Bentley weathered an early storm from the new Lamborghini and the Craft-Bamboo Porsche of Richard Lyons to claim victory and second place.
Earlier in the day, 2015 GT Asia season runner-up Adderly Fong had smashed Andrea Caldarelli’s 2014 lap record in the opening qualifier, whilst former race winner Marchy Lee stunned his rivals in qualifying#2 after displacing the most successful team in GT Asia history at Korea International Circuit [KIC] – the BBT Ferrari of Anthony Liu and Davide Rizzo.
Ultimately Bentley prevailed in the opening round with Fong’s 2015 team-mate Keita Sawa, and new driving partner Jonathan Venter claiming the win after Sawa chased down Fong’s new team-mate Andrew Kim five laps from home, but whilst the result looked good for the British built supercar, things could well have been very different if not for an early race incident between the new FFF Racing Lamborghini, and the Craft-Bamboo Porsche of Lyons.
After a rough start to the day with damage to the #88 Interush Porsche in qualifying, Lyons stormed off the start from the second row to lead into turn two. Behind him there was contact between the #55 Lamborghini of Edoardo Liberati and pole-sitter Fong, but they soon sorted things out before an error by the young Italian at turn four removed he, and race leader Lyons, from the equation.
From there it was all down to the Bentleys, with Liu and Rizzo keeping their perfect score of South Korean podiums intact with third from Piti Bhirombhakdi and Carlo Van Dam in the Singha Motorsport Ferrari 458.
In the battle for GTM honours, former champion Dilantha Malagamuwa and Armaan Ebrahim claimed the win despite some mid-race damage to the Dilango Racing Lamborghini, whilst in GTC, Bhurit Bhirombhakdi and Kantasak Kusiri took the win for Singha Plan-B Motorsport in their Ferrari 458 Challenge.
Korea International Circuit, South Korea (13 May)
Qualifying#1 (15-minutes)
1. Adderly Fong (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – 2:06.014
2. Edoardo Liberati (FFF Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) – 2:06.360
3. Jonathan Venter (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – 2:06.481
4. Richard Lyons (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:07.025
5. Carlo Van Dam (Singha Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 2:07.128
6. Shaun Thong (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:07.257
7. Darryl O’Young (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:07.431
8. Alex Yoong (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:07.558
9. Davide Rizzo (BBT Ferrari 488 GT3) – 2:07.579
10. Franky Cheng (Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:07.687
11. Tim Sugden (GruppeM Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:09.193
12. Mok Weng Sun (Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GT3) – 2:10.127
13. Kantasak Kurisi (Singha Plan-B Motorsport Ferrari 458 Challenge) – 2:13.284
14. Suttiluck Buncharoen (True Vision Motorsports Porsche 991 Cup Car) – 2:21.582
15. Armaan Ebrahim (Dilango Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2) – NTR
16. Andrew Palmer (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – DNQ
Qualifying#2 (15-minutes)
1. Marchy Lee (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:06.979
2. Anthony Liu (BBT Ferrari 488 GT3) – 2:07.211
3. Keita Sawa (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – 2:07.289
4. Andrew Kim (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – 2:07.690
5. Andrea Amici (FFF Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) – 2:07.834
6. Piti Bhirombhakdi (Singha Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) – 2:09.227
7. Richard Wee (Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GT3) – 2:09.897
8. Naiyanobh Bhirombakdi (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:10.466
9. Frank Yu (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:10.574
10. JingZu Sun (Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:10.601
11. Alex Au (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) – 2:10.601
12. Philip Ma (GruppeM Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 2:14.617
13. Dilantha Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2) – 2:15.354
14. Bhurit Bhirombhakdi (Singha Plan-B Motorsport Ferrari 458 Challenge) – 2:15.375
15. Buncharoen (True Vision Motorsports Porsche 991 Cup Car) – 2:21.301
16. Palmer/Inthraphuvasak (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – DNQ
Race#1 (60-minutes)
1. Venter/Sawa (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) – 28-laps
2. Fong/Kim (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3) +1.858
3. Rizzo/Liu (BBT Ferrari 488 GT3) +20.531
4. Van Dam/Bhirombhakdi (Singha Motorsport Ferrari 458 Italia GT3) +33.723
5. Thong/Lee (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) +54.792
6. Cheng/Sun (Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3) +58.941
7. Yoong/Au (Phoenix Racing Asia Audi R8 LMS GT3) +1:17.768
8. Mok/Wee (Clearwater Racing Ferrari 488 GT3) +1:23.754
9. O’Young/Bhirombakdi (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 27-laps
10. Sugden/Ma (GruppeM Racing Porsche GT3-R)
11. Ebrahim/Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing Lamborghini Gallardo FL2)
12. Kurisi/Bhirombhakdi (Singha Plan-B Motorsport Ferrari 458 Challenge) – 25-laps
13. Buncharoen (True Vision Motorsports Porsche 991 Cup Car)
14. Amici/Liberati (FFF Racing Lamborghini Huracan GT3) – 6-laps
15. Lyons/ Yu (Craft Bamboo Racing Porsche GT3-R) – 6-laps
NTR. Palmer/Inthraphuvasak (Absolute Racing Bentley Continental GT3)
For Asian fans, race two presents a new era for the GT Asia Series, with 90-minutes of LIVE television coverage on FOX Sports Asia. 20-minutes before the race – which is scheduled to start at 2:00pm [KST – GMT +9] – the coverage will begin (check regional television guides for conformation), whilst it will also stream live through the GT Asia Series website; www.gtasiaseries.com
The website – www.gtasiaseries.com will also feature both LIVE TIMING and the LIVE STREAM. Links are available to both on the main page.
Keep up to date too with www.facebook.com/GTAsiaSeries which will post news, video clips, images and updates, and you can also get involved in the conversation on www.twitter.com/GTAsiaSeries
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 solely managed and promoted by Motorsport Asia Ltd and is supported by Singha, Michelin, KW Automotive, Motul, Race Room, Panta, YOFC and Tunewear.
