The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Presented by AximTrade returned to Ningbo International Speedpark this weekend for two more thrilling races, bringing the number of races in Ningbo this season up to a total of five.

Daniel Lu Wenlong claims his third victory in four races

Starting on pole, with two second-place finishes at Ningbo to his name already this season, was Meidong Racing’s Ling Kang, thanks to his impressive time of 1:44.689. Starting second is Team Jebsen’s Daniel Lu Wenlong, who qualified just 0.015 seconds behind Ling Kang. Rounding out the top three starting times we have Team StarChase’s Yu Kuai with his time of 1:45.017.

The sun was shining on the track as the lights extinguished and Round 8 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Presented by AximTrade officially began. Straight away, disaster struck for Ling Kang. The Meidong Racing driver had some minor mechanical issues that caused his car to remain stuck on the starting line as the rest of the grid sped off around him. Daniel Lu claimed p1 instantly, while current points leader Cui Yue driving for Porsche Holding managed to leapfrog the two drivers who started in front of him and steal into second place. By lap 4, Daniel Lu had developed a comfortable 3.5 second lead, with Cui Yue, Yu Kuai and BD Group’s Leo Ye separated by less than a second and battling for position behind him. As the rest of the Pro pack dominated the top positions, an unlikely hero was emerging from deep in the standings.

A reinvigorated, re-energised Ling Kang began clawing his way back up from the very last place on the grid. Having seemingly overcome his mechanical issues, Ling Kang mounted an epic comeback, as he wove his way through the Am drivers, then the Pro-Am drivers, and by lap 7 he had re-joined the Pro pack. The safety car came out on lap 9, following Team Porsche China’s Nathan Lu Wenhu getting stuck in the gravel trap after exceeding track limits at the infield hairpin. The green flag waved just before lap 13, with an anxious Daniel Lu determined to hold on to his position after having his lead eaten away by the safety car. This didn’t prove to be a problem, as with just under five minutes left of race time there were few opportunities for mistakes. Daniel Lu claimed his third Ningbo victory this season – and with it the top of the overall standings, while Cui Yue came in second, and Yu Kuai claimed third. Ling Kang crossed the finish line fourth, having overtaken 14 other drivers to claw his way back into contention. A post-race penalty dropped him back down to p8, but this is still a race that Ling Kang is unlikely to forget.

The Pro-Am pack saw Meidong Racing’s Zhou Bihuang claim pole with his time of 1:46.171, followed by current points leader Bao Jinlong driving for Team Shanghai Yonda and TORO Racing’s Min Heng starting in third. As the drivers launched themselves out of the grid, Ling Kang’s stationary car gave Bao Jinlong the space to move into Pro-Am p1. Zhou Bihuang was hot on Bao’s heels for the first half of the race, never letting up the pressure, with Min Heng, Porsche Beijing Central & Goldenport’s Li Chao and Absolute Racing’s Bian Ye all vying for position behind the leaders. After the safety car came off, disaster struck for veteran driver Li Chao as he spun out, sending the driver with more Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Presented by AximTrade starts than any other on the track today right to the back of the race. Bao Jinlong came in first, with Zhou Bihuang in second and Min Heng in third.

Second in the Am standings, Triple Ace Racing’s Henry Kwong was the Am pole sitter. Having scored two victories at the series’ previous appearance in Ningbo, KiddyWorld Racing’s Eric Kwong didn’t have as good a start as he was used to for this round, beginning the race second in his category and fifteenth overall. Eric began the race strong, moving up the grid to sit just behind Henry. As the safety car came off, Silver Rocket’s Li Jia made some confident moves towards supplanting Eric, however the points leader held strong. The race ended with Henry Kwong claiming his second victory in a row at Ningbo, Eric coming in second and Li Jia in third.

Zhou Bihuang brings Bao Jinlong’s five-race winstreak to an end

With the overcast sky threatening rain all morning, a thankfully dry Round 9 started with Yu Kuai in pole position thanks to his impressive time of 1:45.082. Cui Yue started in p2, while current championship points leader Daniel Lu Wenlong took up the third slot on the grid.

Once again, we had a shift in position right out of the gate, as Cui Yue slipped neatly into first as soon as the lights extinguished. Leo Ye also had a fine start to his race, quickly moving from p5 up into p3. Having won three out of his last four races, Daniel Lu’s dominant streak had come to a halt, with Ling Kang overtaking him, leaving the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Presented by AximTrade veteran languishing in p5 for the rest of the race, with an ever widening gap separating him from the pack leaders.

At the front of the race, the action was beginning to heat up. By lap 4, Yu Kuai had reclaimed his lead after his disappointing start, with Leo Ye also slipping past Cui Yue. Cui Yue dropped down to third, with Ling Kang hot on his heels in p4. The top four drivers spent the remainder of the race separated by a couple of seconds. Ling Kang doggedly pursued Cui Yue until the lap 11, where a tiny but decisive lock up on Cui Yue’s part gave Ling Kang an opening to slip through. Yu Kuai finished the race in first, with Leo Ye crossing the finish line second and Ling Kang in third. A post-race penalty saw Leo Ye pushed down to third, making Ling Kang the second-place finisher.

After having raced a dominant season so far, it was time for Pro-Am points-leader Bao Jinlong to give a little ground in this race. Zhou Bihuang, Bao’s nearest rival this season, began the race in Pro-Am pole after scoring a time of 1:46.517. Bao started the race in p2, and Min Heng in p3. With this being the fifth race in a row at Ningbo International Speedpark, Bao Jinlong had so far won every single event, however Zhou Bihuang was determined to claim that top podium spot. Despite sticking to Zhou Bihuang’s heels the entire race, remaining within a second of him at practically all times, Bao never quite found the opportunity to hammer his way through Zhou’s defences. Zhou Bihuang took home his second victory of the season, while Bao came in second and saw his five-race winstreak come to an end. Min Heng crossed the finish line third, maintaining his third place in the championship standings.

Henry Kwong began the race at the head of the Am pack, followed by Eric Kwong and Li Jia. Having come in second in the previous race, current Am championship points leader Eric Kwong wasted no time in making his presence felt, swiftly stealing into Am first place before the end of lap 1. Li Jia also managed to supplant Henry Kwong, sending the Am pole sitter back down two places. With disaster striking Li Jia on lap 7, sending the Silver Rocket driver back to the bottom of the grid, ZZRT Competizione’s Wu Jiaxin was able to move up into Am third place. The final lap of the race saw a fierce battle between Henry Kwong and Eric Kwong, as neither racer wanted to settle for anything other than a victory. After some wheel-to-wheel jostling at the very end, Eric eventually came out on top, finishing just three hundredths of a second ahead of Henry, with Wu Jiaxin taking up the third podium spot.

Dealer Trophy

We went into this weekend with just one point separating Porsche Holding and Team Jebsen at the top of the table. After two stunning races, the top two teams have switched places, and we now have Team Jebsen leading Porsche Holding by a single point. Reigning Dealer Trophy champions Team StarChase have seen their fortunes increase, moving from fifth to third, but still trailing second place by a daunting 24 points. Just 8 points behind Team StarChase we have Meidong Racing, and just five points behind them we have BD Group.