SERIES INTRODUCTION

Introduction

With the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia firmly established as Asia’s premier one-make sports car racing series, 2023 sees a formidable international field of brilliant professionals competing wheel-to-wheel with dedicated privateers. A proven testing ground for fledgling talent and a showcase for the world’s leading GT competitors, today the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is the number one choice for the region’s finest drivers.

Over the past 20 years, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has become renowned as a series that ignites passion and enthusiasm for motorsport across the region. Each of this year’s entries will pilot an identical Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992). This impressive machine represents the latest generation of Porsche’s iconic race car, bringing faster lap times, slicker technology and improved control.

Piloting the 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992), several fresh faces will join series returnees as 21 drivers enter into the 2023 season, with a balanced mix of Pro, Pro-Am and Am racers creating a multi-level competition among the region’s most talented contestants. Also returning in 2023 is the Porsche Dealer Trophy, which will see series’ dealer teams compete head-to-head as they are awarded points based on the top performing dealer team driver.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will also continue its critical role developing Asian motorsport talent in 2023. Our focus on motoring youth continues with the Porsche Talent Pool Programme. Extended to all drivers under the age of 26, this programme gives young talent access to star coaches and training while offering the life-changing opportunity to compete in the global Porsche Junior Programme Shootout in Germany for the best performing driver.

Celebrating 20 years on the track in 2023, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has spent the past two decades proving beyond a shadow of a doubt that it is the premier one-make series on the continent. From the first ever race at Sepang International circuit in 2003, the series has been on a journey that has seen it take in 231 races and host over 198 competitors from 21 countries and regions. With a return to international racing in 2023, this 20th anniversary year is shaping up to be the most exciting Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season yet.

Services

Impeccable services of the highest standards are centrally managed and provided to all teams and drivers, including:

• Transportation of cars, parts and tools from race to race
• Centrally-managed parts, meaning teams do not need to invest in inventory
• Superb track hospitality at each race
• Accommodation and transfer packages
• Pit set-up and equipment

Arrive and Drive Option

While individual teams are welcome, competitors have the option of availing themselves of the unique ‘Arrive and Drive’ concept, which provides drivers with professional support services of the highest calibre.

The Technical Service Package includes highly-trained mechanics and supervisors at each race to service and maintain the car, a pre-season check and pre-event service, pit set-up at each event, and packing, loading and unloading of containers.

This option, provided by professional partner EKS Motorsports, represents savings in both time and expense and means drivers need simply to arrive at the track where the fully-prepared cars await them, making for an exciting and hassle-free race weekend.

Pro-Am Class

Privateer drivers who believe the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is the exclusive domain of full-time professionals could not be more mistaken. The creation of the Pro-Am Class within the series, designed specifically for those very drivers, affords the opportunity to race against the professionals – a unique chance to learn from the best in the business.

Am Class

As the quality of the Carrera Cup Asia’s dedicated privateers has consistently risen year-on-year, it has become necessary to introduce a new class in order to keep every spot in the race competitive. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia introduced the Am class in 2021, and it has returned every season since with its own podiums, points tables and prizes.

Porsche Dealer Trophy

In 2023, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will continue the Porsche Dealer Trophy, which gives dealer teams a chance to compete as they are awarded points each round based on the best performing dealer driver. With huge success in 2022, the trophy further solidifies the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia as one of the most inclusive, exciting racing series in Asia.

Drivers are welcome

With a truly international field, competitors come from as far afield as Europe and Australia, and as close to home as China, to test their racing mettle in the series. Both young and young-at-heart compete wheel-to-wheel each season, and the friendly off-track camaraderie has become a signature of the championship.

In order to take part in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, competitors need to:

• Own a Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992)
• Hold a valid “C” international racing license
• Purchase the Participation Package
• Purchase the Technical Service Package

The Participation Package includes all registration and entry fees, all costs for logistics, and hospitality access for three at each event. It does not include wear-and-tear, tyres, spare parts, and individual travel and on-track insurance.

Guests are welcome

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia provides thrilling motorsport competition across the region, and at each stop offers an exclusive hospitality experience for guests, be they sponsors, business associates, friends or family.

Individual guest packages are offered by the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia organisation.

SEASON 2017

It was a historic 2017 season for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia as Team Formax’s Chris van der Drift became the Overall Champion and Kamlung Racing’s Evan Chen won in Pro-Am during 13 rounds of hard-fought motorsport across Asia’s most iconic and challenging circuits.  

