The 2014 GT Asia Series will once more come down to its epic conclusion on the streets of Macau, with yet another title fight on the line. 12-months ago, two-time champion Mok Weng Sun battled old rival Frank Yu and China’s Peter Li Zhi Cong for the title, the three drivers separated by little points heading to the infamous street circuit.
After a typically dramatic race which saw almost half the 12-lap journey completed under Safety Car conditions, Li claimed the round win and the 2013 title, with Yu claiming second in the race and the championship.
2014 will see the fourth year the GT Asia Series has come to its conclusion on the notorious street circuit, the Macau round though unlike any other round of the championship. Each year a single 12-lap race around the Guia circuit is completed as part of the now famous Macau GT Cup, the leading GT Asia Series drivers recording series points relative to their positions to each other rather than the outright result.
Heading into Macau 2014 two drivers remain in the championship chase – two-time series champion Mok Weng Sun, and 2014 series rookie, Anthony Liu.
Both have been race winners in 2014, Weng Sun four times, and Liu three, but to date those events have been on wide open Grand Prix circuits with extensive ‘run-off’ zones, something Macau is devoid of.. one mistake on the Guia circuit and it’s game over’.
Mok has been there before, three times in fact, and he has been the GT Asia Series pole sitter on two of those occasions [2012/2013]. He has also won once [2011], been the runner-up once [2012] and only failed to finish once [2013] – on that occasion as a result of someone else’s accident.
In fact, history will show that the opening lap of the 2013 event eliminated a number of leading contenders including Mok, something which provides another element to the Macau ‘experience’.. To finish first, first you have to finish – something which often proves harder to achieve than a podium result..!
Coming into Macau there is still plenty to play for and anything can happen. On paper you could argue that Mok is the favourite – the Singapore-based driver is the most successful driver in GT Asia history with an impressive tally of 19 wins to his name, but already in season 2014, Anthony Liu has been a huge revelation, the former Carrera Cup regular – alongside Italian Davide Rizzo – has been a winner three times, including at the opening round in South Korea, a circuit where few people had prior track knowledge.
Liu’s style is very different to Mok, the Chinese driver is very fast and very aggressive through traffic, two things which may not serve him well on the twisty Macau circuit, but whilst at times his aggression on track has caught him out, he has also proven on a number of occasions to be capable of nursing a less than perfect car to victory.
Mok’s experience will serve him well at Macau, but he will also need to be careful – his seven point title lead [on adjusted series points] equates to just four positions on track, so should Liu find himself leading, Mok will be keeping a close eye on his track position to retain his points advantage and claim his third crown, and he may be forced to drive harder than he’d like.. it’s still all to play for.
Whilst the points leaders will dominate much of the limelight at Macau, there are other battles brewing through the field including the fight to be top Aston Martin team between 2013 GT Asia Series runner-up Frank Yu (Craft-Bamboo Racing) and 2014 series rookie Jiang Xin (NB Team).
Yu has been right in the title fight in 2014, but a myriad of small issues have seen the gorgeous Craft Aston penalised for pit stop infringements, effectively ruling him out of a title challenge at Macau. The NB Team too has suffered as a result of pit-stop infringements (both teams were penalised in China for stopping too short during their compulsory stops), the most recent case eliminating them from the top step of the podium – scratching what would have been their maiden victory. Sharing with Italian sportscar star Max Wiser, Xu has been a multiple race winner in the one-make Lamborghini series, so is capable of winning races, but like Anthony Liu, he has no prior experience on the streets of Macau.
The outright class of the 2014 GT Asia Series sees a title-fight brewing between Mok and Liu, but the GTM class has been decided ahead of the final event after the withdrawal of multiple race winner Thomas Fjordbach just days out from the event.
That hands Jacky Yeung his second GTM class title, the Audi driver too far clear in the points to be challenged allowing the popular Hong Kong based driver to add to his 2012 series title.
