GT Asia: Highs and lows for Audi in Shanghai

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

• Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon take double victory in GTM Class
• Wins see Jacky Yeung top of GTM class rankings
• Unlucky weekend in GT3 for Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies

China, October 13, 2014 – The Hong Kong pairing of Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon scored back-to-back victories in the GTM class of Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 11-12. After youngster Solomon clocked the fastest time in qualifying, the pair held onto pole position throughout the two races to pick up maximum points.

In Round 11, Matt Solomon, one of Asian motorsport’s most talented young drivers, got off to a flying start, pulling away from the rivals in the GTM class. This blistering pace gave Jacky Yeung a massive 16-second lead, who then drove even faster during his stint, recording a lap time a full second quicker than their qualifying time on the way to victory for the Audi R8 LMS #77.

Starting from pole-position for Round 12, Solomon and Yeung once again flew around the Shanghai International Circuit for their second start-to-finish victory of the weekend. Having secured maximum points for the weekend, Yeung moves to the top of the GTM class leaderboard heading into the finale in Macau next month. A good result in the final race will see Yeung crowned GT Asia GTM class champion for a second time.

In the GT3 class, the pairing of Jeffrey Lee and Audi factory driver Christopher Mies, endured a tumultuous weekend. In the first race, their Audi R8 LMS ultra #7 was hit by another driver, before suffering a puncture, which forced an extra visit to the pits. However, strong driving from the pair reduced the earlier delay and they finished in eighth. Unfortunately, there was more bad luck in store, as Lee was nudged in the opening laps of the second race, causing him to crash into the barriers, ending the race prematurely for the pair.

Elsewhere, the Chinese pairing of Sun Jingzu and Wang Jianwei put in two very good performances in front of their home crowd, finishing in ninth in both races. Johnson Huang of Taiwan, scoring two fourth-place finishes in the GTM class.

“This weekend saw our strongest performances so far this season, with two excellent wins for Jacky and Matt,” commented Fabien Fior, Technical Director of Absolute Racing. “But unfortunately, we had some difficulties with other cars making contact with ours, ruining the races for Jeffrey and Christopher and affecting their results. We were very unlucky in that case, but that’s how racing goes. We are all now looking forward to the season finale in Macau next month, and we will push even harder for the best results.”

The Audi entries head to Macau on November 14-16 for the GT Asia series finale at the Guia Circuit.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

GT Asia: Double class victory for Yeung and Solomon Audi R8 LMS in Shanghai race 2

By Johan Laubscher

Race two of the GT Asia Series at Shanghai concluded with another class victory for Absolute Racing.

Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon made it a double for the weekend by winning the GTM class in race two. Yeung handed over the car to Solomon in third place and Solomon was then able to pass both cars to take class victory with the #77 Absolute Racing prepared Tiger Racing Team R8 LMS. The pairing finished tenth overall. Jacky Yeung now has a twelve point lead in the GTM championship standings and the title will be decided at Macau.

Jian Wei Wang and Sun Jing Zu piloted the #17 Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra to ninth place overall, the highest Audi in the overall results. Johnson Huang repeated his race one result by finishing thirteenth overall, taking fourth in the GTM class with the #26 Absolute Racing R8 LMS.

Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies unfortunately retired from race two on lap seven, after having started from third position on the grid.

The finale of the 2014 GT Asia Series will be taking place at Macau with the Macau GT Cup from 13-16 November.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

GT Asia: Audi eyes podium in Shanghai

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

• Four Audi entries in Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series
• Team Absolute Racing aims for GT3 podium with the driver pairing of Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies
• Jacky Yeung and Matt Solomon to challenge for GTM class

China, October 10, 2014 – Four Audi entries will compete at the Shanghai International Circuit in China for Rounds 11 and 12 of the GT Asia series from October 10-12. Team Absolute Racing aims for a podium finish at the first visit of the GT Asia series to Shanghai since 2009.

In the GT3 class, Jeffrey Lee will once again partner Audi factory driver Christopher Mies in the number 7 Audi R8 LMS ultra. The pair claimed fourth place in the last race at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia and will look to add to their points tally this time round.

“Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies are clearly aiming for a podium finish. I wouldn’t be surprised if they finish in the top spot, especially if it is a wet race, as the Audi R8 LMS ultra performs strongly in the rain,” commented Fabien Fior, Technical Director of Absolute Racing. Fior added, “We are definitely expecting another good weekend from all our drivers.”

Jacky Yeung will drive his number 77 Audi R8 LMS Cup car with youngster Matt Solomon, who recently finished on the podium in the Sepang 12h race. The Hong Kong driver pairing’s goal is to win in the GTM class and keep Yeung in line for a shot at the championship. Going into Shanghai, Yeung sits in third place in the GTM class, and a good result could see him climb back to first. In the previous Rounds 9 and 10 at Sepang, Yeung won the first race to move top of the leaderboard, before an early retirement in race two made it a mixed weekend for him.

Local Chinese drivers, Sun Jingzu and Wang Jianwei will compete in front of their home crowd in car number 17. Sun also competes in the amateur category of the Audi R8 LMS Cup and is familiar with both the track in Shanghai, and the GT3 race car. Sun showed a big improvement in his performance in last week’s Boss GP.

Completing the line-up for Absolute Racing and Audi is Johnson Huang from Taiwan in car number 26.

The qualifying sessions will be held on Friday October 10, with Rounds 11 and 12 taking place on Saturday October 11 and Sunday October 12 respectively.

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

GT Asia: Unbelievable bad luck hit Audi teams in Sepang race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

The Audi teams faced a very unlucky GT Asia Series race 1 today at Sepang International Circuit. None of the Audi R8 LMS ultra cars finished the 1-hour race.

The first race today is maybe the hardest ever for the Audi brand and team Absolute Racing in GT Asia Series.

It all started very well with a brilliant pole position and even a 1-2 Audi in Qualifying 1. Alex Yoong was the fastest ahead of Audi works driver Christopher Mies. Then all changed in race 1 with an unbelievable bad luck hitting the two ultras. The #7 Audi driven by Christopher Mies and Jeffrey Lee was forced to retire after 23 laps into the race. The sister #98 machine in the hands of Alex Yoong and Philip Ma faced the same fate earlier on lap 15.

Best ranked Audi car, was the #77 R8 LMS Cup from Tiger Racing Team in tenth place overall, however the car was competing in the lower GTM class.

Overall race victory went to the #97 Aston Martin V12 Vantage from Bamboo Craft Racing. Second place for #37 Ferrari 458 GT3 from team BBT. The #32 McLaren MP4-12C from Clearwater Racing was third.

Sepang race 1 results can be seen here.

Race 2 is set for tomorrow. The #7 R8 LMS ultra of Christopher Mies and Jeffrey Lee will start from position eight, the #98 Audi in the hands of Alex Yoong and Philip Ma will start from position nineteen.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: The Audi teams aiming high at Sepang

By Tarek Ramchani

The GT Asia Series is heading to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia this weekend. The Audi Sport customer racing squad will be represented by five Audi R8 LMS and ultra cars.

The Audi teams performed very well last time out at the Fuji Speedway. Audi works driver Christopher Mied along with team-mate Jeffrey Lee were victorious driving an Audi R8 LMS ultra from Absolute Racing.

In Malaysia, three Audi R8 LMS ultra will try to give the Audi brand additional wins and strong results. The Audi drivers including the returning Christopher Mies will have to fight against strong teams representing Ferrari, McLaren, Aston Martin, Porsche and Nissan.

#7 Absolute Racing - Jeffrey Lee / Christopher Mies
#17 Absolute Racing - Sun Jing Zhu / Wang Jian Wei
#98 Absolute Racing - Alex Yoong / Phillip Ma

In addition to the three Audi R8 LMS ultra who will target the outright victories, two Audi R8 LMS cars will compete in the lower GTM class.

