Porsche Carrera Cup Asia enjoyed an excellent weekend of racing at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, with Alessandro Ghiretti taking victory in the first ever endurance event.

In Round 9, Mathys Jaubert took pole position for TORO Racing, although it was 2024 Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti who led after the first few corners in the #55 Team Jebsen car.

That’s how it would stay for the remainder of the race, although a 10-second penalty for Ghiretti meant he would miss out on points. Jaubert inherited his first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia win, while Marco Giltrap and Rodrigo Dias Almeida took their maiden podium finishes for Team Porsche New Zealand and R&B Racing respectively.

Bao Jinlong continued his dominant season in the Pro-Am class in Round 9, also clinching fourth overall along with his class victory. Bao’s Phantom Global Racing teammate Zhang Yaqi and Z.SPEED Motorsport’s Li Xuanyu joined him on the podium.

Eric Kwong and Munkong Sathienthirakul’s title battle continued, with the Bergwerk Motorsport man edging out the EBM driver by less than a second for Am victory, ahead of Triple ACE Racing’s Henry Kwong in third.

Round 10 took place under the Sepang lights, producing incredible visuals for the watching fans, with a record 29-car field roaring around the Malaysian circuit. Ghiretti started on pole, but it was Dylan Pereira who got a lightning start for Team Shanghai Yonda BWT, moving from the third row of the grid to the lead in just a few corners. Jaubert followed the Luxembourger past Ghiretti, and despite close battles throughout, the order would remain the same, with Pereira clinching his first victory since the season opener.

A spin for Bao prevented the Chinese racer from earning yet another Pro-Am victory, with Liu Kai Shun benefiting for R&B Racing, taking his first win in the championship. Eric Zang claimed second for TORO Racing, while Yaqi was a close third.

In the Am category, it was Sathienthirakul who got the better of Eric Kwong this time, securing victory by just over half a second. Once again, Henry Kwong crossed the line third.

The final race of the weekend was the much-anticipated debut of the endurance event. Wet conditions challenged the field, and Ghiretti forced an early mistake from polesitter Jaubert to take the race lead. Two Safety Car interventions interrupted the race, the first for contact between Almeida and Giltrap and the second when Yaqi found the gravel at Turn 1. Despite this, there were still plenty of excellent battles for the podium, between home hero Nazim Azman for Sime Darby Racing Team, Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger and returning 2021 champion, Daniel Lu Wenlong, racing for EBM. Eventually it was Azman who clinched third, although he received a post-race penalty for contact while overtaking Ragginger, promoting the Austrian to the podium.

Kai Shun had another excellent race in the Pro-Am class to take his second win of the weekend, ahead of Zang and Bao in third, with the Phantom Global Racing man making up several positions after a tough qualifying.

Finally, the Am category produced more drama between Eric Kwong and Sathienthirakul, with the Bergwerk Motorsport driver overtaking his title rival on the final lap for victory, while Henry Kwong completed a full set of podium finishes in third.

With five races left of the campaign, Ghiretti continues to lead the championship, 20 points clear of nearest challenger Jaubert. Bao holds a comfortable lead in the Pro-Am class, although there is a close four-way battle for second behind him. In the Am category, Eric Kwong heads Munkong Sathienthirakul by 21 points heading into the final two race weekends of the season.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia returns for Rounds 12-13 of the 2024 season, as support for the Singapore Grand Prix at the incredible Marina Bay Circuit.

Alessandro Ghiretti, Team Jebsen: “It was a tough weekend, we had strong pace but were forced to work hard for it. It was a shame to lose the win in Race 1 after a penalty, but we had the speed and today was even better. I enjoyed the conditions, it was a challenge but my experience helped me and I felt fast. It was an important weekend for the championship, we have a lead but there’s a lot of work left to do, so we will keep pushing ahead of the final rounds.”

Liu Kai Shun, R&B Racing: “It’s all a very new experience for me, a new car, new track and in the wet. It was unpredictable today, I had to be patient and find grip wherever I could. The first few laps I was testing out different lines, working out how the car was responding. The car felt good and I was learning as I went. It was a strong weekend with two victories and I’m very happy with the performance.”

Eric Kwong, Bergwerk Motorsport: “I’m really happy with today’s result, my goal for this race was to stay out of trouble in the wet conditions, which were really difficult to manage. To take two wins this weekend is a fantastic achievement and I’m looking forward to the next round in Singapore.”

Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “I’m delighted with how the weekend went overall, we had some great racing across all three classes, with a variety of race winners, which is always a good sign of strong competition. It was really cool to see a race in each of dry, night and wet conditions, testing our drivers in different ways. The Endurance Challenge was also a success and we were delighted with the atmosphere of the event, with over 1,000 guests thanks to Porsche Malaysia. To have 29 entries is huge for us and we’re looking forward to racing on a Grand Prix weekend next time out in Singapore.”