Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute drivers James Yu and Akash Nandy secured their first overall victory this season in race one of the penultimate round of the 2024 Fanatec GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS at Japan’s 3.703 km Okayama International Circuit.
Their teammates, Markus Winkelhock and Huang Ruo Han, also had a strong showing in the opening race, finishing third overall and winning the highly competitive Pro/Am class. On Sunday, James Yu and Akash Nandy added to their success by visiting the Silver Cup podium, alongside Absolute Racing drivers Eshan Pieris and Tanart Sathienthirakul. André Canard and Finn Gehrsitz also made it to the podium in the Silver/Am class.
Although Anthony Liu and Alessio Picariello didn’t have the best weekend, they managed to keep their hopes for the GT3 Driver and Pro/Am championships titles alive with only one race weekend remaining in the Fanatec GT Asia calendar.
Audi Team Celebrates Victories and Silverware
Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute turned teamwork into a dominant performance as James Yu and Akash Nandy secured a flawless pole-to-flag victory in Race 1. Meanwhile, teammates Huang Ruo Han and Markus Winkelhock capped off the success with an overall podium finish and a commanding win in the Pro-Am class.
After nailing pole position in Q1, Audi Sport Asia Junior James Yu delivered a flawless start, quickly pulling away to build a commanding lead. By the time the pit window opened, Yu had carved out an impressive eight-second advantage before handing the reins to his Malaysian teammate, Akash Nandy, who kept the pressure on and held the lead through a thrilling second stint.
Despite a late Full Course Yellow putting Akash Nandy under intense pressure, he crossed the finish line to claim his and Yu’s first overall Fanatec GT Asia victory. Markus Winkelhock and Huang Ruo Han finished third overall and secured their second Pro-Am win of the season. Huang Ruo Han made significant progress off the start, moving up three places to P5 and second among Pro-Am competitors. Markus Winkelhock set the fastest lap of the race, aggressively closing in on Nandy's rival and ultimately securing the Pro-Am class win.
Race two began under threatening skies and the rain started soon after, prompting a Safety Car period that halted further progress. At the restart, Akash Nandy began his recovery after falling down the order, but worsening track conditions made it challenging for slick-shod competitors. Despite a heavy Success Penalty from their race one win, the Audi Sport Asia pair managed another Silver Cup podium finish, keeping their title hopes alive.
German GT ace Markus Winkelhock fought for third overall in the opening stint and tricky track conditions. Despite losing time due to a longer pit stop, courtesy of the Success Penalty from their brilliant Saturday race, and a spin, series newcomer Huang Ruo Han battled back to secure a top-eight overall finish, climbing from their P15 starting position.
Heading into the final round in Shanghai this September, Akash Nandy and James Yu are third in the Silver Cup title race, 32 points behind the leaders. Meanwhile, Huang Ruo Han and Markus Winkelhock are fifth in the Pro-Am standings, 48 points off the lead, and seventh in the GT3 Driver championship, 49 points behind the top spot but still mathematically in contention for both titles.
Mixed Feelings for Porsche Crews
Anthony Liu and Alessio Picariello arrived at the fifth event of the season with fierce determination to vie for the Pro/Am class title. Despite less-than-ideal qualifying sessions, where the No. 911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992) duo secured 9th place for race one and 11th for race two grid, they showcased resilience by overcoming a 10-second Success Penalty in the Saturday race. Their efforts culminated in a strong performance, finishing eighth overall and fifth in their class.
On Sunday, the duo in car number 1 had a strong desire to push further, but the race didn't go as planned. A spin on lap 3 dropped Alessio Picariello from seventh to 26th place. To make matters worse for the title contenders, a drive-through penalty for causing a collision stalled the fast Belgian driver's recovery. Despite these setbacks, Anthony Liu managed to fight back, finishing 17th overall and ninth in the Pro/Am class.
The overall result in Okayama was disappointing, but Anthony Liu and Alessio Picariello still have a chance to compete for the Pro/Am class title, currently sitting in second place, just 11 points behind the leaders. They also maintain a theoretical shot at the GT3 Driver Championship title in the final race of the season in Shanghai, where they are third in the standings, 19 points off the lead.
Sri Lanka’s Eshan Pieris and Thailand’s Tanart Sathienthirakul arrived in Suzuka fully motivated after their Silver Cup class wins in Buriram, Fuji, and Suzuka, and leading the Silver Cup standings.
The No. 911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992) qualified sixth overall and third in its class for the first race, with Tanart Sathienthirakul at the wheel. Unfortunately, the race did not start as planned for the fast Thai driver, as he received a drive-through penalty for being out of position at the start. The duo bounced back during the one-hour race, with Eshan Pieris finishing third in the class. However, after the race, the No. 911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R pair was assessed a 5-second time penalty for allegedly pushing an opponent at the exit of T7 and gaining an unfair advantage, which demoted them to fourth in the class.
Despite the challenges faced by all drivers in the second race, the Asian Porsche duo remained composed and secured a second-place finish in the Silver Cup class. Currently holding second place in the Silver Cup standings, Eshan Pieris and Tanart Sathienthirakul will contend for the title in the final two races of the year, with just a 10-point gap separating them from first place.
Absolute Corse Triumphantly Returns to the Podium
The Absolute Corse duo, Bronze-rated Filipino racer André Canard and young German talent Finn Gehrsitz, made a triumphant return to the podium at the former F1 circuit of Okayama on Saturday.
André Canard qualified 17th overall and fourth in the Silver/Am class for the opening race of the weekend. The series newcomer demonstrated strong pace from the start, gaining positions without taking unnecessary risks, and handed over the No. 296 Absolute Corse Ferrari 296 GT3 to his teammate in 12th overall and 3rd in the Silver/Am class. Displaying great maturity and executing a strong pace, Finn Gehrsitz maintained their podium position.
Finn Gehrsitz placed the Italian made car in the Silver/Am class pole-position place for Sunday’s race, being the quickest of the five Absolute Racing-run cars in Q2. Unfortunately, an early spin by the Silver-rated German driver took the Italian machine out of contention for a top position. The situation worsened when André Canard was involved in an accident with a Porsche at the start of his driving stint. In addition to the time lost, the Filipino driver received a drive-through penalty for being at fault in the incident. In the end, the team crossed the finish line in 25th overall and ninth in the Silver-Am class.
With these results, and only two races remaining, the German-Filipino duo will be fighting for third place in the Silver-Am class standings, where they currently hold fourth place.
The championship now heads to China, marking its first visit since 2019. The Shanghai International Circuit, home to Absolute Racing, will host the Fanatec GT Asia season finale and title decider from September 13-15.
