The Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia roared into its second round of the 2025 season at the Shanghai International Circuit - the home of the Chinese Grand Prix and one of Absolute Racing’s key bases. It proved to be a challenging yet rewarding weekend for the Absolute Racing teams, who came away with one class win and two additional podium finishes.
For the 2025 season, the Absolute Racing Porsche squad has unveiled a fresh driver line-up for their two Porsche 911 GT3 R (Type 992) entries. The #321 car will be driven by series newcomer Li Xuanyu alongside Daniel Lu Wenlong in the Silver-Am class. The two Chinese drivers have been diligently preparing throughout the winter break, building strong teamwork and setting their sights firmly on securing a podium finish in their category.
In the other Pro-Am line-up, Chinese driver Wang Zhongwei will join forces with the highly experienced Porsche driver Patrick Pilet. A proven contender in world-class endurance races, the Frenchman’s expertise will be invaluable in supporting the team’s pursuit of category honours.
Sepang International Circuit welcomed the GT World Challenge Asia grid with typical high temperatures, putting both drivers' physical endurance and the cars' mechanics to the test. In the morning's first qualifying session, Am drivers Li Xuanyu and Wang Zhongwei took to the asphalt. Series newcomer Li Xuanyu showed a promising learning curve in his GT World Challenge Asia debut, qualifying sixth in Silver-Am. Meanwhile, Wang Zhongwei - in his first outing behind the wheel of a Porsche - made steady progress throughout the weekend and eventually qualified 12th in the Pro-Am class, despite being affected by challenging track limits.
In the second qualifying session, it was the professional drivers' turn. Daniel Lu qualified seventh in the Silver-Am class, while Porsche driver Patrick Pilet took 12th in the Pro-Am category.
On Saturday afternoon, both Porsches mounted recovery drives in the 26-lap opening round of the season, with the Am drivers laying the foundation and the professional drivers demonstrating their full potential on track.
The #321 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R entry of Li Xuanyu and Daniel Lu was particularly impressive. Li held fourth in class during the early stages before handing over to Lu, who made the most of an early pit strategy and consistent pace to break into the top three, securing a well-deserved third place in class.
The #911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, shared by Wang and Pilet, also produced a strong comeback performance. Wang steadily made his way up the order during his stint, before handing over to Pilet, who, with a combination of pace and precise team strategy, brought the car home in 15th overall and fifth in the Pro-Am class.
Sunday morning’s second race of the weekend proved a challenging outing for the #321 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R, which started from the midfield. Lu delivered a composed first stint, keeping the car out of trouble, before handing over to Li, who continued the charge. Gaining ground in the second half, LKorean outfit SQDA-GRIT Motorsport arrived in Shanghai with high expectations, as Alex Liang Jiatong of China and reigning AM champion - and double race winner at the same venue in 2024 - Brian Lee Changwoo entered the weekend just three points off the PRO-AM class lead. Saturday’s qualifying session saw the duo post strong performances, securing P2 and P4 in class, keeping their podium ambitions firmly alive heading into the races.
Over at HZO Fortis Racing Team by Absolute Racing, reigning Lamborghini Cup champions Haziq and Hairie Oh made a strong impression on their AM class debut during the season opener in Australia, collecting a solid double-digit points haul. In Shanghai, the Malaysian brothers continued their momentum, qualifying third and sixth in class for the two races, showcasing consistent pace in a highly competitive AM field.
Making their series debut, Umar Abdullah and Dypo Fitramadhan of Delta Garage Racing Team by Absolute Racing faced the challenging task of learning the technical Shanghai International Circuit. Despite a steep learning curve, the Indonesian duo showed steady progress, placing their Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2 in sixth and seventh in class during qualifying.
Saturday afternoon’s race began amid confusion, prompting an early deployment of the safety car. HZO Fortis Racing Team by Absolute Racing delivered a strong performance in the opening race of the weekend, with drivers Haziq Zairel Oh and Hairie Zairel Oh securing an impressive second place finish in the AM class. The Malaysian duo demonstrated consistent pace and composure throughout the race, capitalising on key opportunities to earn a valuable podium result for the team in a highly competitive field.
Elsewhere on the grid, Delta Garage Racing Team and SQDA-GRIT Motorsport faced a difficult afternoon, as both teams were involved in incidents during the opening laps that compromised their chances of a points result.
The weekend came to an end with the second 50-minute race in China with a hard-fought victory for the #63 SQDA-GRIT Motorsport by Absolute Racing entry in the PRO-AM class. Brian Changwoo Lee and Alex Liang delivered a remarkable comeback after an early spin dropped them to the back of the field. Thanks to a strong recovery by Brian and decisive overtakes by Alex in the second stint, the duo clinched their second PRO-AM class win of the season.
For Delta Garage Racing by Absolute Racing, the Indonesian pairing of Dypo Fitramadhan and Umar Abdullah continued their consistent form. Running as high as second in AM class early on, the #86 car avoided mistakes and delivered another clean performance, finishing third in the AM class and earning valuable championship points.
The #5 HZO Fortis Team by Absolute Racing of Malaysian brothers Haziq Oh and Hairie Oh showed strong pace in the early stages and were in podium contention. Unfortunately, a mid-race incident caused significant damage to their car, forcing them to retire and ending their hopes of a strong finish.
The six-event Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia season continues from 27th to 29th of June in the worldwide famous Fuji Speedway in Japan. i brought the car home in 15th overall and fifth in the Silver-Am Cup - a result that keeps the Chinese crew third in the class championship standings.
Despite the best efforts of both drivers, who started 23rd on the grid, the #911 Absolute Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R had its charge hindered by a drive-through penalty for allegedly exceeding track limits while running 12th overall - a setback that came after a superb recovery drive by Wang and Pilet. The Chinese-French pairing ultimately crossed the line in 18th overall and eighth in the ultra-competitive Pro-Am class.
Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia 2025 calendar
Round 1 Sydney Motorsport Park, Australia / 5-6 April
Round 2 Shanghai International Circuit, China / 16-18 May
Round 3 Fuji Speedway, Japan / 27-29 June
Round 4 Inje Speedium, South Korea / 18-20 July
Round 5 Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia / 5-7 September
Round 6 Misano World Circuit, Italy / 6-7 November
World Finals Misano World Circuit, Italy / 8-9 November
