Absolute Corse made an impressive start to its latest campaign, securing a double podium finish as Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy brought the #29 Absolute Corse Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 home in second place in the Silver-Am Cup in both races of the opening round of the GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia.
Despite securing double podium finishes and leaving Sepang second in the Silver-Am Cup championship standings, it was far from a straightforward weekend. The late arrival of the car posed a significant challenge, limiting the team’s preparation time and leaving the drivers on the back foot throughout the event. From setup work to building confidence behind the wheel, everything had to be rushed - and that inevitably impacted overall performance. While the results were encouraging on paper, Absolute Corse know there’s still much more to come once the drivers are fully up to speed.
With only limited running in the new Italian machinery - and having his fastest lap deleted for allegedly exceeding track limits - Huang Ruohan delivered a superb qualifying performance to claim Silver-Am pole position for Saturday’s Race 1, posting the ninth-fastest time overall. Teammate Akash Nandy endured a more challenging session, having both of his quickest laps deleted for similar infringements, which placed the #29 Huracán GT3 EVO2 fourth in class.
At the start of the race, chaos unfolded as a multi-car incident brought out the safety car. Huang Ruohan, however, avoided the trouble and maintained the lead in Silver-Am while climbing to sixth overall. On lap nine, the Chinese Am driver handed over to Akash Nandy during the mandatory pit window. Following the pit stops, the #29 Lamborghini rejoined in second place in class - a position Nandy defended to the chequered flag. Despite his efforts, the Malaysia ace was unable to overhaul the leading car, which held a notable straight-line speed advantage.
Sunday’s second race of the weekend proved equally challenging for the drivers. Starting 14th on the grid, Akash Nandy got off to a good start but lost two positions under braking into Turn 1, before regaining them on the exit of Turn 2. Despite struggling with tyre grip, the Malaysian driver kept the #29 Lamborghini in close contention with the class leaders up to the mandatory pit stop window. Huang Ruohan took over for the second stint, rejoining in a tightly bunched field following a Safety Car period. A strong final push saw the Chinese driver bring the car home in ninth overall and secure a second consecutive podium in class.
In the end of the weekend, Akash Nandy said: ”We're really pleased with how the weekend went – a positive start to our 2025 GT World Challenge Asia season with double points finishes and a double P2 finish in the Silver-Am category. Considering we had no testing leading up to the first race weekend, I’m proud of the team's effort and our ability to fight for points right from the start. We did struggle with the balance of the car throughout the weekend, but I’m confident there’s more pace to unlock as we gain more mileage and fine-tune the setup. A huge thank you to Bin Zayed International for their continued support – it’s been invaluable. Also, a big shout-out to Absolute Corse for all their hard work and dedication. I’m looking forward to building on this momentum and tackling the challenges ahead.”
Teammate Huang Ruohan added: “Due to logistical issues, we were one car short, which meant fewer opportunities to gather valuable data than our opponents. It was a challenge weekend, especially as the car arrived so late, making it difficult to unlock its full potential. Both races were tough, but we still came away with points and two class podiums. That said, we know there’s more to achieve, and we’re looking forward to making further progress in Indonesia, where we hope to tap into more of what this new car has to offer.”
Absolute Racing Team Principal Ingo Matter said: “All in all, it was a good weekend for us. The team and drivers were new to the car, but that didn’t stop us from securing a class pole position and making it to the podium twice. The team faced the usual challenges of optimising a new car, and while we couldn’t quite push to our full potential just yet, we’re pleased with the progress we’ve made. With more time in the car, we’re confident we’ll unlock the performance we know is within our reach. We are very grateful for the support we’ve received from Lamborghini and can’t wait to strengthen the partnership.”
Next up on the GT World Challenge Asia calendar is the much-anticipated debut at Indonesia’s Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. Absolute Corse is targeting a second entry, with the #19 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, and will announce its driver line-up in the coming days.
