking clear of Jaubert in second. Behind them, a fierce battle for the podium emerged, with home hero Nazim Azman clinching the final spot on the rostrum. Kai Shun was victorious again in the Pro-Am class, while Eric Kwong passed Sathienthirakul on the final lap for the Am win.
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “With Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand, we witnessed a spectacular event with the podium finishes on Saturday. It shows how competitive this championship is, despite the sensible decision that was made on Sunday due to weather conditions! We’re looking forward to returning to Sepang next month, in what will be another great weekend of action. Meanwhile, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia enjoyed an excellent weekend of racing, with three different overall winners and a very successful first endurance race. We’re delighted with the record 29-car entry list and hope to build on that for the remainder of the campaign.”