At the first outing of the new generation 911 GT3 R at the Spa 24 Hours, Hong Kong-based racer Antares Au claimed a well-deserved victory in the Bronze Cup at the Belgian Circuit in his fourth visit to the event. Competing in the #20 Huber Motorsport car, Au’s teammate and former Porsche Junior Matteo Cairoli secured overall pole position in Friday’s Super Pole session. The team, also comprising Tim Heinemann and Jannes Fittje, performed excellently, and remained in the battle for Bronze Cup victory the entire race, finishing on top after the 24 hours were up, with Heinemann also setting the fastest lap of the race at 2:17.087 seconds.

Also in the same class, Australian squad Grove Racing took on the event for the second time. Starting the race 17th overall, the crew consisting of father-son duo Stephen and Brenton Grove, Earl Bamber and Anton de Pasquale worked tirelessly throughout the race in the #23 Porsche 911 GT3 R, eventually finishing 13th in class. The squad will continue its Intercontinental GT Challenge programme with the final race of the campaign at Indianapolis Motor Speedway in October.

In their second visit to the Spa 24 Hours, Zhuhai-based Modena Motorsports completed a solid race in the Pro-Am cup, with their strikingly-liveried #216 car claiming fourth in class. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers Francis Tjia and John Shen both put in strong stints alongside regular team-mates Benny Simonsen and Mathias Beche.

Defending Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand champion Tanart Sathienthirakul enjoyed a positive race in the #56 Dinamic GT by Huber Motorsport car. The Thai driver helped the team secure fourth in the Silver Cup in only his second CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa appearance.

Francis Tjia, Modena Motorsports: “It was a very difficult race that provided us with all the challenges we expected and more. I’m very happy to have crossed the finish line but disappointed that we missed out on the podium at the end. Big thanks to everyone that helped us get to the end!”

John Shen, Modena Motorsports: “The whole Modena Motorsports team loved participating in this world-famous event and it was a privilege to compete at Spa. We fought hard, completed the race without damaging our car and finished fourth in class. Despite missing out on the podium by one position, we’re very satisfied with our performance.”

Mathias Beche, Modena Motorsports: “I’m happy and proud that we managed to take the chequered flag and complete this incredibly tough race. We had hopes for a podium finish, but in the end we were pleased to secure fourth. A big thanks to John and Francis for their trust and to Benny for his great drive. I’m also very grateful to Modena and the whole Earl Bamber Motorsport team for their hard work, getting us ready for this huge challenge.”

Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand

During the Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand round at the scenic and challenging coastal Bangsaen Street Circuit, Jakraphan Davee and Phaophong Chanchalia kept up their excellent form, winning both races in the GTM category to extend their championship lead for Alpha Factory Racing by Pulzar.

In Race 2, the duo was joined on the podium by AAS Motorsport’s Kantadhee Kusiri and Nattachak Hanjitkasem. The #17 pair led the race, before a late pitstop allowed Davee and Chanchalia to score their third win of the season. Fire Monkey Motorsport made it an all-Porsche top-three, with Shaun Thong and Simon Chan picking up their first podium finish of the year.

Iaro Razanakoto and Chanon Asavasangsidhi were looking to build on a double podium finish in the first round at Chang International Circuit, and after another second place in Race 1, the crew went one better on Sunday, taking their first GT4 victory in Bangsaen.

Meanwhile, in GTC, Putera Adam continued his strong start to the season in the #5 AAS Motorsport Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. The Malaysian driver took victory in Race 1, before backing that up with a podium in Race 2, claiming third.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

After four years away, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia made a welcome return to Japan and Suzuka International Racing Course for Rounds 5 and 6 of the 2023 campaign.

Meidong Racing’s Florian Latorre earned victory in both races, taking the title lead in the process. In the first event, he was joined on the podium by Modena Motorsports’ Am driver Zhang Yuqi and three-time Carrera Cup Asia champion, Team Shanghai Yongda’s Chris van der Drift. PCCA Talent Pool driver Luo Kailuo of TORO Racing and Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger both picked up well-deserved trophies in Round 6.

In the Pro-Am category, three-time champion Bao Jinlong of Zhengtong Auto asserted himself at the top of the standings thanks to a double victory, making it four wins in five races. TORO Racing’s Eric Zang continued his run of finishing on the podium in every event this season, taking third and second, while there were also trips to the rostrum for Team Betterlife driver Li Chao and Zhou Bihuang for Porsche Beijing Central & Goldenport.

Finally, Yuqi backed up Saturday’s performance with another win in the Am class in the second race of the weekend. R&B Racing’s Wu Jiaxin and BD Group’s Ruoyu Yang joined him on the podium in Round 5, before Yang and 2022 champion Eric Kwong of Kiddy World Racing picked up top-three finishes in Round 6.

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “It was incredible to have Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific customers competing at three events this weekend, all in different countries. We’re very happy for Antares, he raced well at Spa and he and his team deservedly took Bronze Cup victory. Both Modena Motorsports and Grove Racing had clean and strong weekends and managed to finish this gruelling event, while our reigning Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand champion Tanart put in excellent stints in the #56 car, making it a positive all-round performance.

“As always, Porsche Sprint Trophy went very well at the picturesque Bangsaen Street Circuit. This challenging venue always produces tight and close racing and 2023 was no exception. Jakraphan Davee and Phaophong Chanchalia are in brilliant form this year and thoroughly deserved their two GTM victories. It was also great to see all our other Porsche entries up on the podium, continuing our strong 2023 season.

“Finally, the 2023 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season is heating up, following a successful return to Japan and Suzuka. We had the championship lead change hands in both the overall and Pro-Am categories, setting us up for an intriguing second half of the season. As Carrera Cup Asia now heads to Buriram, we’re all looking forward to the series running together with Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand at Sepang International Circuit in August.”