Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Set for Action-Packed Month of Racing

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, which thrilled the crowds during its debut outing as a support race to the Petronas Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix in March, is set for an action-packed month during June, with four more exciting rounds of the burgeoning series to be run on two Malaysian circuits.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will return to Sepang International Circuit on the weekend of June 7 and 8 for rounds two and three of the 12-round series, which boasts the cream of the region's sports car drivers, followed by two more rounds at the Johor International Circuit in Pasir Gudang on June 28 and 29.

Originally scheduled for May, the eagerly awaited continuation of this prestigious new series was postponed due to the outbreak of the SARS virus in the region. Organisers of the Asian Festival of Speed, under which the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia runs, is liaising closely with Malaysia's health authorities and will ensure all recommended health guidelines are strictly adhered to.

The awesome line up of 20 Porsche-prepared, ready-to-race Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars thrilled the spectators during the opening round, and Hong Kong's Charles Kwan and Briton Nigel Albon fought a last-lap pitch battle which had the crowds on their feet.

Kwan just pipped Albon to the chequered flag, with Thailand's Charoensukhawatana Nattavude in third, after the thrilling 10 lap race on Sepang's 5.542km state-of-the-art circuit.

Although Kwan tops the leaderboard after round one, the Team Infineon-Novellus driver can expect fierce competition going into the next races from the likes of Albon, Nattavude, South Africa's Toby Venter, Malaysia's Tommy Lee and the strong field of expert GT pilots.

The Porsche Carrera Cup "one-make" concept, identical machines with only minimal modifications permitted, ensures that the combination of skill, talent and experience of the drivers is the deciding factor in competition. A comprehensive service concept operated by EKS Motorsport supports the series, which is run under the Asian Festival of Speed umbrella by Malaysian-based Motorsport Asia Limited.

In 1990, the Porsche Carrera Cup was first introduced in Germany. In 1992, France launched a Carrera Cup, with Japan getting the green light in 2001. The rapidly developing interest in motorsport in Asia made the launch of a series for the region a natural progression, and is seen as a milestone in the development of professional motorsport in Asia.

Following the Malaysian rounds, the Porsche Carrera Cup will travel to Thailand, South Korea, and China, with a thrilling season-closer to be held as part of the prestigious Macau Grand Prix in November.