#23 Taiwan Top Speed Racing - Sasha Chu
#77 Tiger Racing Team - Jacky Yeung / Ashraff Dewal

The two qualifying sessions and race 1 art set for Saturday, the second race will be held on Sunday.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Audi victorious in Fuji once more

Audi Press Release

• Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies win Round 6 of the GT Asia series
• Jacky Yeung takes fourth podium of the season
• Adverse weather conditions added an extra level of difficulty

Japan, July 15, 2014 – The Audi entries achieved great results at the Fuji International Speedway in Japan in Rounds 5 and 6 of the GT Asia series. After good pace was set in qualifying, the pairing of Jeffrey Lee and Christopher Mies finished fourth in Round 5 and then took first in Round 6. Jacky Yeung also maintained form to claim another podium in the GTM class.

“Shortly before the races got underway, rain started to fall very hard and very fast. It was very difficult for all the teams to react in time and make adjustments to the cars to suit the conditions,” commented Fabien Fior, Director of Absolute Racing.

In the wet conditions, winner at last year’s stop at the Fuji International Speedway, Jeffrey Lee, and his partner Christopher Mies, braved the severe weather to put in a great performance in their Audi R8 LMS ultra car number 7 to finish first in Sunday’s race.

Lee started the race several cars behind pole position but held on well to gain position. After the driver swap, Mies drove positively to make steady progress. He achieved some of the fastest lap times and managed to overtake the cars in front one by one, before taking the lead with two laps to go.

Similarly, Alex Yoong and Hong Kong racing driver, Philip Ma, did well to come from the middle of the pack to finish fifth, improving upon their results in qualifying and Round 5, although the torrential rain and slippery surface proved tricky to deal with.

In the GTM class, Jacky Yeung battled through the conditions in his Audi R8 LMS Cup car for Tiger Team Racing, coming from eighth place to score a podium, finishing third in Round 5. So far in the series, the Hong Kong gentleman driver has four podium finishes to his name.

“Overall, it was a very satisfying day, in which the team and drivers worked very hard and performed well. Special thanks to Christopher Mies for his amazing driving in the rain. We should be seeing more from him in Asia,” said Fabien Fior.

Next up in the GT Asia series for the Audi entries is Rounds 7 and 8 on August 15-17 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Winning debut for Christopher Mies with Absolute Racing Audi at Fuji

By Tarek Ramchani

A great debut for Christopher Mies in the demanding GT Asia Series. The German Audi factory driver took a great race victory in the Race 2 at the Fuji Speedway.

Christphoer Mies shared the winning R8 LMS ultra with Jeffrey Lee and helped the Audi brand clinch a first victory in GT Asia Series this year.

The #7 Audi R8 LMS ultra from team Absolute Racing won the 30-lap race with style after a great battle with the second placed Ferrari 458 GT3.

Another Audi R8 LMS ultra from Absolute Racing performed well, the #98 car of Alex Young and Philip Ma finished in  a strong fifth.

Race 2 results can be seen here.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Audi returns to Japan

Audi Press Release

• Five Audi entries in Rounds 5 and 6 of the GT Asia series
• Team aiming for improved results
• Audi Factory driver Christopher Mies joins the lineup

Japan, July 11, 2014 – The five Audi entries are hoping for an improved performance at the Fuji International Speedway in Japan for the fifth and sixth rounds of the GT Asia series from July 11-13. Audi took first and second place in Fuji last year and Team Absolute Racing is confident of achieving similar success again.

“The very long straight in Fuji is not to our advantage, with the difference in speed in the competition. But with the weather being unpredictable and counting on our drivers and team putting in good performances all round, we will hopefully have a good weekend and come away with podium finishes and positive results,” commented Fabien Fior, Director of Absolute Racing.

In the GT3 class, Jeffrey Lee, who took first place at the Fuji International Speedway last year, will drive his usual car number 7, partnered by Audi Factory driver Christopher Mies, whose addition strengthens the lineup. Alex Yoong, who came second in Fuji last year, will drive with Philip Ma in car 98. In the GTM class, Jacky Yeung will partner Keith Wong in the number 77 Audi R8 LMS Cup car; Joe Hsu and Han Lin will drive car 22, and Japanese gentleman driver Francis Onda will be in car 86 in front of his home crowd.

