Weekend notebook: Ferrari victories in GT World Challenge Asia
The Ferrari 296 GT3s secured an overall victory in Race-1 at the Okayama circuit, the venue for the penultimate round of the GT World Challenge Asia. They also claimed two Am class victories – one of which edges David Tjiptobiantoro closer to a second consecutive title.
The Japan Cup, contested at the same circuit, saw further success with Ferrari cars claiming an overall win and several podium finishes.
GT World Challenge Asia. Overall victory in Race-1 went to the Winhere Harmony Racing pairing of Yi Deng and Kailuo Luo, who, after securing pole position, controlled proceedings from start to finish, leading every lap and also posting the fastest time. The two drivers of the number 96 296 GT3 finished further back in Race-2 but still managed fourth place in the Silver class, allowing Yi Deng to retain second place in the overall standings, 16 points behind the leader.
It was an unlucky weekend for the second Winhere Harmony Racing entry, the number 55 car of Jiajun Song and Prancing Horse official driver Yifei Ye, who were caught up in two collisions that ended their races prematurely while contesting the leading positions.
Race-2 featured a win for David Tjiptobiantoro and Christian Colombo in the Garage 75 296 GT3, with the Indonesian driver nearing a second consecutive Am class title. The two drivers of the number 75 finished fourth in the first race, won by the number 60 296 GT3 of Kei Nakanishi and Shigekazu Wakisaka, who had started from pole position. The latter pair rounded off an excellent weekend with another podium in Race-2, where they finished third.
The next and final round of the series, which will decide all the titles still up for grabs, will be held from 17 to 19 October at the Beijing Street Circuit.
Japan Cup. At Okayama, the Ferraris were once more among the frontrunners, with the number 98 296 GT3 of K-Tunes Racing leading the charge. Daisuke Yamawaki and Shinichi Takagi claimed a second place and a victory, also securing pole position for Race-2, where they finished ahead of Yusaku Maezawa and Naoki Yokomizo in the number 555 488 GT3 of Maezawa Racing. The latter pairing also collected a fourth-place finish in Race-1, taking third in the Pro Am class.
The third Maranello car, the number 7 296 GT3 of Comet Racing, entered in the Am class with drivers Yorikatsu Tsujiko and Yuske Yamasaki, concluded the weekend with seventh and fourth place overall, and second in class.
The final round of the Japanese championship is scheduled from 12 to 14 September at the Suzuka circuit.