11 cars will constitute the field for the final round of the GT Asia Series with seven GT3 and four GTM entries in the 35-car field which includes a range of stars from all over the GT world.
Leading the charge for outright honours will be three time GT Cup winner Edoardo Mortara in the Audi Race Experience Audi R8. The German DTM series regular will be joined by Audi GT star Laurens Vanthoor, the 2014 Spa 24-Hour and Blancpain Endurance Series champion. The two Audi stars though will have their hands full, with Mercedes-Benz employing the services of 2013 Macau pole-sitter Maro Engel and DTM drivers Augusto Farfus and recently crowned champion Marco Wittman.
Throw in experienced Asian stars like Keita Sawa, Andre Couto, Pasin Lathouras and Porsche superstar Earl Bamber, and you have a recipe for one of the best races anywhere on the planet this year!
2014 GT Asia Series Macau GT Cup, Guia Circuit, Macau (13-16 November)
EVENT SCHEDULE;
Thursday, 13 November
12:05pm – Official Practice #1 (30-minutes)
Friday, 14 November
1:10pm – Qualifying #1 (30-minutes)
Saturday, 15 November
12:50pm – Qualifying #2 (30-minutes)
Sunday, 16 November
9:00am – Race #1 (12-laps)
Shanghai (China) time; GMT +8 hours
THE GT ASIA SERIES AND MACAU
Over the last three seasons, the GT Asia Series has concluded its championship with the annual Macau GT Cup, arguably the toughest GT race on the planet. Only the amateur driver in the team is eligible to enter and gain championship points, however the field also includes some of the best GT drivers in the world.
Since 2011 only one driver has proven victorious at Macau – multiple Macau F3 winner Edoardo Mortara, the Audi favourite taking his Audi R8 to victory in each of the last three years.
Whilst the Macau GT Cup is recognised as a ‘stand alone’ event in the world of GT, it also includes the GT Asia Series competitors with the series regulars awarded championship points relative to the position they finish in the race, so for instance, China’s Peter Li finished the 2013 event in position five, but as the leading GT Asia Series driver, he was awarded maximum points for the round. That result also gave him the GT Asia Series title after defeating title contenders Frank Yu (seventh) and Mok Weng Sun (DNF).
In 2012 Li also took the win, defeating Weng Sun and Yu, whilst in 2011, Weng Sun took the Macau victory and his maiden title.
Lap record: Edoardo Mortara (Audi R8) – 2:19.550 (2013)
Track length: 6.120-kilometres
WHERE TO WATCH..
Keep track of the final round of the 2014 GT Asia Series from Macau via the AFOS website – www.afos.com via Facebook; www.facebook.com/GTAsiaSeries and through YouTube; www.youtube.com/user/afosTV
WHO’S COMPETING AT MACAU?
GT3 CLASS
1. Edoardo Mortara (ITA) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra
2. Laurens Vanthoor (BEL) – Audi Race Experience Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra
3. Weng Sun Mok (SIN) – Clearwater Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3*
4. Jean-Karl Vernay (FRA) – Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3
5. Maro Engel (GER) – Mercedes AMG Driving Academy Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3
6. Renger van der Zande (NED) – AMG Driving Academy Mercedes SLS AMG GT3
7. Jeffrey Lee (TPE) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra*
8. Yuk Lung Siu (HKG) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R
9. Jiang Xin (CHN) – NB Team Aston Martin Vantage GT3*
10. Andre Couto (MAC) – Direction Racing Ferrari 458 Italia GT3
