Bentley Team Absolute’s Hong Kong racer Adderly Fong has won the FIA GT World Cup non-manufacturer trophy in an action-packed weekend that ended prematurely, earlier today.
The 26-year old impressed all weekend and – despite a minor brush with the wall in the first free practice session – he safely, quickly and confidently navigated through the 6.12kms of narrow, twisting and notoriously unforgiving Macau street circuit.
After practice had finished, the 23 competitors all qualified their machines for their starting positions for the qualifying race. Fong put in a lap time that saw him sit in eighth, with only works-team drivers ahead. In the qualifying race, he avoided drama, pushed hard and stayed with the lead pack to climb up to fifth overall and retain his pole position in the non-manufacturer drivers title-bid.
With the overall podium in sight, Adderly knew that he needed to remain calm in the main race and not take any huge risks, despite the temptation to challenge for positions.
“The main goal was to stay out of the walls and retain my lead of the non-manufacturers title,” he said in the post-event press conference. “The Continental GT3 was quick and the guys at Bentley Team Absolute did an awesome job, as always, to prepare it.”
Others on track were, however, not so cautious and, within two laps, a safety car was deployed for a BMW in the barrier at Fisherman’s Corner. After a long red flag session, the race resumed but, on the restart, the leading Audi hit the wall and the race was ended prematurely.
“It’s a shame that the main race was a bit of a non-event,” said Bentley Team Absolute’s Team Principal Ingo Matter. “But, to win the FIA GT World Cup in our class is fantastic. Adderly did a great job. He put in a mature, confident and very quick drive to ensure the team got the result we deserved – it’s another success in our 2016 season.”
Bentley Team Absolute will add this trophy to the 2016 GT Asia Series teams’ title and multiple race wins, including two dominant victories at the team’s China GT Championship debut, last month.
“Bentley Team Absolute goes from strength-to-strength,” commented Bentley’s Director of Motorsport Brian Gush. “To take the challenge to the works teams from Audi, Porsche and Mercedes, and be on their heels all weekend, is very impressive. Congratulations to Adderly and the whole team for a fantastic result – we look forward to seeing what they can achieve next season.”
Bentley Team Absolute’s 2016 racing year might be over but they are still mid-season in the Asian Le Mans Series, which resumes on 8th January at Buriram International Circuit in Thailand.