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Jousse dazzles with perfect opening weekend in Shanghai as clashes set stage for riveting season Round 2 race report

Shanghai. Kamlung Racing’s Maxime Jousse sealed a perfect race weekend on Sunday, taking home an assured first place in the overall class in the second race of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s 2016 season at the Shanghai International Circuit. The 24-year-old Frenchman began first on the grid and refused to relinquish his position despite increasing pressure from PICC Team StarChase’s Nico Menzel, who finished less than a second behind Jousse. Completing the podium in the overall championship was Zhang Da Sheng of Fun88 Team Sunfonda, whose clever defense of his position after dropping a place early on to Menzel earned him third.

It was a simply amazing weekend for Class B. Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak of est cola Thailand snatched victory from Yuan Bo of Absolute Racing, getting by him on turn 14 of the final lap. Yuan, then, clawed his way back on the home straight and the drivers were wheel to wheel in a photo finish that left spectators hanging on until the very end. Li Chao of Team Betterlife completed the podium in third.

Blue skies were abound as racers took to the track for the second race of the weekend, offering a stark contrast to the previous day’s rain-saturated race. As soon as the lights went out, Jousse went foot-to-pedal, giving him immediate breathing space to maintain his track position. Meanwhile, Menzel, who began the race in third place, began looking for an opening to get past Zhang Da Sheng, overtaking him in the third lap to renew yesterday’s battle with Jousse at the front of the pack.

Menzel then piled increasing pressure on the leader as the race unfolded, doing his best to blemish the French racer’s immaculate record. But in the end, Jousse was unstoppable, clocking the fastest lap of the race and earning top honors in the season’s first double-header.

On his flawless victory over the weekend Jousse said: “I’m quite happy having had a perfect race weekend. I won both pole positions, both races and had the fastest laps for both races. In the last race, Nico was putting pressure on to me but I knew I had to keep my position, so I had to work hard to stay ahead.”

Further back in the field, Andrew Tang of the Porsche China Junior Team in fifth and Absolute Racing’s Mitchell Gilbert in fourth were locked in a battle that lasted much of the race. Tang continued to probe for a gap only to find Gilbert slamming the door again and again. That game of cat and mouse lasted until the penultimate lap, when Tang finally got past Absolute Racing’s young Australian allowing the Porsche China Junior to finish a hard-fought fourth.

Just behind, Team Porsche Holding’s Zhang Zhen Dong got the better of Cui Yue of Team Jebsen with the drivers coming in sixth and seventh overall respectively.

Boiling among Class B drivers further back was a rivalry between Absolute Racing’s Yuan Bo and Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak of est cola Thailand. After immediately falling from a fifth place starting position to eventually settle in eighth, Yuan Bo found himself in a clean but fierce fight for the winner’s trophy with Inthraphuvasak. As tensions built in the 12th and final lap, Inthraphuvasak seized on a small mistake by Yuan to get ahead. But Yuan Bo would not lay down easily. As the two racers completed the final turn, Bo was hot on the trail, nudging wheels with Inthraphuvasak as they crossed the finish line in a white-fisted finish that left fans and managers gasping. Just five hundredths of a second separated the pair who have already laid down firm markers for the Class B title at this early stage of the season.

In high spirits after the race, Inthraphuvasak joked about the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s newly added incentive for the winning Class B driver at each Round – a presentation box of three bottles of luxury champagne, “Yesterday I saw that Yuan Bo got a free case of champagne and I had to get some for myself! But seriously I really enjoyed the race, it was a great finish and great battle with Bo.”

Yuan Bo’s disappointment at the last-gasp defeat was offset with the announcement that he would receive a gift of a free set of Michelin tyres after securing the highest points total in Class B over whole the weekend.

Eager for a chance to stand proudly on the podium, Team BetterLife’s Li Chao, having had a strong first lap moving up from his twelfth place starting to position to tenth, sparred with the likes of John and Wayne Shen of Modena Motorsports.