11. Katsumasa Chiyo (JPN) – B-Max Racing Team Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3
17. Adderly Fong (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra
23. Danny Watts (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3
24. Dilantha Malagamuwa (SRI) – Dilango Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2 GT3*
25. Richard Meins (GBR) – United Autosports McLaren MP4-12C GT3
33. Pasin Lathouras (THA) – AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3
37. Anthony Liu (CHN) – BBT Team by AF Corse Ferrari 458 Italia GT3*
38. Rui Aguas (POR) – Spirit of Race by AF Corse Ferrari 458 GT3
55. Darryl O’Young (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3
56. Samson Chan (HKG) – Eurasia Motorsport Ford GT3*
72. Earl Bamber (NZL) – LKM Racing Porsche 997 GT3-R
88. Keita Sawa (JPN) – FUN88 Racing Gallardo FL2 GT3
90. Takeshi Tsuchiya (JPN) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3
91. Augusto Farfus (BRA) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3
92. Marco Wittmann (GER) – Team AAI Rstrada BMW Z4 GT3
93. Carlo Van Dam (NED) – Team AAI Rstrada Mercedes Benz SLS AMG GT3
97. Frank Yu (HKG) – Craft Bamboo Racing Aston Martin Vantage GT3*
98. Phillip Ma (HKG) – Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra*
GTM CLASS
15. Keng Fai Vong (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car
16. Wayne Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup Car*
20. Rodolfo Avila (MAC) – Porsche GT3 Cup Car
21. Francis Tjia (HKG) – Open Road Porsche GT3 Cup Car*
28. John Shen (HKG) – Modena Motorsports Porsche GT3 Cup Car*
68. Hing Tak Mak (HKG) – Kamlung Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 ultra
77. Jacky Yeung (HKG) – Tiger Racing Team Audi R8 LMS Cup*
(*GT Asia competitor)
2014 GT Asia Series – Championship points
(after round 12 of 13)
Overall
1. Mok Weng Sun/Keita Sawa (153-points), 3. Rob Bell/Hiroshi Hamaguchi (147), 5. Frank Yu (142), 6. Davide Rizzo/Anthony Liu (137), 8. Max Wiser (104), 9. Richard Wee (89), 10. Jeffrey Lee, Jiang Xin (74), 12. Richard Lyons (68), 13. Christoper Mies (62), 14. Nasrat Muzayyin/Rui Aguas (57), 16. Stefan Mucke (51), 17. Craig Baird (42), 18. Alex Yoong (35), 19. Jonathon Venter (34), 20, Lucas Guerrero (30), 21. Dilantha Malagamuwa (24), 22. Warren Luff, Takuma Aoki (23), 25. Alessandro Guidi, Matt Solomon, Jacky Yeung, (22), 28. Sun Jing Zu (21), 29. Daniel Bilski (20), 30. Carlo Van Dam/Tanart Sathienthirakul, Vuttikhorn Inthraphuvasak/Piti Bhirombhakdi (17)
GTM Class
1. Jacky Yeung (150-points), 2. Takuma Aoki (144), 3. Thomas Fjordbach (138), 4. George Chou (132), 5. Ken Urata (98), 6. Wayne Shen (84), 7. Francis Tjia (74), 8. John Shen (70), 9. Keith Vong (44), 10. Keo Chang (39), 11. Matt Solomon (36), 12. Robert Lee (30), 13. Craig Liu (27), 13. Samson Chan, Joe Hsu Cheng Chang (26), 15. Terry Fang, Ashraf Dewal (24), 17. Fukujirou (21), 18. James Cai (19), 19. Satoshi Hoshino, Scott Miau, Christian Chia, Marchy Lee (18), 24. Marcel Tjia (17), 25. Francis Hideki Onda (15), 26. Ryu Fukuda, Joseph Chua/Rick Cheang (14), 24. Ryu Ohtsuka, Nick Edwards, Ishihara Masayuki, Gamisan, Benjamin Rouget (10), 28. Juncheng Lin (9), 30, Dominic Ang/Anthony Chan (8), 32. Lin Tsung Han (6)
The GT Asia Series is sanctioned by the FIA as an International Series and is clearly recognised as the Region’s leading GT Championship. It is jointly managed and promoted by Motorsport Asia Ltd and the Supercar Club Hong Kong and is backed by Yokohama, GRAHAM, KW Automotive, Auto Art, Race Room, RacerLink and Tunewear.