Ordos. Nexus Racing’s Earl Bamber strengthened his lead in the chase for the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title on Saturday with a dominant Round 6 victory on the challenging and unpredictable Ordos International Circuit. The New Zealander, who is making a storming debut in the region’s premier sportscar championship this season, maximized the advantage of his first series pole position, but had to fend off a determined Martin Ragginger for much of the race. The Team Eagle driver fought hard to catch the young pretender but was unable to snatch victory from him.
Taking the final podium place was Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila who had managed to secure third on the grid after just one quick lap in qualifying before a technical problem ended his session prematurely. The Macau driver also came under pressure for much of this race from Budweiser Kamlung Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin of China, who eventually crossed the line in fourth.
Mentos Racing’s Egidio Perfetti also strengthened his impressive lead in the Class B standings with his fifth victory in six races. Asia Racing Team’s Li Chao drove a spectacular race to finish second in the class, with OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia in third after benefiting from spins by Dorr McElrea Racing’s Yuey Tan and Nexus Racing’s Alif Hamdan.
The Round 6 race on Saturday was shortened to 12 laps after a delay while a drain cover on the Ordos track was re-welded in the interests of safety.
Nexus Racing’s Earl Bamber continued his assault on the 2013 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title, taking his fourth successive series Round 7 victory on Sunday, and strengthening his position at the top of the leaderboard. Resisting another formidable challenge from Team Eagle’s Martin Ragginger, Bamber led from pole to chequered flag on Inner Mongolia’s unforgiving 3.751km Ordos International Circuit to take victory. Despite a spirited challenge, Ragginger had to settle for the runner-up spot for the second time this weekend. Reigning champion Alexandre Imperatori of PICC Team StarChase made a return to the podium in third.
In Class B, another superb run to the flag from Mentos Racing’s Egidio Perfetti took his winning streak to six victories in seven races. Asia Racing Team’s Li Chao also completed a perfect weekend with another podium finish and winning the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia medal for the second time in Ordos, while Dorr McElrea Racing’s Yuey Tan recovered brilliantly from a setback off the start to take third.
The region’s premier sportscar championship now heads to South Korea and Asia’s newest racetrack for Rounds 8 and 9 at the Autopia International Circuit at Inje in August. The 4.207km track opened earlier this year and will provide the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field with a whole new set of challenges.
Round 7 Podium
Round 7 Class B Podium
Round 6 Podium
Round 6 Class B Podium