Despite putting in great performances last time round at Autopolis in the third and fourth rounds, the drivers suffered from bad luck with accidents which limited their final results. Although the results were disappointing, all the drivers were really good for pace and posted some great lap times. More positively, Jacky Yeung, in his Audi R8 LMS Cup car, finished second in the GTM class in Round 3 for his third podium of the 2014 season in the competition.

In Rounds 1 and 2 of GT Asia at the Korea International Circuit, Jacky Yeung enjoyed the best results, with a win in the GTM class. Elsewhere, Alex Yoong and Matt Solomon endured a tough race in the first round but managed to finish in fourth.

The qualifying sessions will be held on Friday July 11, with Rounds 5 and 6 taking place on Saturday July 12 and Sunday July 13 respectively.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Audi hopeful for GT podium in Japan

Audi Press Release

• Four Audi entries in Rounds 3 and 4 of the GT Asia series
• Team Absolute Racing eyes podium
• Autopolis International Circuit suits Audi GT3 car

Four Audi entries are preparing to compete at the Autopolis International Circuit in the third and fourth rounds of the GT Asia series in Japan from May 30 to June 1. With three Audi R8 LMS ultras in the competition, Team Absolute Racing has high hopes for a successful weekend on a technical circuit, which should suit the Audi GT3 cars well.

“I am hopeful that Japan will be good. The Autopolis International Circuit is a very technical track, with lots of ups and downs, and twists and turns, which suits our car very well. With the enlarged GT Asia field in Japan, the competition is difficult. But we want to put in a performance this weekend. We want to win. I at least expect a podium position”, commented Ingo Matter, Director of Absolute Racing.

Former Formula 1 driver, Alex Yoong, will partner talented gentleman driver, Egidio Perfetti in car 98. The Italian won the amateur class of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in 2013. The new pairing will try to make up for the difficult start to the GT Asia season for Audi in Yeongam, South Korea. Alex Yoong and Matt Solomon were leading for most of the race in Round 2, but in order to avoid a collision, the car was driven over a curb, sustaining damage. This forced them to retire in the final few laps.

Jeffrey Lee from Taiwan and local driver, Hiroki Yoshimoto, will be in car 7 at this weekend’s races in Japan. The Japanese driver’s knowledge of his home track will be beneficial to the pair. Completing the Absolute Racing Audi line-up is car 17, driven by Sun Jingzu, who also drives in the amateur category of the Audi R8 LMS Cup, and Wang Jianwei, who makes his debut in the GT Asia series this season.

Furthermore, Jacky Yeung of Team Tiger Racing will be competing in car 77, the same car he drives in the Audi R8 LMS Cup. Hong Kong driver Yeung had achieved two podium finishes in the GTM category in Rounds 1 and 2 of GT Asia at the Korea International Circuit in May.

The qualifying sessions will be held on Friday May 30, with Rounds 3 and 4 taking place on Saturday May 31 and Sunday June 1 respectively.

Photo credit: GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Fourth place for Absolute Racing Audi in Korea race 1

By Tarek Ramchani

Korea International Circuit is hosting the opening round of the 2014 GT Asia Series this weekend. Three Audi R8 LMS ultra cars are entering the event, all of them from Absolute Racing.

Race 1 was synonymous of ups and downs for the Asian Audi Sport customer racing team. Two cars finished within the Top 10, the third car was unlucky and was forced to retire.

The Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra driven by Alex Yoong and Matt Solomon finished fourth overall showing great pace. In the closing stages the Audi battled hard with an Aston Martin V12 Vantage GT3 for third place but ultimately finished right behind it and narrowly missed the podium.

The Audi of Ken Look and Sun Jing Zu finished in ninth place. The third Absolute Racing entry driven by Jeffrey Lee and Marchy Lee did not finish the race.

Race win went to the Ferrari 458 GT3 from team Spirit of Raceahead of a McLaren MP4-12C from Clearwater Racing.

Photo credit: AFOS / GT Asia Series

GT Asia: Absolute Racing testing at Sepang

By Johan Laubscher

Absolute Racing is busy preparing for the 2014 GT Asia Series. The team was out testing with two Audi R8 LMS ultra cars at Sepang this weekend.

