Absolute Corse secured their seventh podium of the season at the Okayama International Circuit in Japan, with Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy extending their streak of Silver-Am class podium finishes in every race of the GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS.
Absolute Corse arrived in Okayama with plenty of motivation. In the #29 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy still retained a mathematical chance of fighting for the Silver-Am crown, while in the #19 entry Vincenzo Ricci – fresh from a remarkable overall fourth place in Race 2 at Fuji – was joined for the first time by Lamborghini Squadra Corse star Edoardo Mortara, who finished in the Pro-Am podium in the Indonesian round with Andrea Anatra.
Saturday’s first 60 minute-plus-leader race turned into heartbreak for the #29 crew, as Huang Ruohan’s hopes were shattered on the opening lap when his Huracán GT3 EVO2 was hit from behind by a rival. The other driver was handed a penalty, but Huang and Nandy were left with the unenviable task of a recovery drive from the back, ultimately salvaging 21st overall and 7th in Silver-Am.
In sweltering conditions above 30ºC, Ricci and Mortara impressed in the #19 Huracán GT3 EVO2, climbing from 24th on the grid to finish 15th overall and 7th in Pro-Am. A post-race five-second penalty, applied for an alleged incident at Turn 11, did little to overshadow an encouraging debut outing for the new pairing.
On Sunday, Huang and Akash focused on returning to the podium, despite the team continuing to face challenges with straight-line speed against their direct competitors, which limited both pace and overall competitiveness. Nevertheless, Nandy delivered a flawless drive, moving from 24th on the grid up to 15th before handing the car over to Huang, who maintained a strong pace to finish 11th overall and third in the Silver-Am class.
Due to a recurrence of Ricci’s back injury, the team made the decision to withdraw the No. 19 entry from the race in consideration of the driver’s long-term career.
In the championship standings, Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy now lie in third position in the Silver-Am Cup with only two races to go.
The GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS season finale takes place on 17–19 October at the eagerly anticipated new Beijing Street Circuit, a 4.9km, eight-turn track laid out on public roads in E-Town, weaving between contemporary architecture and the picturesque Tongming Lake Park.
