Record Entry for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the region’s premier sportscar championship, today announced a record entry for the 2010 season, which gets underway in April as part of the Formula 1 Chinese Grand Prix in Shanghai.

Twenty-three of the new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars will line up on the grid, with an exciting field of Asian and European GT professionals and keen amateur racing drivers contesting the 11-round season.

As well as the new, stronger, wider and quicker Cup car, for the first time based on the street-legal 2010 GT3 RS version, in 2010 the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is open to private teams for the first time. Combined with its well-deserved reputation as the pinnacle of GT racing in the region, these new innovations have resulted in arguably the strongest field ever assembled in Asia.

Reigning champion Christian Menzel of Germany returns to defend his title with his Chinese Team StarChase. Joining him in the Class A category for professional drivers is exciting youngster Rodolfo Avila of Macau, 4th overall in his debut season last year, who has recently been confirmed as the new Team Jebsen driver. Team Jebsen won the title twice, in 2006 and 2008, with Hong Kong driver Darryl O’Young, and is keen to nurture the exciting new talent Avila.

O’Young is back with the series and will contest selected rounds along with a full season in the FIA World Touring Car Championship. For the remaining races, driving duties will be filled by LKM Racing team mate Alan Siu Yuk Lung competing in Class B, while for the Shanghai opener, his brother Siu Tit Lung will take the wheel.

Former Porsche Carrera Cup Australia champion, and runner-up in the Asian series in Singapore last year, New Zealand’s Craig Baird will contest his first full season in the region. Competing with Team Porsche Club Singapore Racing, Baird will be a force to be reckoned with despite being a newcomer to several of the circuits on the 2010 calendar.

Hong Kong’s Marchy Lee makes a welcome return to the series in 2010. Lee, who has also competed in single seaters and touring cars, finished 5th overall in 2008, his first full season in sportscar racing.

Returning to Class A is Jeffrey Lee of Chinese Taipei, back for a third Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season having made the transition from single seater to sportscars in 2008.

Reigning Class B champion Philip Ma makes the move to the professional category this season, and will make his Class A debut with Jacob & Co Racing Team. Ma has contested every season of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia since its inception in 2003, and is one of Asia’s most experienced drivers.

Heading the bumper Class B entry is Singaporean hotshot Yuey Tan, 3rd overall at the end of his first full season with the series last year, who will compete with new team Wimobilize McElrea Racing Team.

Upping the ante in the category, Team Kangshun’s Ringo Chong and Team Porsche Club Singapore Racing’s Mok Weng Sun are both entered in Class B this season.

Popular Hong Kong driver Mak Hing Tak of OMAK Team returns, while Philip Briandet, who made his debut with the series for a one-off race in Malaysia last year, has entered for a full season with his Shift2Neutral Racing team.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia welcomes a host of Class B newcomers this year. Racing for Dyna Ten Motorsport are Kenneth Lau and Michael Choi of Hong Kong. Lau has 20 years of motorsport experience having competed in both touring and single seater racing across Asia, as well has having raced at several European tracks such as Monza, the N?¼rburgring and Le Mans. Team mate Choi, meanwhile, has been racing for more than a decade, in both single seater and sportscars.

OpenRoad Racing is fielding three cars for brothers Marcel and Francis Tjia and Christian Chia, while brothers Wayne and John Shen are racing for Modena Motorsports.

Hong Kong brothers Terence and Morris Ku are sharing driving duties. The pair have competed in both sportscar and touring car series in Asia, and are entered with Team DAYCRAFT.

Vietnam-based Frenchman Jean-Marc Merlin is entered by Team J2M Racing. Merlin has competed in sprint and endurance races, and began competing in classic and vintage car racing.

Hong Kong driver Jacky Yeung is another newcomer, and began racing in 1995, as is US-based Canadian Shim Ching who makes his series debut with Asia Pacific Motorsports.

Commenting on the sterling line-up, Series Manager Ian Geekie, a motorsport veteran of more than two decades, said: “This is by far the most exciting and talented field ever assembled in Asia. We have the irresistible combination of international professionals, up-and-coming youngsters, and newcomers. The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car is nothing short of spectacular, and a great way to mark the true coming of age of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.�

The 11-race, six-meeting calendar sees the series support two rounds of the FIA Formula One World Championship, in Shanghai in April and the 2010 Porsche SC Global Carrera Cup Asia – Singapore at the Formula One SingTel Singapore Grand Prix in September, plus a further six races across China during the year and an Asian Festival of Speed weekend at the new F1 track in South Korea in August.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Official Test will be held on March 13-14 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia. Supporting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia are two of the most recognised names in international motorsport, Mobil1 and Michelin. Mobil and Porsche have been partners since 1996.

Close co-operation in research and development has led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil1 high-performance lubricant. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the advantage of racing on cutting-edge tyres supplied by series partner Michelin.

The consistent performance and leading technology of Michelin tyres constantly improve the performance of many teams in international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between Porsche AG and the Michelin group.