And SRO Japan action at Fuji Speedway
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific is all set for an exciting weekend at Fuji Speedway, with 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R contesting the third round of the 2026 GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS season, while two Porsche entries take on SRO Japan Cup at the same venue with Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan in support as well.
GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS
After trips to Sepang and Mandalika, the championship now heads to Fuji Speedway for the first stop in Japan, before racing at Okayama in August. Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific customers have enjoyed success so far this campaign, taking overall victories in three out of the opening four races, alongside Pro-Am, Silver-Am and Am wins.
Absolute Racing’s Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti currently lead the Drivers’ Championship after a fantastic start to the season, which has seen them stand on the podium three times. The team also supports the all-Malaysian pair of Haziq Zairel Oh and Aaron Lim Say Joon, who line up for HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing in the #20 Porsche 911 GT3 R, competing in the Am category.
The outfit, which currently leads the teams’ standings, will also name American Kyle Washington alongside Rolex 24 at Daytona and Mobil 1 Twelve Hours of Sebring GTD podium finisher and Porsche Motorsport North America Selected Driver Tom Sargent in the #32 car.
Current teams’ champions Origine Motorsport welcomes Laurin Heinrich for his first appearance in the series since 2024. The German driver has raced for the outfit in Asian Le Mans Series and at Suzuka 1000km, as he teams up with Lu Wei again, like he did two years ago.
The squad’s second Porsche 911 GT3 R, piloted by Liu Hangcheng and Wang Zhongwei, sits top of the Am standings after the opening four races. The Chinese duo is yet to finish outside the top two and will be aiming to continue its impressive start to 2026 in Japan.
Phantom Global Racing’s Anthony Liu took victory last time out in Mandalika and will be joined by the returning Porsche Driver Dorian Boccolacci. Back in April, at the season opener in Sepang, the pair picked up two second place finishes in an impressive performance for the outfit.
It will be the first of two home races for Porsche Centre Okazaki, who sees Kazuto Kotaka return to the #18 Porsche 911 GT3 R to partner Hiroaki Nagai. On the other side of the garage, Kiyoshi Uchiyama and Tsubasa Kondo will be hoping to regain the form which saw them clinch Silver-Am victory in Sepang.
Finally, Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter sit third in the Am standings after the first two rounds and the Australian duo will look to replicate their strong showing at Fuji Speedway in 2025, where they took pole position and second in class.
Fuji Speedway is the joint-most visited venue in GT World Challenge Asia history, with its first appearance coming in the championship’s inaugural campaign in 2017. The circuit measures 4.563-kilometres and features one of the longest pit straights in motorsport at 1.475km. A fast and flowing opening part of the lap leads into a very technical ending, with the 16 turns testing the drivers in the foothills of Mount Fuji.
Friday begins with Official Practice at 11:10 local time (UTC+9), before Pre-Qualifying at 15:45. Saturday’s action kicks off with Qualifying from 08:30, with the opener getting underway at 12:35 later that day. Sunday sees the second race of the weekend starting at the slightly earlier time of 11:35.
Huang Ruohan, Absolute Racing: “With the third round of the season taking us to Fuji, we begin the Japanese double-header. The break since Mandalika has been quite long, which makes it a challenge to stay race-sharp. However, I'm delighted to see my teammate Alessandro recently finish on the class podium at the Spa 24 Hours before heading straight to Bangsaen, Thailand, for another race weekend. He's in great form at the moment, and I hope to continue learning from him, which will help me quickly find my rhythm around Fuji. Hopefully everything goes smoothly for us this weekend, and we can come away with another strong result."
Alessandro Ghiretti, Absolute Racing: “I’m really happy to be back with Ruohan and Absolute Racing for the next round of GT World Challenge Asia. This season has been a pleasure to be a part of and we know we have a strong line-up and team behind us. I’m really looking forward to racing for the first time at Fuji, I’ve heard amazing things about this track. It’s going to be an exciting weekend and as always I’m ready to give my all and hunt for strong results.”
