Nine Porsche cars, across three categories, will tackle the Shanghai 8 Hours this weekend as the marque looks to defend the victory it took last year at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The majority of the brand’s entries come in the GT3 class, with five Porsche 911 GT3 R set to hit the track, three in the Pro-Am category and two in Am. Last year’s winner Origine Motorsport returns to the event, fielding a strong trio. 2025 victor Liu Hangcheng, who currently leads GT World Challenge Asia’s Am category, is joined by Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Enzo Trulli and recently-crowned Suzuka 1000km winner Laurin Heinrich in the #22 car.
The squad also enters a second car under the Winhere Origine name, which sees GT World Challenge Asia championship leader Lu Wei partnering with Porsche AR box Carrera Cup Asia racer Ling Kang and 2025 Shanghai 8 Hours winner Leo Ye.
The final GT3 Pro-Am entry comes from Phantom Global Racing, which fields Li Ning and Chris Chia together with 2026 Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup champion and Porsche Junior Flynt Schuring, alongside New Zealander Jaxon Evans.
The Chinese team also enters a second GT3, as father and son Philippe and Louis Prette join forces with Angelo Negro in the Am class. The final GT3 entry features GT World Challenge Asia duo Haziq Zariel Oh and Aaron Lim Say Joon team up with race winner in the series, Huang Ruohan, in the #20 HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing machine.
Three Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport cars will take on the race in the GTS category, with two coming from Origin7 Racing. Lenny Tian Weiyuan and Jiang Tengyi have been competing for the squad in China GT this season, and the duo is joined by Xu Weizhou and Thailand Super Series GT4 championship leader Kantadhee Kusiri. On the other side of the garage, China GT racers Tang Yile, Hana Burton and Shi Wei are joined by Han Liqun in the #621 car.
Completing the trio is Ultimate Racing’s entry, which sees China GT duo Zhang Wenyan and Zhang Banggui come together with Yang Chunlei and Wang Haohao.
Completing Porsche’s line-up for the event is the marque’s sole entry in the GTC class. Lester Tang, Matthew Solomon, Billy Lo and Andy Yan Cheuk Wai team up in Moden Team TDK’s Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
The weekend begins with Testing on Friday, before Free Practice the morning after. Qualifying begins from 15:30 local time (UTC+7) on Saturday afternoon, while the eight-hour enduro starts at 09:25 on Sunday.
Liu Hangcheng, Origine Motorsport: “I’m aiming to put in a steady and consistent performance in Shanghai, and I look forward to learning from Enzo and Laurin as we work together to achieve the best result possible.”
Enzo Trulli, Origine Motorsport: “I’m super excited to race in the Shanghai 8 Hours! It will be my first event with Origine Motorsport, so I’m looking forward to beginning our partnership. Endurance races are always tough, and there is a lot of strong competition, so we will need to maximise everything to allow us to fight at the front.”
Laurin Heinrich, Origine Motorsport: “It will be my first time tackling the Shanghai 8 Hours and I’m really happy to do it with Origine Motorsport. We have been successful together in the past in GT World Challenge Asia, so I’m confident we will have a fast car that will allow our strong driver line-up to fight for overall victory. The race will also be good preparation for us ahead of our return visit to Shanghai later this year for the GT World Challenge Asia finale.”
Ling Kang, Winhere Origine: “This weekend I’ll be driving the 911 GT3 R with my two experienced teammates at this amazing event. Throughout the weekend, I hope to further develop my ability in the car, and together with the team, achieve a strong result.”
Leo Ye, Winhere Origine: “I’m looking forward to partnering with Lu Wei and Ling Kang at Shanghai for the 8 Hours. Our target is to learn from each other on the best way to drive the car as we aim for a positive finish.”
Lu Wei, Winhere Origine: “Endurance races are all about being smooth and safe, so our goal is to bring the car home in one piece, while setting competitive lap times and battling at the front of the field.”
Louis Prette, Phantom Global Racing: “I’m really looking forward to competing in the Shanghai 8 Hours this weekend with Phantom Global Racing and Porsche. The last time my father and I raced together in Shanghai was in the FIA World Endurance Championship, driving a Porsche in the GTE category, so it’s very special for us to return here together. We’re both highly motivated for the weekend and pleased to be joined by Angelo, a long-time family friend. The last two endurance races I’ve contested alongside my father have both ended in victory, so we’ll be aiming to carry that momentum forward and continue the streak in Shanghai.”
Jaxon Evans, Phantom Global Racing: “I’m really looking forward to being back with Phantom Global Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, getting behind the wheel of a Porsche GT3 car for the first time in a few years. Shanghai will be a new track for me, but I’m confident we can get up to speed quickly and be in the fight for a strong result.”
Aaron Lim Say Joon, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: "It’s great to be back in the car after Okayama. This time, with it being an endurance race on a track we know from before, it gives us more confidence to push the limits and understand the car better. I can’t wait for the weekend and to try to improve on our result from last year."
Hazip Zariel Oh, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: “It will be my third time at the Shanghai 8 Hours, this time in the Porsche 911 GT3 R and in a new line-up alongside Aaron and Ron. We’re looking to build on our previous performances with Porsche and learn from our GT World Challenge Asia outings to be competitive in Shanghai.”
Huang Ruohan, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: "This will be my first GT3 endurance race, and I can’t wait to share the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Haziq and Aaron. With this event becoming more and more competitive every year, the 2026 grid is packed with strong competitors. I believe we make a strong team and a trio, and we’re heading into the race aiming for a positive result in our class.”
Kantadhee Kusiri, Origin7 Racing: “This weekend’s Shanghai 8 Hour Race is going to be an exciting and fun event, with a great variety of cars on the grid. I’ll give it everything I have and do my best to bring our car home on the podium. Looking forward to a great weekend.”
Hana Burton, Origin7 Racing: “I’m really looking forward to taking on the Shanghai 8 Hours with Origin7 Racing. It’s going to be a big task for the drivers and the team, so consistency, managing traffic and working well together will be really important. I’m thankful for this opportunity and I’m excited to learn as much as possible.”
Shi Wei, Origin7 Racing: “I can’t wait for the challenge of the Shanghai 8 Hours aboard our Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport. I really enjoy driving the car, it suits my style and I’m delighted to be joining Origin7 Racing. It’s also a great feeling to be in a driver line-up that contains two men and two women, and I hope throughout this race we can demonstrate that female drivers can compete in such a professional environment. Looking forward to the challenge!”
Tang Yile, Origin7 Racing: “I’m delighted to represent Origin7 Racing at the Shanghai 8 Hours, which is just the second endurance race of my career. The event comes with its unique challenges but I’m hoping to learn lots from this experience and work closely with the team and my teammates as we take on this test together.”
Xu Weizhou, Origin7 Racing: “I’m full of excitement as we build up to the Shanghai 8 Hours. It’s my first time racing a Porsche GT4 in an endurance race, and it’s great to be joining three experienced teammates,, which gives me a lot of confidence heading into the weekend. Once on track, I’ll give it everything and focus on keeping a steady rhythm and to finish the race with no regrets.”
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “We’re proud to be entering nine cars into the Shanghai 8 Hours for what should be a fantastic weekend of action. The event was a huge success last year and it’s amazing to see it expand even further in 2026. We have strong line-ups across all three classes. Porsche entries have won all three Shanghai 8 Hours since it returned in 2023, so we’re looking forward to supporting our entries as they aim to bring home more trophies.”