The two all-black R8 LMS ultra cars at the test were listed with drivers Philip Ma / Alex Yoong and Jeffrey Lee / Marchy Lee. 

Absolute Racing entered three full-season Audi R8 LMS ultra cars in GT Asia last year. This team was strong enough to clinch the GT Asia teams' title for Absolute Racing, who was using the team name of Team R8 LMS Ultra.

The 2014 GT Asia season will get underway in Korea, with round one taking place at Inje from 2-4 May.

Photo credit: Absolute Racing

Video: Team Audi R8 LMS ultra 2013 GT Asia teams' champions

By Tarek Ramchani

2013 was a great year for the Audi brand in the GT Asia Series. Team Audi R8 LMS ultra (Absolute Racing) won the teams' title after great racing on track all season long.Absolute Racing managed three fast Audi R8 LMS ultra cars and achieved several podiums and an Audi 1-2 finish at Fuji Speedway.

Our 2013 GT Asia Audi teams full season review can be seen here.

Here is a look back at Team Audi R8 LMS ultra's successful 2013 season with this nice video.

Photo credit: Absolute Racing

Macau GT Cup: Mortara wins Macau GT Cup

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

•          Edoardo Mortara wins third Macau GT Cup in a row for Audi
•          Team R8 LMS ultra clinch GT Asia team championship
•          Marchy Lee with excellent fourth place

Macau, November 17, 2013 – Edoardo Mortara won his third Macau GT Cup in a row in dramatic fashion today. Starting second on the grid, Mortara dropped to fourth after the first two corners, before eventually passing through the top of the field in the final three laps of the race. Marchy Lee produced a superb drive to secure fourth position after starting 11th on the grid. An excellent weekend for Audi was completed as Team R8 LMS ultra, with drivers Philip Ma, Francis Hideki Onda and Jeffrey Lee sealed the GT Asia team championship. 

“The one person who can make this possible is Edo. Yesterday he said he could not do miracles – then today when he overtook one of his competitors in the narrow hills of Macau he said over the radio ‘see, I can do miracles’. To collect his 6th win in Macau at the 60th anniversary of the Macau GP and against this year’s very strong competition is outstanding. Marchy Lee was excellent for 4th place. It shows how strong Asian drivers can compete on an international level,” said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. He continued: “Additionally we won the team championship of the GT Asia season today. This is the icing on the cake. In only two years, we have established our Audi Sport customer racing activities in Asia as the benchmark of motorsport in the Asian region.”

Mortara’s race got off to a disappointing start when he dropped from second to fourth. And there were little opportunities to regain positions, as the safety car was out for the majority of the opening six laps because of two crashes. The first one involved a handful of cars after New Zealand driver Earl Bamber hit the wall and spun. The second incident saw Australian Ro Charlz lose control of his vehicle. The standing car was eventually hit by the Audi R8 LMS ultra of team IMS driver Shim Ching, who had to retire from the race.

The race came alive on lap 7, with Maro Engel leading the field before he was forced to retire in lap 9. Three enthralling final three laps followed. On lap 10 Mortara was able to move into second place by overtaking Renger Zande’s Mercedes SLS AMG GT3 on a very tight corner of the snake-like hill area of the circuit. He now had a clear run at race leader Alexandre Imperatori.

And with just two laps to go, Mortara took the lead with another spectacular move. Danny Watts in the McLaren MP4-12C climbed from fourth to second in the shadow of the Audi driver. Mortara kept his cool and opened up a safe gap between him and his rival to take the chequered flag. 2012 Audi LMS cup champion, Marchy Lee, drove excellently to cut through the field from 11th on the grid to 4th.

For Mortara it was the sixth victory in Macau and the second in just as many weekends. Last Sunday he had already won the final race of the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup season on Macau’s Guia Circuit.

Jeffrey Lee finished third in the GT Asia category. His Team R8 LMS ultra secured the overall GT Asia team championship for Audi in Macau. They finished the series on top of the standings on 236 points ahead of Clearwater Racing on 206 and Craft Racing on 188.