Featuring 25 drivers from more than 12 countries and region in the world, 2017 was the final year for the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991)  before the new 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II) was introduced to the series in 2018, setting the stage for the 15th anniversary of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. For several of the season’s 6 young drivers entering the series from single-seat racing, including Team StarChase’s Philip Hamprecht and Force Asia Racing’s Akash Neil Nandy, the 2017 test days was their first competitive drive in the Porsche 911 GT3 cup car, while van der Drift foreshadowing a successful season with the weekend’s fastest lap time at 2:08.709.   

The real action began when the talented line-up returned to Shanghai International Circuit in April to kick off the season in full with Round 1 and 2. It was then onto the iconic Fuji International Speedway in June, where the tensions were ratcheted up in Round 3 and 4.  Ragginger took Round 3 with a lights-to-flag victory, while van der Drift found his footing to grab victory in Round 4. Meanwhile, a Pro-Am rivalry between Chen and Team Jebsen’s Yuey Tan began to form, with Chen narrowly taking both Round 3 and 4 while facing relentless pressure from Tan, with an invitational with Porsche Carrera Cup Japan for the second year rounding out the weekend with 41 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup taking to the grid. The series’ first-ever race weekend at the coastal Bangsaen Street Circuit in June. Shortly after the Thai showdown, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia hosted the first of two race weekends at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia mid-July. Divers joined the Formula 1 in Singapore to fight it out on the Marina Bay Circuit for Round 9 and 10 in early September. With Porsche Carrera Cup Asia driving for the final time alongside Formula 1 in Malaysia, a decisive victory from Ragginger in Round 11 ushered out the end of a 14-year tradition for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and gave him a solid point lead going into the finale weekend.  

The finale came to a climax with a qualifying session and two rounds of racing in a single day at Shanghai International Circuit. Adding energy to the occasion, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia joined alongside the World Endurance Championship as Porsche LMP Team pushed for its third-consecutive series win in the 6 Hours of Shanghai. The competition took a last minute twist in the qualifiers after Ragginger struggled to get pace, resulting in him starting in P10 and 11 for both races later in the day, compared to van der Drift’s P1 start.  With his biggest challenger out of the way, van der Drift was able to take the victory in final display of championship driving in Round 12, all but sealing his series victory and allowing him to play a cautious Round 13. With van der Drift playing a smart and safe race in the final round, it was a chance for the young talent to shine, with both Porsche China Junior Team drivers Andrew Tang and Zhang Dasheng achieving second and third respectively, while Hamprecht finished the season with a final podium win in first. A last minute push by Tan saw him clock one of his fastest times on the Shanghai International Circuit after 9 years competing the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia to earn P1. He converted the advantageous start into a win for Round 12, making it a single-point divide between him and Chen in the final race. Despite Tan’s impressive performance, he was ultimately unable to overtake Chen, finishing one of the closest season-long rivalries in the series’ history with Chen in first place and Tan in second. 

Van der Drift and Chen were celebrated in style as they were crowned Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2017 champions during the Night of Champions, with Team Porsche Holding earning the first Porsche Dealer Trophy since it was introduced at the start of the year.

PORSCHE MOTORSPORT

With 75 years of racing history and more than 30,000 victories to date, Porsche is the biggest manufacturer in the world to specialise in high performance cars and is the most successful marque in motorsport. We are passionate about this and uphold these ideals as the entire philosophy underpinning Porsche Motorsports: Spirit. Principle. Vision.

The global Porsche Motorsport programme includes both works and customer racing. At the pinnacle of the Porsche Motorsport pyramid is the LMP Sport programme, which returns to Hypercar racing this year with the Porsche 963, which will be competing in the 100th anniversary 24 Hours of Le Mans race. In the GT category, Porsche also competes in the FIA World Endurance Championship as well as the IMSA Championship (which includes the 24 Hours of Daytona and 12 Hours of Sebring), and the legendary Nürburgring 24 Hours. The Porsche onemake Cups include the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup, the international Carrera Cups and the Cup Challenges, while the global programme also features the Cayman GT4 Challenge alongside a myriad of track experience opportunities such as the Porsche Sport Driving School, the Porsche Sports Cup Series and Porsche Club Sports Events.