Luo capitalises on chaos in Shanghai as Azlan sidelined and Dias penalised

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s 2026 season opener at the Shanghai International Circuit delivered a chaotic and unpredictable second race, with Luo Kailuo emerging as the winner after penalties reshaped the final classification.

Despite not taking the start in Race 2, Naquib Azlan was the standout performer across the weekend. The Malaysian driver dominated qualifying with a double pole and set the pace throughout, but a mistake at a critical moment in Race 1 triggered a major opening-lap incident that ultimately ruled him out of the remainder of the event. It was a costly outcome given his clear speed advantage, though he still leaves Shanghai as the early benchmark and likely favourite for the title.

With Azlan sidelined, Rodrigo Dias Almeida inherited pole position and initially controlled Race 2 from the front. However, his race unravelled after a 10-second penalty for a jump start, dropping him down to eighth once applied.

That opened the door for Luo Kailuo, who capitalised to secure victory for 610 Racing on home soil. Ling Kang finished second to take maximum championship points, while Porsche Junior Marcus Amand completed the podium after an aggressive recovery drive from seventh on the grid.

Amand carved through the field early and later found himself locked in a prolonged battle with Kang, the pair running side-by-side on multiple occasions before the positions were ultimately settled.

A Safety Car period, triggered by contact between Henry Kwong and Lu Wei, compressed the field and added further intensity to the closing stages.

Alex Sawer delivered a composed and efficient drive to finish fifth overall, benefitting from Dias’ penalty. It marks a steady start to his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia campaign, coming close to matching his sportscar debut highlight of fourth place in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia last season. He will be looking for more at the next round in Zhuhai.

In the Pro-Am category, Wang Zhongwei claimed victory, while Cao Qikuan secured the Am class win with an impressive run to 11th overall. John Shen took honours in the Masters class for Modena Motorsports.

The championship now heads to Zhuhai International Circuit on April 11–12, where Azlan will be aiming to convert his pace into results and reassert control over the title fight.

Race 2 – Full Results (Shanghai, 13 laps)

1. Kailuo Luo – 610 Racing – 29:24.958
2. Ling Kang – Origine Motorsport – +3.019
3. Marcus Amand – BWT Shanghai Yonda – +3.456
4. Marco Giltrap – Team Porsche New Zealand – +3.823
5. Hoang Dat Sawer – Porsche Vietnam – +6.708
6. Montego Maassen – Absolute Racing – +7.573
7. Marvin Klein – Absolute Racing – +8.260
8. Rodrigo Dias Almeida – WeTrade X Phantom Global – +8.277
9. Ruiqi Liu – Phantom Global Racing – +11.240
10. Zhongwei Wang – Origine Motorsport – +12.554
11. Qikuan Cao – 610 Racing – +19.136
12. Tien Foo Roy Tang – EBM – +21.409
13. Seth Gilmore – Porsche Centre Adelaide – +22.143
14. Al Faisal Al Qubaisi – Team Jebsen – +22.753
15. Bao Jinlong – Origine Motorsport – +23.487
16. Henry Kwong – Bergwerk – +27.057
17. Chuang Yan – BWT X Phantom Global – +28.232
18. Joshua Berry – EBM – +30.088
19. Eric Kwong – Bergwerk – +30.612
20. John Shen – Modena Motorsports – +49.874
21. Simon Chan – Fire Monkey Motorsport – +50.156
22. Chao Liu – 610 Racing – +51.481
23. Jacky Wu – Porsche Own Retail 69 Team – +55.629
24. Ning Li – Phantom Global Racing – +1:07.639
25. Douglas Khoo – Viper Niza Racing – +1:15.254
26. Dominic Tjia – OpenRoad Racing – +1:20.658
27. Jiaxin Wu – Origine Motorsport – DNF

Not Classified:
Wei Liu – Origine Motorsport – DNF

Fastest Lap: Kailuo Luo – 2:03.497

Championship Standings After Shanghai

1. Ling Kang – 31 pts
2. Marcus Amand – 30 pts
3. Marco Giltrap – 21.5 pts
4. Marvin Klein – 20 pts
5. Rodrigo Dias Almeida – 18.5 pts
6. Hoang Dat Sawer – 17.5 pts
7. Naquib Azlan – 14.5 pts
8. Wang Zhongwei – 12 pts
9. Tien Foo Roy Tang – 9 pts
10. Cao Qikuan – 9 pts
11. Seth Gilmore – 7.5 pts
12. Bao Jinlong – 6.5 pts
13. Wei Liu – 5 pts
14. Al Faisal Al Qubaisi – 5 pts
15. Ruiqi Liu – 4 pts
16. Henry Kwong – 3 pts
17. Chuang Yan – 2 pts
18. Joshua Berry – 1.5 pts

Others yet to score points.