Podium Glory for Absolute Corse Lamborghinis at Mandalika

Both Absolute Corse Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVOs secured class podium finishes as the GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS made its debut in Indonesia, marking the first-ever international car race held at the Mandalika International Circuit on Lombok island.

Absolute Corse arrived in Indonesia full of motivation, following a double Silver-Am Cup podium in the opening round of the season at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit in April, courtesy of Huang Ruohan and Akash Nandy. Making its season debut, the #19 Absolute Corse Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 took to the 17-turn Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit for the first time, with Indonesia’s Andrea Anatra joining forces with Squadra Corse star Edoardo Mortara.

Saturday’s Qualifying 1 session showed early promise for the Absolute Corse 'bulls’, with both cars securing top-10 grid positions. Chinese Am driver Huang Ruohan delivered a superb performance in the #29 Lamborghini, placing fifth overall and claiming pole in the Silver-Am Cup. Local hero Anatra, making his debut in the car, qualified eighth overall and fourth in the fiercely competitive Pro-Am class.

In Qualifying 2, Macau Grand Prix winner Edoardo Mortara kept up the momentum in the #29, qualifying eighth overall and sixth in Pro-Am. Meanwhile, Akash Nandy struggled with setup and traffic, placing the car 22nd overall and seventh in the Silver-Am Cup.

Race 1 on Saturday was heavily disrupted. A major incident just seven minutes in triggered a prolonged Full Course Yellow (FCY) and Safety Car period, with another neutralisation shortly after the restart. The FCY coincided with the pit window opening. During this phase, Anatra was pushed off track by a rival and forced to pit with a puncture, handing over to Mortara who launched a stunning recovery drive. The Italian-Swiss driver climbed 15 places to finish 13th overall and eighth in Pro-Am. Nandy, meanwhile, was in contention for the Silver-Am class win when he was hit from behind, dropping him to 18th overall and fifth in class.

Race 2 on Sunday was equally hectic, but this time both cars managed to avoid the argy-bargy that had characterised earlier battles. Mortara gained a position at the start and continued to push, climbing from P8 to P6 before the end of his stint. Anatra then took over in fifth place, kept his nose clean, and crossed the line in sixth overall – later promoted to fifth due to a penalty for a rival. The pair also secured a well-earned third place in the Pro-Am class.

In the sister car, Nandy and Huang delivered a strong recovery drive, gaining nine positions on track and being promoted one further place post-race. Unfortunately, the team lost around seven seconds during the pit stop due to an issue with the net mechanism, which saw them slip back down the order, they still fought back to finish second in the Silver Cup.

"It was a real pleasure to race in Mandalika and experience the warm hospitality from everyone who worked so hard to make this event possible. It wasn’t an easy weekend for Absolute Corse Lamborghini team, but we’ve made progress. Our drivers were quite unlucky in the first race, with both cars taken out from promising positions. The two class podiums in race two gave a clearer glimpse of our potential. We’re heading in the right direction and hope to keep building on this momentum in Buriram."

“Overall, a pretty good race weekend for us, especially considering it was our first time driving the No. 19 Lamborghini. For me, it was actually my first-ever GT race this season, so I’m quite pleased to have got some proper laps under my belt in both races. Both races were actually pretty hectic and chaotic, but we still managed to come through them. The second race was probably where we showed our competitiveness, and I’m really happy to have finished P3 in the Pro-Am category.There’s definitely plenty for us to work on and improve, but as a starting point, I think it was a very encouraging weekend. I want to thanks to Absolute Corse and Lamborghini for the support this weekend – it felt great to be back in the Huracán GT3 car.”

“It was a challenging weekend – a new car and a new circuit – with two hectic races. We gave it our all and were a bit fortunate to come away with third place in race two.”

“Actually, things started off pretty well for us today (Race 2). Nandy made a great start - he gained four or five positions and stayed close to another car in our class for most of the first stint. After the driver change, we had a good chance to make a key overtake in the pits, but unfortunately, a small issue in the pit lane cost us some time, and we came out behind again. Once I got in the car, my pace was solid. I kept pushing and trying to close the gap to the cars ahead. The middle part of the race became quite chaotic, with several incidents and a few safety car periods, which helped me close in and create some overtaking opportunities. During the final safety car period, the class-leading Nissan was spun around after contact, which allowed us to move up another position. It was a messy second stint, but we made the most of it. Overall, the car was really quick and competitive today—we just didn’t have the best luck. But I think our setup for this high-speed track worked really well, and I personally felt much more confident compared to Sepang. The whole team has made big strides - car setup, communication, and our understanding of the car have all improved. Now we’re really looking forward to heading to Buriram at the end of the month. It’s a track we know well, and I’m confident we can deliver a strong result there.”

“Overall, I feel we weren’t quite able to maximise the full potential of this weekend, unfortunately. In Race 1, we were taken out while leading in the Silver-Am Cup and running comfortably in the overall points - a real shame, as we had strong pace. Race 2 saw us starting from P22, and I managed to make up some positions with a few good moves early on. From there, it was about keeping close to the front pack to give Ron a solid platform for his stint. Unfortunately, a mistake during the pit stop cost us around seven seconds, which dropped us down the order. Still, Ron did an incredible job to fight back and bring the car home second in Silver-Am class and just outside the overall top 10. The potential was definitely there for more this weekend. We're getting more comfortable with the Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2, and the pace has been strong since the first session. The races didn’t quite reflect our true performance, but we’ll take the positives, keep building momentum, and come back stronger next time."

GT World Challenge Asia continues with Rounds 5 and 6 from 30 May to 1 June at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit in Buriram.

The Absolute Corse operation fielded more than just a double Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 assault, as the striking blue and yellow Ferrari 296 GT3 made its return to the series. Bronze-rated driver Anderson Tanoto was back behind the wheel of the Italian machine, this time partnered with DTM regular Thierry Vermeulen.

On Saturday morning, local AM driver Tanoto - eager to be part of the first-ever international race at the Lombok-based circuit - qualified 26th overall and 14th in the Pro-Am class during Qualifying 1. In Qualifying 2, Vermeulen, who had set the pace in Friday’s final free practice session, impressed again by clocking the fifth-fastest time overall and third in Pro-Am.

The Indonesia–Netherlands pairing carried that momentum into Race 1. Tanoto gained seven positions during his stint, handing the car over to Vermeulen in 19th overall. The Dutch driver then delivered a faultless drive, making further progress to cross the line 10th overall and sixth in the Pro-Am class.

In Sunday’s race, Vermeulen made a strong start, briefly running as high as third before settling into fourth and then slipping to sixth following a safety car period. Tanoto took over for the second stint and tried to keep the car within reach of the top ten, but a collision dropped them down the order. They eventually finished 18th overall and 10th in the Pro-Am category.

The driver line-up for the Absolute Corse Ferrari at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit will be announced in due course.