Edoardo Mortara:

“The car was unbelievable, especially in the hill part. I never give up and always give everything. Congrats to Marchy [Lee] for fourth place and thanks to all the people that made this weekend possible. I have never seen such a competitive field in the GT Cup, and to have first and fourth is fantastic. We were losing 7 to 8 tenths on the straights, so we had to make that up in the mountains where we were quicker. Many people say you can’t overtake in the mountain area. But it was the only chance, so I had to do it.”

Marchy Lee:

“I started the race very patient and waited for my opportunities. Edo [Mortara] has been fantastic all weekend and I have learnt a lot from the Audi Quattro team and from Edo’s driving style. This will help me going into 2014. I hope I can come back to Macau next year. ”

Romolo Liebchen, Head of Audi Sport customer racing:

“I am not sure if my nerves can take this every year. After the start of the race I didn’t think victory was possible. But Edo [Mortara] again did an outstanding job. He was fantastic. He made history today!!”

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup

Macau GT Cup: Full race and highlights videos

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 Macau GT Cup was held during the early hours of this morning and it was certainly a very exciting race. Mr Macau Edoardo Mortara took his sixth straight win at Macau, his third consecutive GT Cup victory, after fighting back from fourth. As is always the case videos have begun to appear on YouTube and we have embedded two videos below, the full race and a highlights video. 

Full Race (Chinese Commentary)

Highlights video from Erebus Motorsport

Photo credit: RacerLink

GT Asia: Absolute Racing Team R8 LMS ultra clinched the teams’ championship title at the Macau finale

By Johan Laubscher

The 2013 GT Asia Series concluded with the finale at Macau today. It was a day of celebration for Absolute Racing as they won the GT Asia teams’ championship title.

The GT Asia season finale was held alongside the Macau GT Cup, running together on track. A number of GT Asia entrants were in the field. Four of the six Audi entries were also entered for the GT Asia finale, which included: Jeffery Lee (#7), Shim Ching (#78), Francis Hideki Onda (#86) and Philip Ma (#98). The six Audi R8 LMS / ultra entries are listed below:

The big news this weekend was the return of the reigning two-time Macau GT Cup champion, Edoardo Mortara, in his his #1 Audi R8 LMS Cup backed Audi R8 LMS ultra. He was joined by his teammate, Marchy Lee, in the #38 Audi Hong Kong Audi R8 LMS ultra. Absolute Racing was also present with their regular three-car GT Asia team, along with another private Audi entry from IMS. Absolute Racing, who competed with the team name of "Team R8 LMS ultra," arrived as the leaders in the GT Asia teams' championship points standings and they were aiming to clinch the title this weekend. They were leading the standings ahead of Clearwater Racing and Craft Racing.

Qualifying was split over two days, with the first session on Friday and the second on Saturday. The first session concluded with Jeffrey Lee topping the times as the fastest GT Asia entrant in fourteenth overall. Philip Ma was fourth fastest, followed by Francis Hideki Onda in twelfth and Shim Ching in sixteenth. The second and final qualifying session again saw Jeffrey Lee as the fastest GT Asia Audi, but this time he was fourth fastest in the GT Asia standings, followed by Philip Ma in fifth. Francis Hideki Onda had been steadily improving during the weekend and was tenth fastest during the second qualifying session. Shim Ching placed fifteenth.

The final qualifying grid was determined by the fastest times from the two qualifying sessions. The GT Asia 'pole position' went to Mok Weng Sun in his McLaren MP4-12C, who qualified fourteenth overall. Jeffrey Lee was the highest GT Asia Audi qualifier and he lined up in fourth place, seventeenth overall. Philip Ma qualified in fifth, eighteenth overall. Francis Hideki Onda qualified in twelfth, twenty-sixth overall and Shim Ching lined up seventeenth, thirty-second overall.

The race itself got underway at 9:20 on Sunday morning and up front there was a battle between the front running Mercedes-Benz, Porsche and Audi cars. Further back the GT Asia competitors were looking for passing opportunities and to stay clear of incidents. A large crash during the opening few corners unfortunately took out a number of the GT Asia runners. Fortunately the three Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra cars made it through the carnage and survived the opening laps. Their main challengers for the teams' title, Clearwater Racing, were unfortunately collected in the incidents that brought out the first two safety cars. 

