Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s teams and drivers are all set for the start of the 2025 season following 12 hours of running at the Official Test Days in Shanghai.
The weekend marked the beginning of the championship’s 22nd season, with returning driver Dylan Pereira setting the fastest time of the weekend for Team Shanghai Yonda BWT as he looks to go one better than last year’s runner-up finish in the standings.
24 cars took to the Shanghai International Circuit, including four in the new-for-2025 Masters class, as the field aimed to familiarise themselves with the circuit that will host the season-opener later this month.
Pereira was quick from the off in Saturday’s morning session, topping the timesheets after the first hour, but it was another returning driver who set the fastest time. Now competing for Team Jebsen, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Talent Pool Presented by Michelin member Rodrigo Dias Almeida set the early pace.
The Mozambican improved strongly in Test Session 2, shaving more than a second off his time to once again finish quickest in the afternoon. Following his impressive debut at the end of last season, Brock Gilchrist was a close second in both sessions for Team Porsche New Zealand.
Francis Tjia recorded the time to beat in the Pro-Am category in the morning for OpenRoad Racing, before reigning and five-time class champion Bao Jinlong took his usual place at the top for BWT Phantom Global Racing in the second session.
After an epic battle for the title in 2024, Munkong Sathienthirakul (EBM) and Eric Kwong (Bergwerk Motorsport) were trading top spot on Day 1 in the Am class. Meanwhile, in the brand-new Masters category, it was Adrian D’Silva who topped both sessions for EBM.
Day 2 was where 2022 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion Pereira took control of the pace, setting the fastest time of the entire weekend on Sunday morning with a 2:03:326, before backing that up by again ending quickest in the final three-hours.
Almeida and Gilchrist continued to show good pace, to finish second in a session each, while debutant Hugo Ellis proved his speed to take third in both for Sime Motors Racing.
Bao was in strong form on the second day in the Pro-Am category, going fastest in both sessions. There were also impressive times set by the likes of Tjia, Li Chao (Team Betterlife), Li Xuanyu (Z.SPEED Motorsports) and Eric Zang (TORO Racing), who all secured top-three finishes.
Xu Zhefeng, who shared the #610 610 Racing car with Li Zhicong over the weekend, was quickest on Sunday morning, before Sathienthirakul and Eric Kwong returned to the top two spots in the afternoon. D’Silva completed a strong test by again topping both sessions, as he looks to make history in becoming the series’ first-ever Masters champion this year.
The field returns to Shanghai on 21-23 March for the opening two races of the campaign, once again supporting the Chinese Grand Prix.
Dylan Pereira, Team Shanghai Yonda BWT: “It’s been a positive two days of testing where we’ve managed to try out several different set-ups. I feel confident after a good year in 2024 finishing as runner-up, but this season the sole aim is to clinch the title. We believe we can fight for victories from the opening round, and use the experience from last year to make sure we maximise 2025.”
Munkong Sathienthirakul, EBM: “The two days in Shanghai have given us the opportunity to try out new set-ups as well as different driving styles. Last year was an epic battle with Eric Kwong for the Am class title which went down to the line and we’re aiming to have another strong campaign. I can’t wait to get started and to also race at two new tracks later in 2025 with the introduction of Motegi and Mandalika.”
John Shen, Modena Motorsports: “The new Masters category is going to be very exciting as we’ve already seen during the Official Test Days that our lap times are extremely close. It’s great to see that Porsche Carrera Cup Asia have introduced this class so that similar level drivers can compete and have a fair chance of winning trophies. My ambition for 2025 is to take the championship and ensure I’m at my best for the opening round later this month.”
Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “Following the off-season, it was amazing to see the field of Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars back on track in Shanghai. It’s always exciting to kick off a new campaign and 2025 is set to be a brilliant one. We’ve got a great field of drivers across four classes, including the brand-new Masters category, and a fantastic calendar lined up. We’re looking forward to twice racing on Grand Prix weekends and to visit two new tracks. I can’t wait to be back at Shanghai International Circuit later this month for the opening rounds!”
