Absolute Racing teams continued their winning streak as the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia (LSTA) made its way to Fuji International Speedway for the season's fourth event. The weekend closed with an impressive tally of one overall win and five class victories.
Returning to the PRO ranks and driving solo once again was reigning LSTA champion Chris van der Drift. In the foothills of Japan’s sacred mountain of Fuji, the New Zealander was at the wheel of the Absolute Racing-run Lamborghini Auckland car, with which he won both races at Korea’s Inje Speedium last month."
Chris van der Drift secured pole position in the opening race but dropped to third at the start. He regained second place before the window for mandatory pit stops. Absolute Racing’s pit stop strategy proved successful, with van der Drift emerging in first place, which he maintained until the end of the race.
The New Zealander ace was unable to replicate it in the second race due to a drive-through penalty for speeding in the pit lane, which dropped him to fourth place. Despite this setback, the Absolute Racing driver still managed to climb back to third place."
Korean ace Brian Changwoo Lee arrived in Japan four points behind of the AM class leaders, but the SQDA-GRIT Motorsport Lamborghini Seoul car driver was decided to turn the tables. Brian Lee was surprised in qualifying session one by his teammates Li Xuanyu and Xie Wenjun, but from then on he didn't give the competition a chance.
An undeniable double win in the AM class, along with two fifth-place finishes overall, has put Brian Lee back on top of the class leaderboard by five points with four races remaining this season.
610Racing by Absolute pair Li Xuanyu and Xie Wenjun were one of the surprises of the weekend, always showing a very strong pace from the start, including the best overall time in the first official practice session. The Chinese drivers took their second AM class pole-position of the season in the qualifying session for race one.
The two Chinese drivers maintained their strong pace in both races. On Saturday, they secured third place, and on Sunday, they achieved their best result of the championship so far by finishing in second position. With these results, the 610Racing by Absolute drivers solidified their hold on third place in the AM class standings.
Making his LSTA debut in Japan was the talented AM driver Yasser Shahin. The FIA World Endurance Championship regular returned to Absolute Racing to get to grips with the Japanese track. Unconcerned with race results, the experienced Australian driver—who won the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup in 2019 with Absolute Racing and the Le Mans 24 Hours LMGT3 class this year—quickly adapted to the Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2, finishing sixth in the AM class in the first race. Eventually, he would later DNF in the second race.
The Lamborghini Cup featured five entries in Japan. The HZO Fortis Racing Team by Absolute Racing drivers Hairie and Haziq Oh were a dominant force in both 50-minute races, securing their sixth and seventh wins of the season. The Malaysian brothers continue to lead the leaderboard with a 22-point advantage, but despite their continued success, the title remains wide open with four races remaining.
Reigning champions Absolute Racing currently lead the team standings with 107 points. The team has a strong chance of securing the title at the next event.
The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia continues on September 14 and 15 for Absolute Racing home race at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.
