Bumper 27-car line-up set for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Official Test Days in Shanghai

The championship enters its 21st season of competition, with all drivers battling in identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (992) cars. Eight Porsche dealers in the Asia Pacific region will be represented across all categories, with seven returning from 2023. An exciting calendar awaits the teams and drivers, with visits to six tracks in five countries in the diaries. This contains a healthy mix of world-renowned venues and fan favourite tracks, including two street circuits. Following pre-season testing, the series heads back to Shanghai for Rounds 1-2 on 19-21 April, where it will be on the Formula 1 support bill as the World Championship returns to China for the first time since 2019.

Visits to Japan’s Suzuka Circuit and Chang International Circuit in Thailand follow, before the coastal Bangsaen Street Circuit makes its first appearance on the PCCA calendar since 2019. The series then takes a trip to Sepang in August, ahead of a second appearance on the F1 support bill at the world-famous Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore. Finally, the season comes to a close at the same place it started, in Shanghai in October for a big Porsche family gathering together with the Porsche Sports Cup China.

Pro Class

2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion Dylan Pereira will be debuting in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, with the driver from Luxembourg in the Team Shanghai Yonda BWT #5 car.

Porsche Junior Alessandro Ghiretti will also make his first appearance in the championship, competing for Team Jebsen in the #55 machine. The Frenchman, who is combining his PCCA commitments with Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and Porsche Carrera Cup France, will do battle against an ex-Porsche Junior in the shape of Martin Ragginger, who held the position between 2007 and 2009. The PCCA veteran returns for his ninth season in the series with Porsche Holding.

Ghiretti is also part of the PCCA Talent Pool for 2024, along with six other drivers. Nazim Azman returns for his second year in the championship with Sime Darby, Porsche’s importer in Malaysia. The seven young racers also consists of a quartet of drivers picked from the PCCA Talent Pool Assessment, held at Sepang in December 2023. All will be making their PCCA debuts, with Dylan Yip competing for Phantom Global Racing, Rodrigo Almeida in the #18 R&B Racing car and Mathys Jaubert teaming up with TORO Racing.

Marco Giltrap also impressed in Malaysia, and will share racing duties in the Team Porsche New Zealand car with fellow Kiwi Zac Stichbury, who likewise joins the Talent Pool. Stichbury will be present at the Official Test Days, while the team becomes the eighth Porsche dealer to take part in the series.

Pro-Am class

In the Pro-Am category, four-time champion Bao Jinlong will be looking to defend his crown as he takes on his 10th PCCA season in the Phantom Global Racing #7 car, with the Chinese team making their debut in the championship.

Challenging him for the title will be Eric Zang, who had a strong season for TORO Racing in 2023, taking a class win in South Korea in addition to eight further podiums. Li Chao also returns for Team Betterlife, having claimed victory in the opening race at Sepang last season, while Li Xuanyu steps up from the Am class with Z.SPEED Motorsport and Francis Tjia continues to compete for Trans-China Automotive Racing.

Am class

14 drivers will contest the Am class in 2024, ensuring a competitive title fight. Brothers Eric and Henry Kwong, 2021 and 2022 PCCA Am champions respectively, will battle it out for Bergwerk Motorsport and Triple ACE Racing.

A host of drivers will continue their PCCA commitment having competed in 2023, with John Shen (Modena Motorsports), Zhu Zhiyao (R&B Racing), Adrian D’Silva (EBM Giga Racing), Christian Chia (OpenRoad Racing) and Zhang Yaqi (Phantom Global Racing) all returning for more action this season. Jacky Wu will also be back for more in 2024, although his Porsche Own Retail 69 Team car will be driven by Han Songting during the Official Test Days.

Porsche Sprint Challenge Indonesia’s maiden Am champion Hendrik Jaya Soewatdy will make his PCCA debut with TORO Racing, while 2022 Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand champion Munkong Sathienthirakul competes for EBM Giga Racing. The Macanese pair of Yao Liangbo and Lu Zhiwei both drive for R&B Racing, while Cao Qikuan will take to the track for Phantom Global Racing.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is also delighted to welcome new partners to the series for 2024. DSV joins as the championship’s logistics partner, while CTVS becomes the broadcast partner.

SACRED Coffee, which has existing partnerships with Porsche AG and Porsche Penske Motorsport also joins PCCA, while Cooler Master will supply racing simulators and Champagne Bollinger provide champagne for podium celebrations.

Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “It’s been a long off-season and I’m now really excited to see the cars back on track for the Official Test Days. We’ve got a top field of drivers, with a good mix of new and returning faces. To have eight Porsche dealers involved in the championship is also a great sign and I’m very happy with the line-up. It’s set to be a competitive season across all three categories and I can’t wait for the championship to get underway!”

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is always one of the highlights of our racing season, so we’re thrilled to welcome 27 entries this year. We’re particularly happy to see that our grid is full of a strong mix of new and returning racers across the Pro, Pro-Am and Am classes. The series heads to some of the region’s best venues this year, mixing world-famous tracks such as Suzuka and Shanghai with driver favourites like Bangsaen. The series will also return to support at two Formula 1 Grands Prix in Shanghai and Singapore. Our Talent Pool this year boasts an impressive seven very promising young drivers coming from around the globe. In our Pro-Am class, we are certain for a great competition ahead as we welcome back seasoned and new racers. This year’s Am category boasts 14 entries, which can only result in fierce competition all year round. 2024 is our 21st season and we are certain that it’s going to be one to remember.”

Official Test Days schedule:

Saturday March 23 Test Session 1 – 09:00-12:00 Test Session 2 – 14:00-16:40

Sunday March 24 Test Session 3 – 09:00-12:00 Test Session 4 – 14:00-17:00

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2024 Calendar

Official Test Days 23-24 March Shanghai International Circuit 19-21 April Suzuka Circuit 10-12 May Chang International Circuit 14-15 June Bangsaen Street Circuit 5-7 July Sepang International Circuit 9-11 August Marina Bay Circuit 20-22 September Shanghai International Circuit 25-27 October