Porsche Carrera Cup Asia launches 2026 season in Shanghai

Team Porsche Malaysia’s Naquib Azlan would impress in qualifying, taking pole position for both races on his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut. The pole position time for Race 1 was over 1.5 seconds faster than the equivalent pole time in 2025, showing the speed of the brand-new car.

The driver of Car #21 was involved in an incident at the start of the race. He was seen to by the medical team and is now recovering well in Huashan Hospital, a testament to the safety of the Porsche 911 Cup (992.2).

The race was cancelled and half points were awarded based on the results of qualifying, with Azlan taking first ahead of BWT Shanghai Yonda’s Marcus Amand and Rodrigo Dias Almeida in the WeTrade x Phantom Global #8 car.

Unfortunately for Azlan, the damage to his car was too great and he was unable to begin Race 2, promoting Dias Almeida to pole position. The Mozambican driver would lead the field off the line, although he was given a 10-second penalty for jumping the start.

Starting in seventh, Porsche Junior Amand began making progress early on, passing Team Porsche New Zealand’s Marco Giltrap with a brave move around the outside. Following a Safety Car intervention caused by Henry Kwong and Lu Wei’s tangle, which led to Wei’s retirement, Amand continued his attack, getting ahead of Absolute Racing’s Marvin Klein.

By Lap 10, Amand had caught third-placed Ling Kang (Origine Motorsport). The duo then put on an incredible show for the fans, trading places multiple times and running side-by-side for long periods. Ultimately, Kang would impressively hold off the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup France champion.

Dias Almeida was untroubled at the front as he crossed the line first, although after his penalty was applied he was classified eighth. This promoted guest driver Luo Kailuo to the top step of the podium for 610 Racing, ahead of Kang, who picked up maximum points, and Amand.

Following Wei’s retirement and a spin for reigning champion Bao Jinlong, it was Wang Zhongwei who took victory in the Pro-Am category, while Bao recovered to secure a Chinese 1-2 in Origine Motorsport’s home race.

Cao Qikuan would round off a strong day for 610 Racing as he added to Kailuo’s win by taking an impressive 11th overall and Am victory, narrowly ahead of Tang. Bergwerk Motorsport’s Henry Kwong completed the podium as he gets his title defence underway.

In the Masters class, John Shen would earn victory for Modena Motorsports, with Wu in second and Douglas Khoo third for Viper Niza Racing.

Ahead of the weekend, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia hosted its annual Season Opening Party to kick off the campaign, while Porsche China activations gave fans the chance to meet the drivers and take part in competitions.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia returns on 11-12 April at Zhuhai International Circuit for Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2026 campaign.The returning Lu Wei was classified first in the Pro-Am category for Origine Motorsport, while Roy Tang (EBM) and Jacky Wu (Porsche Own Retail 69 Team) took Am and Masters honours.

Luo Kailuo, 610 Racing: “A big thank you to 610 Racing for having me here this weekend. It was a great experience to race the new car for the first time and to be supporting the Chinese GP. I realised at the start that Rodrigo had moved before the lights went out, so it was all about holding my position off the line and building the pace. I saw the drivers behind battling and was able to build a gap, so I focused on keeping it smooth and securing the win.”

Bao Jinlong, Origine Motorsport: “We had good pace this weekend in the new car, but unfortunately my qualifying wasn’t good enough. After the Safety Car came in, I was hit and spun around, which cost me the chance of fighting for class victory. Looking forward to the next race and hoping to fight back there."

Cao Qikuan, 610 Racing: “It’s a great feeling to win, I’m really happy with today’s race. I enjoyed a lot of great battles and was able to keep out of trouble. The team did a brilliant job with the car and I loved competing with my teammate. The level of the Am class is very high, we’re very closely matched so I’m excited to continue the season and aim for more strong results.”

Douglas Khoo, Viper Niza Racing: “I’m delighted to be racing in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, one of the best championships in Asia. I’ve not had much time in this car, but it suits my driving style and easy to drive. Today’s race was good, I started well but had a difficult restart which cost me time.”

Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “It’s always a pleasure to open the season here in Shanghai in support of the Chinese Grand Prix. I want to wish all the best to the driver of Car #21, who is recovering in hospital following yesterday’s incident. He’s doing well, which shows how strong the new Porsche 911 Cup (992.2) is, doing a great job to protect the driver. It was fantastic to see plenty of Chinese success, with victories for home drivers in overall, Pro-Am and Am, while 610 Racing and Origine Motorsport took three victories between them. We were also impressed by the level of performance and standard of racing between our Talent Pool drivers, with Naquib Azlan particularly strong in qualifying. It was unfortunate that he couldn’t start today’s race but we’re sure he will bounce back. Finally, we’re delighted by the new car, we’ve seen quicker lap times compared to last season and it has brought a notable step-up in performance. We’re looking forward to being back on track in Zhuhai next month and continuing the season!”