Jeffrey Lee and Philip Ma were running together and moved up into the top ten overall. They maintained their positions to the flag, with Lee finishing ninth ahead of Ma in tenth. This translated into third within the GT Asia runners for Marchy Lee and fourth for Ma. The GT Asia ranks was lead by Li Zhi Cong in the #2 Porsche ahead of Frank Yu in the #30 Craft Racing Aston Martin. Francis Hideki Onda finished seventeenth overall, taking tenth within GT Asia, ensuring that all three of the Absolute Racing Audis finished within the GT Asia top ten, vital for the teams' championship points standings. Shim Ching unfortunately retired from the race.

These results were enough to crown Absolute Racing with the 2013 GT Asia teams’ championship title. Well done to the entire team, who competed as “Team R8 LMS ultra” during 2013.

Up front in the overall classification it was another victory for Mr Macau Edoardo Mortara in his #1 Audi R8 LMS ultra, who celebrated the win ahead of his teammate, Marchy Lee, who had progressed up to fourth.

It was a terrific weekend for the Audi teams. Race victory for Mortara and Absolute Racing secured the GT Asia teams' championship title.

Photo credit: Absolute Racing

Macau GT Cup: Mortara on front row for Macau GT Cup

Audi R8 LMS Cup Press Release

•          Audi driver Edoardo Mortara sets second fastest lap in qualifying
•          The Italian aims for three back-to-back wins at the GT Cup
•          Six Audi entries in one of Asia’s most prestigious races

Macau, November 16, 2013 – Edoardo Mortara will be on the front row of the grid after posting the second fastest lap during the qualifying session of the City of Dreams Macau GT Cup. The Italian won here for Audi in both 2011 and 2012. He will be hoping to make it three Macau GT race wins in a row, continuing his dominance in Macau which he began with two Formula 3 Macau GP wins in 2009 and 2010.

“Edo (Mortara) did a great job; he was pushing to the limit. Unfortunately there was a lot of traffic, so we couldn’t realize our full potential. However, racing in Macau is like gambling so everything is possible tomorrow. The race is also important because it is the final of the GT Asia season, in which we lead the overall team championship with Team R8 LMS ultra. We will work hard tomorrow to secure the title,” said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.

Driving an Audi R8 LMS ultra, Mortara will be determined to make a good start and early on overtake polesitter Maro Engel in his Mercedes SLS AMG GT3. Overtaking during the race is a challenge in the tight turns of Macau’s street race. Mortara’s car is run by Germany based Audi Sport customer racing. The prestigious competition, on the banks of the South China Sea, is an important mark in the calendar of the global Audi Sport customer racing program.

“Unfortunately, today was not that good day compared to the first qualifying session yesterday. I had pretty bad traffic and got slowed down significantly. But hopefully tomorrow will be better. It is very difficult because our competitors have a lot of power. But I will fight very hard until the very end”, said Edoardo Mortara.

Aside from Mortara, Audi has five additional entries in this year’s Macau GT Cup. Audi R8 LMS Cup 2012 champion, Marchy Lee, will start from grid position 11 tomorrow. He races for Team R8 LMS ultra, which is run by Audi Sport customer racing Asia. Jeffrey Lee, Francis Hideki Onda and Philip Ma are driving for points in the GT Asia series with Team R8 LMS ultra. Their three cars are run and serviced by Absolute Racing. The final Audi to start the race is driven by Shim Ching from Canada, who will be racing for team IMS.

The Macau GT Cup is the final race of the GT Asia series. Team R8 LMS ultra will be determined to secure the overall team championship. They currently lead the series on 212 points, sitting just six clear of second place Clearwater Racing, with third place Craft Racing a further 34 points back. “We are under great pressure to perform. But even under the BOP restrictions our cars perform very well. We are especially strong in the corners. We will have to take advantage of that and give it our all. We want the GT Asia team championship!” said Francis Hideki Onda of Team R8 LMS ultra.

Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com

Photo credit: Audi R8 LMS Cup