Marcus Amand completed a perfect Porsche Carrera Cup Asia weekend at Fuji Speedway, winning both races after Marvin Klein and Naquib Azlan had split the pole positions in a competitive qualifying session.
The Fuji round produced two very different races. Race 1 was defined by an early three-way battle at the front before Amand established control, while Race 2 became a close fight between Amand and Azlan after a decisive first-corner move.
Although Amand left Japan with both victories, the weekend also featured a strong recovery drive from Marco Giltrap in Race 1, a major Race 2 response from Azlan after his Saturday disappointment, and another competitive showing from the Pro-Am runners inside the overall top 10.
Qualifying: Klein strikes first before Azlan responds
Qualifying at Fuji Speedway began with Klein setting the pace for Absolute Racing, securing pole position for Race 1 with a 1m40.466s.
That left him 0.144s clear of Amand, while Giltrap completed the top three for Team Porsche New Zealand. Rodrigo Dias Almeida qualified fourth for WeTrade X Phantom Global, ahead of Team Porsche Malaysia driver Azlan in fifth.
The top five were covered by just 0.503s, setting up what looked likely to be a close opening race.
Ling Kang and Liu Ruiqi completed the top seven, with Sawer Hoang Dat eighth for Porsche Vietnam. Wang Zhongwei was the leading Pro-Am runner in ninth overall, ahead of Li Hanyu, who also placed inside the top 10.
Further back, Roy Tang led the Am class in 14th, while Christian Chia headed the Masters division in 24th. Seth Gilmore endured a difficult opening qualifying session and could only manage 20th on the Race 1 grid.
If Q1 belonged to Klein, Q2 was Azlan’s session. The Malaysian driver delivered a 1m39.853s to take pole for Race 2, becoming the only driver to dip into the 1m39s bracket across the two qualifying sessions.
Amand again secured a front-row start, this time 0.234s away from pole, while Klein qualified third. Giltrap and Almeida completed the top five, with Ling Kang, Liu Ruiqi and Sawer again forming the next group.
Amna Al Qubaisi produced one of her strongest qualifying performances of the weekend to place ninth overall in Q2, ahead of Joshua Berry. Li Hanyu led the Pro-Am runners in 11th, while Eric Kwong topped the Am class in 14th and Jacky Wu headed Masters in 23rd.
Gilmore’s difficult qualifying continued in Q2, where he failed to set a time and was left to start Race 2 from the back of the grid.
Race 1: Amand controls opener as Giltrap charges to podium
Amand took the first win of the weekend after coming through an early lead battle with Klein and Almeida.
The opening phase produced the strongest fight of the race, with all three drivers closely matched at the front. Once Amand edged ahead, however, the BWT Shanghai Yonda driver began to build control of the race.
Klein remained close enough to keep the pressure on, but Amand managed the gap and took victory by 1.341s. Behind them, Almeida faded from the lead fight and finished fourth.
Giltrap produced the standout recovery drive of Race 1. After starting eighth due to a grid penalty carried over from the previous round at Zhuhai, the Team Porsche New Zealand driver made steady progress through the field.
He first moved past Sawer before battling with Ling Kang and Almeida, eventually securing third place. His charge to the podium provided much of the race’s main overtaking action after the lead battle settled.
Ling Kang finished fifth, while Sawer came home sixth for Porsche Vietnam. Liu Ruiqi, Joshua Berry, Wang Zhongwei and Al Qubaisi completed the top 10.
Wang’s ninth place was enough to secure Pro-Am victory, and his result was particularly notable as he finished ahead of several Pro-class entries.
Gilmore recovered from his difficult qualifying to finish 11th overall, narrowly missing the top 10 after starting 20th. Li Kerong and Wu Jiaxin followed in 12th and 13th, while Roy Tang won the Am class in 14th. Christian Chia took Masters honours in 20th.
There was disappointment for Azlan, whose race ended effectively at the first corner. After qualifying fifth and showing front-running pace earlier in the weekend, the Team Porsche Malaysia driver was caught up in an opening-lap incident and was classified 28th after completing only three laps.
With no safety car interruptions, Race 1 remained green throughout. That allowed the field to spread significantly, with Amand and Klein finishing well clear of the rest.
Race 2: Amand beats Azlan after race-long pressure
Azlan started Race 2 from pole and made a strong initial launch, but Amand immediately attacked into Turn 1 and took the lead on the opening lap.
That move proved decisive, although the race was far from comfortable for Amand. Azlan stayed with him throughout the race and kept the pressure on, but could not find a way back past.
Before the race was neutralised, Amand and Azlan had already started to separate themselves from the field, with Klein running third and the pack beginning to stretch out behind.
The safety car was deployed on lap seven after John Shen stopped at Turn 3, wiping out the gaps that had developed during the opening stint. Once racing resumed, Amand and Azlan again set the pace at the front.
Amand eventually crossed the line just 0.304s ahead of Azlan, completing a Fuji double and a perfect race weekend for BWT Shanghai Yonda.
Klein finished third, less than a second behind the winner, while Almeida took fourth ahead of Giltrap and Ling Kang. Liu Ruiqi finished seventh, with Sawer eighth, Berry ninth and Wang again completing the overall top 10.
Wang’s result gave him another strong Pro-Am finish, while Eric Kwong claimed the Am class win in 14th overall. Adrian D Silva took the Masters victory for EBM.
Gilmore finished 15th after starting from the rear of the field, gaining positions in a race where overtaking became difficult once the order settled.
John Shen, Liu Chao and Lyu Wei were the three non-classified drivers, with Shen’s stoppage responsible for the mid-race safety car.
Weekend overview
Amand’s Fuji double strengthened his position as one of the benchmark drivers in the championship, with the BWT Shanghai Yonda driver combining qualifying consistency, race starts and defensive control across both races.
Klein showed strong one-lap pace by taking Race 1 pole and backed that up with two podium finishes, while Azlan recovered well from his Race 1 disappointment to push Amand all the way in Race 2.
Giltrap’s Race 1 recovery was one of the best drives of the weekend, while Wang’s Pro-Am performances again showed the depth of the field beyond the outright Pro battle.
The championship now moves on from Fuji with Amand carrying maximum momentum, but the pace shown by Klein, Azlan and Giltrap suggests the fight at the front remains far from settled.
