Porsche gearing up for action-packed Macau double weekend

The first weekend features the Greater Bay Area GT Cup, where four Porsche entries will take on the event, including a trio in the GT3 category. Brian Lee has had a solid season in GT3 racing in the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia campaign and will tackle the iconic Guia Circuit in the #14 Team KRC Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). Lee has plenty of experience at Macau, but this year will mark his first appearance at the event in GT3 machinery.

With outings in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand and Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia already under his belt this year, Adrian Henry D’Silva caps off his busy 2023 campaign in Macau. The Malaysian racer will take to the track in the #61 EBM Giga Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2).

Also in a Porsche 911 GT3 R (991.2) is Peter Liao for K-SPORT. The former Porsche Carrera Cup Asia racer will be difficult to miss on track, sporting a striking orange livery for the event.

In the GT4 category, Zeng Jianfeng will compete in the #13 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport for RSR GT Racing. The Chinese driver has previously taken on both Porsche Sprint Challenge China and GT Super Sprint Challenge, so will arrive in Macau with plenty of GT4 racing experience.

The following weekend marks the long-awaited return of the FIA Macau GT World Cup, with five customer teams running a total of seven Porsche 911 GT3 R (992), including five Porsche drivers.

Absolute Racing will bring two cars to the event, with former Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Alessio Picariello racing in the #15 Absolute Racing-run Luanzhou International Circuit car, while Matteo Cairoli tackles the circuit #120 machine. Both drivers competed for the team in the 2023 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia campaign, helping the Shanghai-based squad to second in the Teams’ standings.

HubAuto Racing, who partnered with Porsche to take on Macau in 2017, also brings a pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) to the race. Porsche Penske Motorsport driver Kévin Estre will drive the #28 car, while recently-crowned Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) champion Thomas Preining races in the #27.

Earl Bamber returns to Macau, having taken podium finishes in the FIA GT World Cup in both 2016 and 2019. The New Zealander, who will compete in the Earl Bamber Motorsport-run D2 Racing Team car, also took victory when Porsche Carrera Cup Asia made a special visit to the Guia Circuit in 2013 to celebrate the 60th anniversary of the event. 

2016 race winner Laurens Vanthoor, who stood on the podium alongside Bamber in 2019 when they were teammates, looks to continue his impressive record at the circuit with TORO Racing. The Chinese outfit has recent success in Macau, finishing second and third in the GT3 race with Leo Ye and Alexandre Imperatori in 2021 and 2022 respectively.

Completing the septuple of Porsche entries is 2022 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion Leo Ye. The Chinese driver partners up with R&B Racing, having won the Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia teams’ title and the Shanghai 8 Hours together in 2023. Ye comes into the event with Macau experience, having claimed a close second at the event two years ago.

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’ve been looking forward to Macau for a long time and I’m very excited that the event is just around the corner. The Greater Bay Area GT Cup is a fantastic opportunity for our drivers and teams to take on the legendary Guia Circuit, and we’re really happy to have customers joining in both the GT3 and GT4 categories, and to mark the Macau debut of the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992). This year will be extra special as the event is split over two weekends, with the highly anticipated return of the FIA GT World Cup on the second. We’ve got an incredible line-up, great customer teams and really talented drivers, so I can’t wait to get underway and see all the action unfold on track.”