Dramatic clashes rounded out an action-packed opening race weekend for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia with FAWT2 Motorsports’ Will Bamber displaying an unstoppable hunger for victory that earned him a Round 2 win, at the Shanghai International Circuit in China.
Frigid cold threatened rain as the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s 25 drivers took to the track on Sunday for Round 2, but Bamber embraced the rough conditions, going full pedal as soon as the lights went green and jumping into the Turn 1 melee from P4.
Grid leader Andrew Tang from the Porsche China Junior Team was prepared for the onslaught however, valiantly defending his position from P2-starter Team Starchase’s Phillip Hamprecht and Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger in P3.
But the action was halted before the first lap was completed after moist track conditions resulted in a bump-and-spin between drivers in the middle of the pack, ushering out the safety car and putting a temporary hold on the race.
It was Tang out front, Ragginger in second and Bamber in third when the race resumed in Lap 4. Utilizing the tight grouping, Bamber immediately pushed an unrelenting offensive on Ragginger, who could only work to defend as Tang enjoyed a moment to catch his breath and put some space between himself and the rest of the pack.
Despite Ragginger’s stout defense, Bamber proved unshakeable, eventually making a clean pass in Lap 5 and pushing on to Tang, quickly closing the gap to bring his tenacious assault right to the young race leader’s doorstep. After two laps of attack that saw Tang expertly shut the door on Bamber repeatedly, Tang eventually folded to a daring outside pass by Bamber in Lap 6.
It was then a contest for second and third between Tang and Raggigner, with Hamprecht strategically waiting in the wings and Team Formax’s Chris van der Drift keeping an opportunistic eye from further back.
The front pack action came to a white-knuckled climax as Ragginger attempted to overtake Tang just as Hamprecht decided to make his move, resulting in the three drivers charging side by side in a stubborn fight for the lead, offering an incredible moment of motorsport drama for fans in the grandstands.
Hamprecht pulled out of the three-driver stampede ahead of the rest but was passed by Ragginger on the next turn, with Tang resigning to pressure from Chris van der Drift, who, smelling blood in the water, had started his own foray toward the front.
With just minutes left to the race, Chris van der Drift had just one chance at a hail mary attempt to pass Hamprecht or walk away from the first race weekend empty handed. That opportunity came in the penultimate turn as both drivers hurtled toward Shanghai International Circuit’s notorious hairpin turn in an impromptu game of chicken.
It was then that van der Drift’s expertise was revealed as he perfectly timed a last-minute brake, leaving Hamprecht no room to turn on slick surfaces and sending the young driver wide off the track, sealing the podium with William Bamber in first, Martin Ragginger in second and Chris van der Drift looking relieved in third.
“To be honest, the pass on Andrew was meant happen in turn 1 but he fought really hard so we had to continue it on to turn 2 and 3. The car was amazing, I had a lot of grip so I managed to drive around the outside of him. I thought I would give it ago and worked, so I’m quite happy,” William Bamber said in the press conference following the race.
Ragginger’s second victory of the weekend in the Porsche Dealer Trophy category earned Team Porsche Holding a solid lead, with the two consecutive wins giving them a clear head start to the season-long competition.
The action resumes on June 2 as the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia heads to Fuji International Circuit for Round 3 and 4, as well as the first of two invitational races planned for the season as they race against Porsche Carrera Cup Japan.
Martin Ragginger takes tactical win in Round 1
Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger proved his prowess during the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s first race of the season after a laser start to the race set the stage for the Austrian driver’s eventual victory in Round 1.
After a rainy practice session the day before, the sun came out for the morning qualifying that saw several young drivers dominate the top times. Porsche China Junior Team’s Andrew Tang managed to grab the pole advantage going into Round 1 with a swift 2:08.833 lap time while Team Starchase’s Philip Hamprecht earned the P2 slot and Porsche China Junior Team’s Zhang Dasheng nabbed P3.
But the early advantage earned by the young drivers was quickly overshadowed by precision driving as the first turn clash saw Hamprecht and Zhang Dasheng fall from the front of the pack, opening a path for Martin Ragginger to swoop in from a fourth place start to second and begin pressuring Andrew Tang, who managed to keep his cool and maintain the lead position in lap 1.
Maneuvering seamlessly through the initial tumult, FAW T2 Motorsport‘s William Bamber grappled his way into third from fifth in the first turn and immediately went on the defensive as Hamprecht and Zhang Dasheng fought to regain their positions.
But a bigger threat loomed for the two young drivers in the form Team Formax’s Chris van der Drift, who came roaring from behind as he was eager to make up lost ground after a rough qualifying session left him starting in P7.
Ragginger’s persistant agression produced a clear opportunity for a clean pass on Tang in lap 2, leaving the Porsche China Junior to fend off the ambitious Bamber as Ragginger slowly pulled ahead of the pack.
Just as Ragginger’s victory was looking all but guaranteed, the safety car was called onto the track in lap 5 after OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia suffered a shredded tyre, evaporating Ragginger’s pocket of comfort and reinvigorating Tang.
The safety car resulted in renewed tension mid-pack after the race began again in lap 8 with Chris van der Drift dashing to catch the frontrunners, leaving Zhang Dasheng, Philip Hamprecht, Team Jebsen’s Cui Yue, Absolute Racing’s Tanart Sathienthirakul and Team C&D’s Yuan Bo in a tit for tat that drew the spotlight for the remainder of the race.
In the end, Ragginger managed to fend off Tang and Bamber long enough to proudly claim the honor of victor in an exhilarating first race of the season, leaving Tang in second and Bamber in third.
As a driver for dealer team Team Porsche Holding, Ragginger’s victory also marked the first-ever win for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia’s newly-introduced Dealer Trophy.
“I had a really good start. I managed to defend P2 at the outset. My pace was really really good on cold tyres and I managed to overtake Andrew. In the end we won, it was really good to win the first race of the season and we are looking forward to tomorrow, ” Martin Ragginger said during the press conference after the race.
Overall points – Round 1 and 2 (top 5)
Pos Comp No Driver Entrant Points
1 86 Martin RAGGINGER Team Porsche Holding 38
2 12 William BAMBER FAW T2 Motorsport 36
3 10 Andrew TANG Porsche China Junior Team 33
4 7 Chris van der DRIFT Team Formax 30
5 99 Philip HAMPRECHT Team Starchase 21
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