Reveling in a long-awaited podium placement, Li said: “Last time I stood on the podium was two years ago. Yesterday’s race was not so good and in today’s race everything went quite well. I feel quite satisfied with the result and have really enjoyed the first race weekend of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.”

It was a captivating finish for the opening weekend of the Carrera Cup Asia’s 14th season with a range of clashes taking place that set the stage for what promises to be a breathtaking season. The competition resumes at the Fuji International Speedway alongside the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan in June in what is already a hotly anticipated weekend of action of Asia’s premier race series.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2016 Round 2 – Results

Pos	No	Driver/Nationality	Class			Entrant/Nationality	Time
1	68	Maxime JOUSSE (FRA)				Kamlung Racing (CHN)	26:04.592
2	99	Nico MENZEL (GER)				PICC Team StarChase (HKG)	+0.984
3	19	ZHANG Da Sheng (CHN)				Fun88 Team Sunfonda (CHN)	+7.342
4	10	Andrew TANG (SIN)				Porsche China Junior Team (CHN)	+11.979
5	88	Mitchell GILBERT (AUS)				Absolute Racing (HKG)	+14.840
6	86	ZHANG Zhen Dong (CHN)				Team Porsche Holding (CHN)	+17.043
7	77	CUI Yue (CHN)				Team Jebsen (HKG)	+19.823
8	18	Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK (THA)	B			est Cola Thailand (THA)	+25.782
9	6	Yuan Bo (CHN)	B			Absolute Racing (HKG)	+25.838
10	9	LI Chao (CHN)	B			Team Betterlife (CHN)	+47.489
11	55	BAO Jinlong (CHN)				Zhen Tong Auto (CHN)	+51.309
12	21	Francis TJIA (HKG)	B			OpenRoad Racing (HKG)	+60.591
13	28	John SHEN (HKG)	B			Modena Motorsports (HKG)	+62.719
14	16	Wayne SHEN (HKG)	B			Modena Motorsports (HKG)	+74.930
15	23	Paul TRESIDDER (AUS)	B			Paul Tresidder (AUS)	+75.531
16	2	Samson CHAN (HKG)	B			Arrows Racing (MAS)	+77.619
17	11	Jeffrey CHIANG (TPE)	B			RC Racing (SIN)	+80.567
18	5	Yuey TAN (SIN)	B			Team Jebsen (HKG)	+85.009
19	22	SIU Yuk Lung (HKG)	B			LKM Racing (MAS)	+98.411
20	8	Sontaya KUNPLOME (THA)	B			Racing Spirit Thailand (THA)	+100.903
21	17	FUNG Yui Sum (HKG)	B			Arrows Racing (MAS)	+111.144
22	78	Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN (THA)	B			True Visions Motorsports Thailand (THA)	+128.367
23	7	WANG Xi (CHN)	B			Team Formax (MAS)	1 LAP
	3	Michael S. (INA)	B			OpenRoad Racing (HKG)	DNF

Overall points after Round 2 (top 5)

Pos	Comp No	Driver	Entrant	Points
1	68	Maxime Jousse	Kamlung Racing	43
2	99	Nico Menzel	PICC Team StarChase	36
3	19	Zhang Da Sheng	Fun88 Team Sunfonda	25
4	6	Yuan Bo	Absolute Racing	23
5	18	Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak	est Cola Thailand	22
5	86	Zhang Zhen Dong	Team Porsche Holding	22

Class B points after Round 2 (top 5)

Pos	Comp No	Driver	Entrant	Points
1	6	Yuan Bo	Absolute Racing	41
2	18	Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak	est Cola Thailand	38
3	16	Wayne Shen	Modena Motorsports	26
4	28	John Shen	Modena Motorsports	24
5	21	Francis Tjia	OpenRoad Racing	19
5	23	Paul Tresidder	Paul Tresidder	19

Series Partners
Supporting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia are two of the most recognised names in international motorsport, Mobil 1 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 Mobil 1 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. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is organised and promoted by Malaysian based Motorsport Asia Ltd.

Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991)
The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is the motorsport version of the new 911 GT3 (Type 991). The near-standard race car, based on the seventh generation of the 911, made its debut in Asia in 2014, having previously run exclusively in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup.

