AO by Absolute Racing wins Suzuka 1000km as Absolute Racing completes podium double

The AO by Absolute Racing trio secured a superb victory at the 50th running of the Suzuka 1000km, as Alessio Picariello, Julian Andlauer and Laurin Heinrich mastered the famous track to take a comfortable win. Absolute Racing's Ayhancan Güven, Dorian Boccolacci and Alessandro Ghiretti joined them on the podium, claiming a strong third-place finish and completing an excellent weekend for the marque.

Following a solid qualifying session for the two Pro cars, Güven began the six-and-a-half-hour race third in the No. 7 car, with Picariello close behind in sixth at the wheel of the No. 8. A damp track made for a more challenging launch, but Güven was immediately on the pace, taking second through the Esses while Picariello worked his way into fifth.

Andlauer took over from the Belgian in the AO by Absolute Racing car, gaining a position through the pit stops. Aboard the fan-favourite 'Bushi Rex'-liveried machine, Andlauer continued to make good progress, as did Ghiretti in the Absolute Racing entry.

After two hours, and with Boccolacci and Heinrich now out on track, a long-lasting battle began as the cars tried to get through lapped traffic. Heinrich took advantage of this in superb style to claim second, while Boccolacci took third. After rapidly closing the gap to the leading car, Heinrich made a bold move for the lead through the Esses, claiming the place and extending his advantage.

From there, all six drivers in the Pro cars settled into a strong rhythm, recording excellent lap times as the sun set over the Japanese circuit. Heinrich completed the final stint to clinch Porsche's 12th victory at the event, while Güven battled back from a slow stop to reclaim the No. 7's position on the podium in third.

The AO by Absolute Racing victory also ended Porsche's 32-year wait to win again at the Suzuka 1000km. With this victory, Absolute Racing helped Porsche increase its tally to 12 wins in the Suzuka Summer Race, further strengthening Porsche's position as the leading manufacturer in the history of the Japanese endurance race.

As fireworks lit up the sky above Suzuka on Sunday evening, the 50th Suzuka 1000km became another chapter in Absolute Racing's history. For Absolute Racing, a victory in partnership with AO Racing, and a third-place finish from its two Porsche entries provided further confirmation of the team's competitiveness at Suzuka and at the highest level of endurance racing in the Intercontinental GT Challenge.

“I’m so happy to have taken the win, the team worked really hard and gave us an amazing car today, so I knew this as possible. We took it easy at the beginning, Julien then did a great stint before Laurin had a mega Safety Car restart to take the lead. From there we controlled the race and I’m very proud of our performance on such a difficult track. A big thanks to Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and the team!”

“It’s an amazing feeling to win at Suzuka and to do it in style. We worked well as a team and once we got the race lead we never gave it up. It’s hard to pass on this track, so my move for the lead was important and I’m delighted I was able to get it done. It makes it even more special to do it on Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific’s five-year anniversary. And personally for me, I visited Henri Pescarolo last year, who won here with Porsche and he gave me some tips, so I’m really happy they paid off for victory this year.”

“It was my first time at Suzuka and a perfect debut on this incredible track. We had some ups and downs, but got all the big decision correct and had a great mindset throughout. We executed the race perfectly and I’m really happy to have taken this win. Thanks to the whole team for their incredible work this weekend!”

“Congratulations to the sister #8 car for the win! On our side, I don’t think we quite maximised what we had this week. A few mistakes pushed us back, we tried everything but it wasn’t quite enough. It was a good day overall from our side and I’m happy for Porsche for this success.”

“The whole team did a great job this weekend to secure first and third for Porsche. It was an intense event, we had some ups and downs and a few issues during pit stops but Ayhancan recovered third strongly. We had the potential for more, but we’ve improved as a team from last year to this year, so we can be happy.”

“Today is a good day for Porsche! I’m happy to have taken on the Suzuka 1000km for the first time with Porsche and to clinch a podium. A big thanks to my teammates, who did an incredible job and hopefully we’ll come back stronger next time!”

“We’re so happy with our performance today, taking the victory with the #8 car and third with the #7. It’s our first time winning this race after multiple podiums in the past and also very good points for Porsche in IGTC. We’re pleased with the team’s performance, every driver performed well and we’re looking forward to the next one!"