Thrilling Shanghai weekend kicks off 2024 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season

Supporting the Chinese Grand Prix as the event returned for the first time since 2019, 27 cars took on the 5.451-kilometre circuit. Team Shanghai Yonda BWT’s Dylan Pereira was fastest during the Official Test Days at the same venue last month, and the Luxembourger continued in the same vein during qualifying, taking pole position for both races.

He was joined on the front row on Saturday by Team Jebsen’s Alessandro Ghiretti. Fellow PCCA Talent Pool members Mathys Jaubert of TORO Racing and Rodrigo Dias Almeida of R&B Racing locked out the second row. Phantom Global Racing’s Bao Jinlong was on Pro-Am pole, while Munkong Sathienthirakul started first in the Am category on his PCCA debut.

Pereira made a strong start to the race, holding the lead off the line. The 30-minute event featured two Safety Car interruptions, the first for an incident involving Li Chao and Hendrik Jaya Soewatdy, and the second when Sathienthirakul tangled with Hu Bo.

Pereira survived the first Safety Car restart expertly, fending off Jaubert and Ghiretti, while the race ended under the second, with 12 of the 13 scheduled laps completed, with the contest running to time.

Four-time Pro-Am champion Jinlong took eighth overall and a dominant win in the Pro-Am category as he looks to defend his title. Eric Zang was second for TORO Racing, while Li Xuanyu clinched third for Z.SPEED Motorsport.

And in the Am category, 2021 champion Eric Kwong secured victory for Bergwerk Motorsport, narrowly ahead of brother and 2022 title winner Henry Kwong, driving for Triple ACE Racing. Lu Zhiwei crossed the line third in class in the #777 R&B Racing car.

Ling Kang took overall fourth for R&B Racing, ahead of Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger and Oscar Targett of EBM Giga Racing. Almeida led home Jinlong, with Talent Pool members Nazim Azman and Dylan Yip, for Sime Darby Racing Team and Luanzhou International Circuit respectively, completing the top-10.

Pereira lined up on pole again on Sunday, but it was Ghiretti who made the best getaway from third. The 2024 Porsche Junior quickly passed the slow-starting Almeida, and originally looked to the outside of the winding Turn 1, before catching Pereira off guard with a quick switch to the inside, grabbing the lead.

Pereira’s victory challenge would soon come to an end, being tagged and spun around by Kang at Turn 1. Contact and subsequent stop for Angelo Negro in the OpenRoad Racing car brought out the Safety Car.

Ghiretti made an excellent restart, with Kang going long into the first turn, allowing Jaubert through into second. The TORO Racing man, who began down in eighth, closed in on his fellow Frenchman, looking for a move in the final laps. However, he was unable to get alongside, with Ghiretti taking his first win in the series and Jaubert making it a pair of second places. Kang meanwhile had to retire with a puncture following his incident with Peirera.

The duo set such an impressive pace, third placed Jinlong, who also won the Pro-Am class again, was 10 seconds behind the leading pair. The Chinese driver held off attacks from Almeida and Targett, with Team Porsche New Zealand’s Zac Stichbury sixth. Ragginger was seventh, one place ahead of Azman, while Pereira recovered to score points in ninth. Li Xuanyu rounded off the points scorers, also taking second in the Pro-Am category, while Li Chao joined him on the podium in third.

Finally, Eric Kwong made it two race wins in the Am class with an impressive drive, with Henry Kwong again second, ahead of Phantom Global Racing’s Cao Qikuan.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia soon travels to Japan for Rounds 3 and 4, tackling Suzuka International Racing Course on 10-12 May.

Alessandro Ghiretti, Team Jebsen (Pro): “I’m really happy with today’s race, a huge thank you to Team Jebsen for the support. They worked hard yesterday to prepare the car, we didn’t have great pace in Race 1, but today it was much better. I got a good start, I was quickly up to second and wanted to take the lead early. I tried to go around the outside of Dylan, but then changed direction to go to the inside and made a nice move. Once at the front I had to focus, manage my tyres, and I was pleased to cross the line first.”

Bao Jinlong, Phantom Global Racing (Pro-Am): “It’s a fantastic feeling to win both races in the Pro-Am class, and to be on the overall podium today, especially on the Chinese Grand Prix weekend. We had a good qualifying and I worked well with the team, so a big thank you to them. For the coming rounds, I’m looking to continue getting in the mix with the Pro drivers, it’s a lot of fun and a great challenge.”

Eric Kwong, Bergwerk Motorsport (Am): “It was very exciting to race on the same weekend as the Chinese Grand Prix, the crowd and the atmosphere were fantastic. I didn’t get the best start today, but thanks to the team, my car was quick and consistent, so it felt great and I was able to recover. The aim this year is to pick up my second Am title, so I’m looking to compete consistently and score points at each event.”

Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “We’re delighted with how the weekend went, the season started in amazing style in support of the Chinese Grand Prix. To have 27 cars on the grid was incredible, and with great racing in all three classes, we put on a good show for the fans, who I hope enjoyed watching us on track! Congratulations to our winners, and I’m looking forward to getting to Suzuka for the next round of the championship.”