Absolute Racing claimed three podium finishes on a dramatic visit to the Bangsaen Street Circuit for round four of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA).
For the beginning of the second half of the season, reigning PCCA Champion Dylan Pereira joined the team to drive the #89 Porsche 911 Cup car, partnering Marvin Klein in the #88 Porsche 911 Cup car during the 20th anniversary of Thailand's most iconic street race.
In Saturday morning's qualifying session, both Absolute Racing drivers delivered composed and competitive performances in challenging wet conditions, pushing hard from the outset. Pereira ultimately secured fourth on the grid for race one. Making his Bangsaen Street Circuit debut, Klein was steadily building confidence and closing in on the limit when contact brought his qualifying run to an abrupt end. A subsequent red flag saw his fastest lap deleted, but he nevertheless secured fifth on the grid for race one.
Following damage sustained by one of the front-running cars in a qualifying accident, which ruled it out of the race, the two Absolute Racing entries were promoted to third and fourth on the grid. Ahead of the race, the team's mechanics worked quickly to repair Klein's car, ensuring it was ready to take the start.
At the lights, Dylan Pereira settled into a strong rhythm, working in tandem with his team-mate as the two Absolute Racing cars held third and fourth in the opening stages, while Marvin Klein made an excellent getaway and immediately piled the pressure on the front-row starters.
Pereira then began to pile the pressure on the car ahead. Remaining patient while searching for an overtaking opportunity, he eventually forced his rival into a mistake at the final corner after several laps of relentless pressure. Seizing the opportunity, the Luxembourgish-Portuguese driver swept through into second place while skilfully avoiding the spinning car. He then set his fastest laps of the race, steadily reducing the gap to the leader, but with time running out, the #89 crew crossed the line in an excellent second place overall.
Klein also produced an impressive drive. Despite the unforgiving nature of the Bangsaen Street Circuit, he adopted an attacking approach from the start and capitalised on an incident ahead to move into third place overall. Although he later came under pressure from the cars behind, Klein remained composed, managed traffic effectively and gradually rebuilt his advantage, securing another podium finish for the #88 Porsche 911 Cup.
Sunday brought a brief respite from the rain, but none from the intensity. The race was fiercely contested from the very start. Marvin Klein made a strong getaway, launching himself from fifth to third overall with an aggressive opening rhythm. However, as the laps wore on, the high-risk nature of this seaside street circuit once again came to the fore. During a battle with a rival, Klein took a slightly aggressive line through Turns 1 and 2. Despite his best efforts to avoid contact, the narrow track left little margin for error, and the two cars made contact, causing significant damage to Klein's car and ending his race prematurely.
In the latter half of the race, Dylan Pereira restarted in third and began chasing down the second-placed car, piling on the pressure. Through several corners, he probed for an opportunity to attack and created a number of promising overtaking chances, but the tight and twisty nature of the Buriram street circuit ultimately thwarted his efforts, the lack of passing room preventing him from making further progress despite having the pace and rhythm to do so.
The race was then brought to an early finish under a red flag after a multi-car incident in the pack triggered congestion on track. In the end, Pereira delivered another podium finish for Absolute Racing.
Team Manager Fabien Fior said: "Bangsaen was never going to be easy, especially with the changing weather and the unique challenge of a street circuit. I'm delighted with the team's effort and with Dylan's fantastic debut, taking the fastest lap in Race 1 and delivering second and third place in his first weekend with us. It's unfortunate that Marvin's Race 2 ended in the barriers after showing great pace, but we leave with three podium finishes, important championship points and plenty of confidence. There are still two rounds to go, and we'll keep pushing for more strong results.”
Porsche Carrera Cup Asia returns from 21–23 August at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit.