Haziq Zairel Oh, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: “Making my GT World Challenge Asia debut is both a dream come true and an exciting new challenge. Stepping up to GT3 machinery in the Porsche 911 GT3 R (992.2) is the biggest leap of my racing career so far. To be competing against some of the strongest Am drivers in the region is exactly the level of competition I’ve been aiming for. The goal for the upcoming race weekends is simple: learn as much as possible, build my pace race by race, and deliver clean, consistent performances for the team. I can’t wait to get started at Fuji.”
Aaron Lim Say Joon, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: “Firstly, I'd like to thank HZO Fortis Racing for giving me the opportunity to compete with the team this year. It's been an incredible journey together over the past few years, and I'm delighted to continue that into the GT World Challenge Asia and to work with Absolute Racing. Our season has started a little later than expected, so we'll have to work harder than ever. I'm looking forward to embracing the challenge and enjoying every step of the journey.”
Tom Sargent, Absolute Racing: “I’m really excited to be making my GT World Challenge Asia debut this weekend. Kyle and I have been working really well together over the past couple of years is the US so we’re looking forward to competing in a new championship. We’re delighted to be teaming up with Absolute Racing, it’s going to be a new track and different competitors but I’m confident we can perform well.”
Lu Wei, Origine Motorsport: “I’m looking forward to being back in the car at Fuji Speedway this weekend and to have Laurin returning alongside me. We’ll look to keep it clean in both races and maximise our results.”
Laurin Heinrich, Origine Motorsport: “After a year away from GT World Challenge Asia, I can’t wait to be back with Origine Motorsport. It will be my first time racing at Fuji Speedway, so I’m excited to experience this world-class track and help Wei as much as I can in the championship.”
Wang Zhongwei, Origine Motorsport: “We’ve had a good season so far and come into Fuji leading the Am Cup. Our target is to keep building our pace and be ready to put in the best performance possible.”
Dorian Boccolacci, Phantom Global Racing: “It’s been a long time since I last raced in GT World Challenge Asia, so I’m excited to be back in the region with Phantom Global Racing. Fuji is a beautiful place and an amazing track, I drove here last year so I know it well. We didn’t get the results we were hoping for there in 2025, but the team clearly has pace following the win in Mandalika, so we will look to maximise our potential over the two races.”
Andrew Macpherson, AMAC Motorsport: “Fuji Speedway is always a special place to race, especially with the magnificent Mount Fuji providing such an incredible backdrop. This will be our seventh time competing there, and Ben and I are really looking forward to getting back behind the wheel. With every race weekend we’re becoming more familiar with the car, its set-up, and how everything works together. That growing understanding is giving us more confidence, and we’re optimistic about putting together two strong races. Our goal is to be consistently competitive and challenge for podium finishes on both days.”
SRO Japan Cup
It was a great start to the 2026 SRO Japan Cup campaign for both Porsche entries at Sportsland SUGO, with both Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific customers leading the GT3 and GT4 standings.
Shinji Takei and Ukyo Sasahara continue in the #9 BINGO RACING with LM corsa Porsche 911 GT3 R, aiming to replicate their excellent victory during the second race in the opener.
In the GT4 category, Zenko RS Garage with Sunrise BLVD’s Yoshitomo Makino and Takeshi Suehiro took pole position for both events, finishing first and second, ensuring they head to Fuji Speedway at the top of the GT4 standings.
Official Practice begins on Friday at 09:25 local time (UTC+9), with Pre-Qualifying later that day at 14:40. Qualifying gets underway from 09:17 on Saturday morning, with the opener taking place at 15:15 in the afternoon. It’s then lights out for Race 2 at 14:55 on Sunday to conclude the weekend.
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’re pleased to be back in GT World Challenge Asia action this weekend, with SRO Japan Cup and Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan in support. It’s been a good start to the 2026 campaign as our customers have taken overall victories in three of the opening four races, alongside Pro-Am, Silver and Am class wins. For this round we’ve got 9 Porsche 911 GT3 R competing and we’re hoping for another strong weekend to begin the first of two rounds in Japan. We’ll be looking to continue the excellent start to the 2026 SRO Japan Cup season at the same venue, as our customers currently lead the GT3 and GT4 standings. It’s also great to have the Porsche Sprint Challenge Japan in attendance for what will be an action-packed event.”