The Porsche 911 GT3 Cup is powered by a 3.8-litre, six cylinder boxer engine which, due to the weight optimized modular race exhaust system, generates 460hp (338 KW) at 7,500 revs per minute, ten horsepower more than its predecessor. Power is delivered to the rear axle via a race clutch and a Porsche Motorsport designed six-speed dog-type gearbox with a mechanical limited slip differential. For the first time in a Porsche makes cup race car, gear shifting is activated with paddle shifts on the steering wheel. The single piece race wheels with centre mount were also newly designed by Porsche Motorsport. The width of the Michelin race slicks was increased by two centimetres to 27 centimetres at the front and by ten millimetres at the rear axle to now measure 31 centimetres.

Compared to its predecessor, the wheelbase has grown by 100 millimetres, improving handling at the limit, while Porsche Motorsport newly designed the forged single-piece 18 inch race rims with central locking.

The new racing brake system improves the endurance qualities of the 911 GT3 Cup, and the internally vented and slotted steel brake discs are operated by aluminium six-piston racing calipers in the front, and four-piston units at the rear.

Safety features have also been further enhanced, and drivers are protected by a newly calculated safety cage and newly designed race seat, while a rescue hatch in the roof enables easy access and extrication.

Like the road going version, the body of the new 911 GT3 Cup combines maximum rigidity with low weight thanks to its aluminium-steel construction, and weighs in at just 1,175 kilograms.

About Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
Preparing for its 14th season in 2016, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia blasted off the starting grid in 2003 and has never looked back. Joining the family of hugely successful Porsche “one make” series, it is now firmly established as the Number One racing series in Asia.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia offers sporting competition at the highest level across the region and is truly international, with competitors from all over Asia as well as Europe and the Pacific. The field is made up of a combination of professional racing drivers and ambitious and talented gentlemen drivers.

About Porsche China
Porsche was founded by Prof. Ferdinand Porsche in Stuttgart, Germany in 1931 and was then transformed into a sports car manufacturer by Ferry Porsche in 1948. Porsche has been known as one of the most prestigious automobile brands in the world for decades. Under the guiding credo of “Intelligent Performance”, Porsche leads the way in providing a new generation of sports cars that prove performance and efficiency can be perfectly combined.

Since entering the Chinese market in 2001, Porsche China has been dedicated to bringing the sporty genes and innovative spirit of the marque to Porsche enthusiasts in this dynamic market. In Porsche’s network in China, customers can experience the unlimited appeal of Porsche’s iconic sports cars: the legendary 911 series, the renowned Boxster and Cayman mid-engine sports cars, the luxurious Cayenne premium SUV, the dynamic and pioneering Macan SUV, the sleek four-door Panamera Gran Turismo and the futuristic 918 Spyder super sports car. Each demonstrates excellence in performance, exquisite design, and consistent commitment to perfect quality that Porsche embodies. Across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau, there are now 92 Porsche centres in operation, ensuring that Porsche customers across the country receive the hallmark personalised care that sets Porsche apart around the world.

In 2015, Porsche delivered 58,009 vehicles across Mainland China, Hong Kong and Macau. Therefore, China becomes the largest single market for Porsche worldwide. In the promising year of 2016, Porsche China expects to continue the marque’s achievements with more future-oriented offerings.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Social Media
To stay abreast of all developments as they happen, follow our Weibo, WeChat, Facebook, Twitter and Instagram accounts here:

Weibo: http://weibo.com/carreracupasia
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/carreracupasia
Twitter: https://twitter.com/carreracupasia
Instagram: http://instagram.com/carreracupasia/

For further enquiries, please contact:
Ms Chester Zhang
Supervisor Public Relations and Press Motorsport
Porsche China
Tel: (86-21) 6156 5911
Fax: (86-21) 5058 4210
Email: chester.zhang@porsche.cn
Website: www.carreracupasia.com

4/17/2016

Further information and pictures for journalists and media representatives can be found on the Porsche press database at http://presse.porsche.de/.