The new Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season will thunder off the grid this weekend as part of the 2013 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX at Malaysia’s 5.54km Sepang International Circuit.
The 25-strong field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will take to the track for the first of the 11 races which make up the 2013 calendar, which will see the intriguing entry of successful professionals and fascinating young talent compete across the region for two championship titles, including eight drivers from eight Porsche China dealer teams: Team Jebsen, PICC Team StarChase, Team Betterlife, Team Kangshun, Team C&D, Team Eagle, Team Yongda Dongfang and Basetex racing.
Racing with Sime Darby Auto Performance for the opening rounds is Malaysia’s Fairuz Fauzy. The former Formula 1 test and reserve driver, who has also competed in GP2 and A1 Grand Prix, will be making his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut at the weekend in front of his home crowd.
Fresh from his first appearance in the 12 Hours of Sebring at the weekend, where a strong performance saw the team lead the GTC class before mechanical glitches struck, reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion Alexandre Imperatori will be back at the wheel of his PICC Team StarChase entry. He will get his title defense underway against one of the strongest fields in the series’ history, which includes last year’s runner-up and 2011 champion Keita Sawa of Japan in the LKM Racing Team car, Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila of Macau, and Austrian talent Martin Ragginger of Team Eagle.
Another former Formula 1 test and reserve driver, Tung Ho-Pin of China, made a strong entrance to sportscar racing with the series last year. Tung will compete with Kamlung Racing this season, and retains his backing from Budweiser in 2013. Other hot favorites include Frenchman Benjamin Rouget with Team Yongda Dongfang, Zhang Da Sheng of Team Basetex, and Team Betterlife ace Wang Jian Wei. From Singapore comes one of Asian racing’s best known names, Ringo Chong, with Team Kangshun.
Newcomers for the season include New Zealand’s Earl Bamber with Nexus Racing, quick in testing at Sepang earlier this month and who, at just 22 years-of-age, comes with an impressive single seater career. Also amongst the professionals making their first appearances are Tung’s team mate, Peter Li Zhi Cong, together with Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang entered by Team C&D.
The 2013 entry is almost evenly matched between the professionals and the Class B category for non-professional drivers, with last year’s champion Wayne Shen moving up to compete for the overall title for the first time per series regulations.
A hot favorite in Class B this year is Francis Tjia of OpenRoad Racing, second in the standings last season, but he can expect a fierce challenge from Switzerland’s Egidio Perfetti in the Mentos Racing entry.
Class B debutante Malaysia’s Alif Hamdan, also 22, is the second of three Nexus Racing entries, with fellow countryman and team mate Adrian Henry D’Silva and guest driver Fauzy giving the local crowds a trio of drivers to cheer.
The 10-lap Round 1 will be held prior to the start of the 2013 FORMULA 1 PETRONAS MALAYSIAN GRAND PRIX on Sunday, with a 30-minute qualifying session on Saturday.
