Porsche customers ready for penultimate 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia event at Okayama

Following last month’s double-header at Suzuka and Motegi, where Porsche took two victories, the marque’s 11 entries will be looking for strong results to boost their championship position before the final round of the year at Sepang in September.

Nine entries will compete in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992) at the Japanese circuit, with title-chasing Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak once again teaming up with Porsche driver Alessio Picariello in the #911 AAS Motorsport by Absolute Racing entry. Fresh from their podium finish last time out, triple-Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Pro-Am champion Bao Jinlong and Porsche driver Matteo Cairoli will be targeting the top step in the #992 car.

In the team’s debut Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia season, both R&B Racing crews have had strong campaigns. Lu Wei and Dennis Olsen took victory in Motegi in the #4 car, pushing Wei firmly into title contention. As was the case at Suzuka, Porsche driver Patrick Pilet will fill in for Olsen this weekend. Yuan Bo and 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Champion Leo Ye have finished in the points in the past five races, the longest current streak on the grid. The combined efforts of the two cars sees R&B Racing top the Teams’ Championship heading into the event, with Absolute Racing close behind in second.

Porsche Center Okazaki’s Japanese pairing of Hiroaki Nagai and Yuta Kamimura has been picking up the pace in recent weeks, securing two podium finishes during July’s double-header, and now sit at the top of the Japan Cup standings. They also have strong recent form at Okayama, finishing third at the venue in the final race of last season.

Earl Bamber Motorsport returns to the series, with Porsche Carrera Cup Asia racer Adrian Henry D’Silva partnering with team owner Earl Bamber. The pair, who also joined forces for the first round of the 2022 season at Sepang where they picked up a victory, will compete in the #61 machine.

HubAuto Racing’s two car effort will be targeting a return to the points, with Morris Chen and Alvaro Parente taking to the track in the #72, while Brian Lee and Hideto Yasuoka pilot the #14 entry. Both crews have come close to points in recent events, finishing narrowly outside the top-10 at both Suzuka and Motegi.

Japanese squad NK Racing has shown solid pace in recent events, particularly in qualifying. Kiyoshi Uchiyama and Tsubasa Kondo will look to translate that speed into valuable points at the 3.703-kilometre circuit.

In the GT3-Am category, defending champions AMAC Motorsport moved themselves to within two points of the class leaders following two solid results at Motegi. The driver pairing of Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter will be hoping for another good performance as they look to put themselves in a position to take the title for the third consecutive season.

In the GT4 Category, Japanese squad Checkshop Caymania Racing return with Naohiko Otsuka and Sho Kobayashi currently sitting second in the standings. They will take on a grid of seven cars at the season’s penultimate event in the #718 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport.

Formerly known as TI Circuit Aida, Okayama International Circuit hosted Formula 1 in the 1990s, while Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia made its first visit to the 11-turn track in 2022. A high-speed first sector leads into a more technical middle part of the lap, with tight corners and elevation changes keeping drivers on their toes throughout. Teams will also have to deal with high temperatures and a threat of rain across the weekend.

Practice gets underway on Friday, with qualifying and Race 1 for both GT3 and GT4 on Saturday, with the second event for each category on Sunday.

Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak, Absolute Racing: “After a tough weekend at Motegi, we’re targeting to bounce straight back at Okayama. I’m confident the team will deliver the best possible car, we’ve demonstrated in previous events that we can compete for the top positions. Alessio and I are targeting a return to the podium and we’re keen to get started.”

Bao Jinlong, Absolute Racing: “We put in a strong performance at Motegi and Matteo made a brilliant debut in the championship. We’ll continue to aim high and strive for a victory this weekend.”

Matteo Cairoli, Absolute Racing: “I’m excited to discover another new track in Japan. It looks to be a challenging one but I’m looking forward to experiencing it. Our goal remains the same as it was at Motegi, and we’re hoping to have a chance of victory.”

Lu Wei, R&B Racing: “Our main target this weekend is to keep it clean and finish the race in one piece, to ensure we score points in the championship battle. I’ve been preparing well for this event and I’m ready to take it on and fight at the front.”

Patrick Pilet, R&B Racing: “It’s a great feeling to be back with R&B Racing at Okayama. We had a good weekend together at Suzuka and then the team took its first ever Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia victory at Motegi, so I’m eager to jump in a car that clearly has a lot of pace. The Okayama circuit should be favourable for the Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992), but it will be a new challenge for me and the team so we’ll work hard to put in a strong performance.”

Yuan Bo, R&B Racing: “We’ve got four races left in the season and every single point is crucial at this stage. We know what we’re capable of, so we’ll push to the limit and do our best to end the year strongly.”

Leo Ye, R&B Racing: “It was a shame not to reach our potential at the last round, due to incidents and consequently a lack of speed. However, we’ve been performing consistently well and continue to improve as a team. We believe the characteristics of the Okayama track will suit our car, so we’re hoping for two strong results.”

Hiroaki Nagai, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We had a really positive weekend at Motegi, and moved into the lead of the Japan Cup. Our pace has improved throughout the season, so we’re looking to continue that progress at Okayama. It’s also the final round of the Japan Cup, so we’ll aim to defend our position and take the title.”

Yuta Kamimura, Porsche Center Okazaki: “Our set-up was perfect at Motegi, which gave us a great platform to achieve strong results. We’ll be looking to find the right balance as early in the weekend as possible to aim for victory this time around.”

Kiyoshi Uchiyama, NK Racing: “Motegi was frustrating, with an accident costing us a chance of a positive result. We’ve been developing the car well all season so we’re hoping for better at Okayama.”

Tsubasa Kondo, NK Racing: “While Motegi didn’t go our way, I‘m motivated by the performance of the other Porsche teams. We’re aiming to learn from recent races to have our best result of the season so far.”

Morris Chen, HubAuto Racing: “It feels great to return to Okayama with the team. The entire crew is ready for the upcoming challenge. The circuit is extremely narrow, with a lot of elevation changes and I always enjoy the test whenever I visit. The crew has done an awesome job to repair the car after the damage suffered at Motegi, so a big thanks to them and fingers crossed for a strong weekend this time around!”

Alvaro Parente, HubAuto Racing: “I’m fully motivated and ready for the upcoming event. It will be a totally new circuit for me, but we’ll keep pushing in the right direction and try to stay out of trouble to secure a good result. We had a big chance in Motegi, but unfortunately I was hit and got a puncture, so we’re hoping for better luck this time.”

Brian Lee, HubAuto Racing: “Okayama is a place that holds special memories for Hideto and I. We’re hoping for good weather and a chance to build throughout the weekend to show our true potential.”

Hideto Yasuoka, HubAuto Racing: “We’ve been on an upward trajectory all season, learning about the GT3 category and the Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992). Our race pace was better compared to previous rounds at Motegi, which shows our understanding of the car and championship is improving. Our focus now is on qualifying and starting closer to the front, giving us more of a chance to score points. We’ve got two events left this year, so we’ll push as hard as we can for strong results!”

Andrew Macpherson, AMAC Motorsport: “Okayama is a challenging track, we raced there in 2022 and we’re excited to return. We had a solid event last time out and are hoping to consolidate and improve on our current second place in the GT3-Am championship.”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’re reaching the business end of the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia campaign now, with plenty still to play for across all classes. Our customers performed impressively at the challenging double-header last month and we’re hoping to see them continue the strong form into the final two events of the season. The level is very high in this championship, so to have teams battling for titles in the Overall, GT3-Am and GT4 categories is extremely pleasing and we wish them the best of luck this weekend.”