Beijing: Yuan and Ye retain title by narrowest of margins while Zhang and Ye claim victory in season finale

Bob Yuan and Leo Ye became the first-ever two-time GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS drivers’ champions despite tying on points with Origine team-mate Lu Wei in an action-packed second race around Beijing’s Street Circuit where Winhere Harmony’s Zhang Yaqi and home hero Ye Yifei claimed their maiden series wins.

The two Porsches both finished on 125 points after taking the Safety Car finish in fourth and seventh places. But #87’s three victories to #4’s two were enough to elevate Yuan and Ye above Lu in the final reckoning.

Harmony’s Ferrari was a constant factor towards the front where it ran second in Ye’s hands behind Phantom’s fast-starting Dorian Boccolacci throughout the opening stint. It inherited the lead when Anthony Liu was forced to wait in his pit box and then assured of victory when the same Porsche crashed heavily at Turn 1, triggering the neutralisation that remained in place until the finish.

Second went to JMR’s Ben Green and Jefri Ibrahim who could have denied both Origine crews the title had he been given an opportunity to pass Zhang. The Malaysian instead finished third in the final standings, three points behind the Chinese trio.

Bao Jinlong and Joel Eriksson picked their way through from 12th on the grid to complete the podium ahead of Lu and Bastian Buus, while Silver-Am class winners Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy (Absolute Corse) completed the top six behind JMR’s other Corvette shared by Abu Bakar Ibrahim and Alexander Sims.

Silver was won for the second time today by Craft-Bamboo’s Alex Jiatong and Darryl O’Young who signed off his GT3 racing career in style. However, that wasn’t enough to prevent FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom’s Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai from wrapping up the class title.

AMAC’s Ben Porter and Andrew Macpherson beat EBM’s Mercedes-AMG to Am class honours.

CHAMPIONS BY THE NARROWEST OF MARGINS

GT World Challenge Asia doesn’t do dull title deciders, and Beijing’s was no exception. Four crews remained in contention after Race 1, and it was the most unlikely – Phantom’s patched up Porsche shared by Boccolacci and Liu – that not only led the opening stint by jumping Jayden Ojeda at the start but also topped the live points table before the pitstops.

Boccolacci was able to edge clear of his pursuers, headed by Ye, who were soon engaged in a thrilling battle for second that was effectively ended when Ojeda nudged the rear of Green’s Corvette. The impact unclipped the Mercedes-AMG’s engine cover, flipping it up and covering the windscreen, which forced Ojeda to stop on track.

The resulting Safety Car period coincided with the pit window opening, which is where Phantom’s championship challenge began to unravel. Boccolacci pitted from P1 and handed over to Liu, but he was delayed leaving the box by a stream of cars that shuffled him down the order and out of immediate championship contention.

Harmony were the chief beneficiaries for victory. Zhang rejoined in the lead after replacing Ye and remained there when racing resumed. He was still out front when Liu crashed out of third at Turn 1 with 22 minutes remaining whilst trying to pass Jefri Ibrahim. That triggered the second Safety Car that effectively brought the race to an early end when it became clear that the concrete barriers could not be repaired in time.

Lu, meanwhile, had passed the other Corvette seconds before the accident and therefore ran fourth behind Bao’s Audi during the neutralisation. However, he was never given the chance to gain the extra positions that, Yuan’s own progress permitting, would have moved him into the championship lead.

The rest of the top 10 comprised KRC’s BMW shared by Ruan Cunfan and Maxime Oosten who wrapped up the Silver-Am title in Race 1, the Phantom Porsche of Li Chao and Adderly Fong, and Jiatong/O’Young in Craft-Bamboo’s Mercedes-AMG.

Season eight of GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS begins at Sepang in Malaysia on 4/5 April 2026.

Results are HERE