Porsche FIA Macau GT World Cup Roundup
Substantial Show of Force with Four Cars in Top-10 Amidst Technical Challenges
In a remarkable display of resilience and skill, Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific made a strong comeback at the FIA GT World Cup in Macau, marking the event's first iteration since 2019. Porsche’s teams and customers showcased their prowess, achieving four top-10 finishes and six within the top 12.
Despite facing technical hurdles, notably in straight-line speed at the challenging Guia Circuit, Porsche’s presence was strongly felt. Seven of their Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992) cars, operated by five regional teams, navigated the track's complexities, though these challenges impacted their overall performance.
The event witnessed an intense qualifying round, breaking the GT3 lap record repeatedly. Laurens Vanthoor of TORO Racing secured a commendable fourth place, while Earl Bamber from D2 Racing Team landed in the ninth spot.
The Qualification Race on Saturday underscored the marque’s speed limitations, with Vanthoor dropping to seventh and Bamber to tenth. Nevertheless, both drivers demonstrated remarkable resilience in Sunday’s 16-lap race. Vanthoor advanced to sixth place, and Alessio Picariello from Luanzhou International Circuit climbed to eighth. Bamber, closely following Picariello, clinched ninth, with Leo Ye of R&B Racing securing the top-10 finish and a Silver class victory. Notably, Matteo Cairoli from Absolute Racing delivered an outstanding performance, climbing eight positions to eleventh place. Kévin Estre and Thomas Preining, representing HubAuto Racing, finished twelfth and fifteenth, respectively.
Thomas Laudenbach, Vice President of Motorsport at Porsche AG, expressed disappointment with the outcomes but remained optimistic about future prospects. Laudenbach emphasized the need to collaborate with the FIA for enhancements.
Laurens Vanthoor reflected on the tactical adjustments made to counteract the speed deficits, focusing on defence strategies during the race. Alessio Picariello shared his contentment with the overall weekend performance, despite initial setbacks.
Bamber voiced his enjoyment of the Macau circuit, despite the challenges faced by Porsche entries. Leo Ye highlighted the significant improvement in performance over the weekend, culminating in a top-10 finish and a class victory.
Ye said, “We started the weekend with a good practice session, but we realised we had work to do to make the car better in high-speed corners. The confidence came in qualifying, and I was quick, although an incident meant I had to start yesterday from P15. Another contact in the Qualification Race put me into 16th for today’s race, but we performed really well, got a great start and overtook the other Silver entries to secure the class victory. It was a lot of fun to compete with some of the best drivers in the world on this amazing track and we were very happy with our performance. The target was to finish in the top 10 and that’s what we achieved, so I’m delighted with the weekend and hopefully, we can come back next year and be even stronger.”
Matteo Cairoli expressed satisfaction with his performance, acknowledging the car's tricky handling. Kévin Estre described the weekend as challenging, with unexpected damage impacting his race. Preining also noted difficulties faced during the event.
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd., thanked the teams and drivers for their dedication and acknowledged the performance challenges faced. He highlighted the event's significance for Porsche and expressed eagerness to work with organisers for future improvements.
