Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific claimed a third consecutive GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS Drivers’ title, as Origine Motorsport’s Lu Wei earned his maiden championship with a dominant victory in the final race alongside Laurin Heinrich. Meanwhile, a positive weekend for Absolute Racing saw the Shanghai-based squad secure the Teams’ Championship.
Four Porsche entries took on Chang International Circuit in Round 4 of Thailand Super Series, as Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Enzo Trulli made his debut in the championship and the marque claimed class victories in both the GTM and GT4 categories.
GT World Challenge Asia
Entering the weekend at Shanghai International Circuit with a slim advantage over Absolute Racing’s Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti, the two cars lined up side-by-side on the fourth row of the grid ahead of Race 1. Huang and Wei were both passed on the opening lap by the fast-starting Origine Motorsport #22 of Liu Hangcheng, although the duo quickly re-overtook the Am car.
They remained sixth and seventh until the mandatory pit stops, where the #911’s success penalty following their victory at Beijing set them back, allowing Origine Motorsport’s Heinrich to gain positions on Ghiretti. Heinrich then set about making his way to the podium, closing in and pressuring the #37 Phantom Global Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R of Loek Hartog.
After an entertaining battle that lasted multiple laps, Heinrich finally completed a superb move through the middle sector with just one minute left on the clock, claiming a crucial third-place finish. Meanwhile, Ghiretti started his stint on the front foot, making up positions early on, but ultimately had to settle for seventh, handing Wei a 14-point advantage heading into the final race.
A penalty for a pit-stop infringement delayed the progress of Kevin Tse and Alessio Picariello in the #918 Absolute Racing car, taking 12th overall.
In the Am class, Liu Hangcheng and Wang Zhongwei kept their title hopes alive with a solid second, and were joined on the podium by HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing duo Haziq Zariel Oh and Aaron Lim Say Joon. The Malaysian duo finished just ahead of Australian pair Andrew Macpherson and Ben Porter, who crossed the line fourth for AMAC Motorsport.
In Race 2, Heinrich started on pole, with championship rival Ghiretti in fifth. The Frenchman got a strong launch, but it was Picariello who challenged Heinrich for the lead, although the Origine Motorsport man was able to hold position into Turn 1.
Ghiretti’s strong start saw him settle into a rhythm in third, just ahead of Picariello, although Heinrich was unchallenged out in front, building a 10-second gap to those behind. The gap allowed Wei to exit the pits still in the lead following the #11’s stop, with Huang also holding third.
As Huang set about chasing down the driver in second, Wei put in a superb stint, making no mistakes and setting strong pace to clinch a dominant third victory of the season to earn a first title in the series. Huang was able to get through for second with a brave move at the hairpin, completing an excellent season alongside Ghiretti, which saw them claim five podiums, including two victories and secure second in the standings.
Anthony Liu and Loek Hartog clinched fifth in the #37 car, while Tse and Picariello completed a strong first GT World Challenge Asia weekend together in sixth for Absolute Racing as the squad secured the Teams’ Championship. Meanwhile, after not being able to race on Saturday, Hiroaki Nagai and Kazuo Kotaka ended a season which saw them consistently improve by taking seventh in the Pro-Am category.
HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing’s #20 and the #22 of Origine Motorsport put on a superb show in the second half of the race, as Haziq Zariel Oh and Liu Hangcheng went head-to-head for the Am victory. The pair swapped positions several times, but it was Oh who came out on top, claiming a first class win in the series for the Malaysian team. Liu had to settle for second, and was joined on the podium by Macpherson and Porter, who ended their campaign third.
Lu Wei, Origine Motorsport: “I’m so happy to be 2026 GT World Challenge Asia champion, it’s a big relief for me after so many seasons coming close. A huge thank you to all the crew at Origine Motorsport and my teammates for their incredible work this year. I’m hoping to come back next year for even more!”
Laurin Heinrich, Origine Motorsport: “I’m delighted to have helped Wei to the title, it’s redemption after we came so close together two years ago. This weekend proved what we can do and how strong this team is, I’m so happy to have been part of this journey. Consistency has been key and that’s what’s helped us have such a strong season and weekend.”
Huang Ruohan, Absolute Racing: “I gave it my all this weekend, I didn’t want to give up. We fought until the end and still had a season to be proud of. Congratulations to Lu Wei on a great year! It wasn’t the easiest campaign for us, we had some really good rounds but also some difficult ones, but the squad did an amazing job and fully deserve the Teams’ championship.”
Alessandro Ghiretti, Absolute Racing: “I tried my best to gain positions at the start, it’s frustrating to finish second but we still learned a lot this year and had a good season. A big congratulations to Absolute Racing for the Teams’ Championship, I’m really happy to have been a part of it and of course a huge well done to Wei for his incredible year.”
Kevin Tse, Absolute Racing: “It was a pleasure to join Absoute Racing and Alessio for my debut in GT World Challenge Asia. I had a lot to learn about both the car and the track, but we showed great improvement in Race 2 and I look forward to being back with the team again soon.”
Hiroaki Nagai, Porsche Center Okazaki: “The 2026 season has been a year of learning and development with the new car. Despite tough rounds early on, we made steady progress throughout the year, with the highlight being in Beijing where we too fourth in Pro-Am. A big thank you to my teammate, the whole squad, sponsors and fans, and we’ll be back to keep fighting next year.”
Kazuto Kotaka, Porsche Center Okazaki: “We developed really well this year, finishing in a much better place than we started. We consistently improved and I believe we have set a strong foundation for next season, where we will aim to achieve even more positive results.”
Andrew Macpherson, AMAC Motorsport: “We had a lot of ups and downs in what was overall a good season. Thank you to the team for their hard work and to Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for their support. I’m already looking forward to next year and what will be my 20th season competing with Porsche.”
Ben Porter, AMAC Motorsport: “We started the year with a new car which was really exciting. It took us some time to get used to the new machinery and we had pace in several races, but didn’t quite get the results we were aiming for. Looking forward to coming back next year!”
Haziq Zariel Oh, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: “What a way to finish the season! P3 in Race 1 before our first ever GT World Challenge Asia Am class victory today. The final 20 minutes fighting for the win was the drive of my life. Huge credit to Aaron and the entire team for making this possible and giving us a great car, I couldn’t be prouder of what we’ve achieved together. Next year, our aim is to be back and to fight for the championship.”
Aaron Lim Say Joon, HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing: “Finally we did it! Our first P1 in class. It was hard earned and all credit goes to Haziq for the mega second stint. I think we grew so much as a team together throughout the season and really happy to end on a high. Thank you to Absolute Racing for all the support this year.”
Thailand Super Series
With Ghiretti absent, B-Quik Absolute Racing’s title-chasing Henk Kiks was joined by Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Enzo Trulli, who tackled his maiden Thailand Super Series weekend.
Kiks started Race 1 in fifth place, making his way up to fourth before an unfortunate spin saw the Dutchman drop down the order. Handing over to Trulli at the halfway mark, the Italian racer immediately began setting strong lap times, closing in on the drivers ahead, although he had to settle for fifth.
Meanwhile, in the GTM category, Li Jia teamed up with another series debutant, Porsche AR box Carrera Cup Asia racer Naquib Azlan. Jia put in a solid first stint, before Azlan showed his terrific pace, making a late overtake to clinch class victory in the #10 Fire Monkey x Silver Rocket Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.
Race 2 saw Trulli lining up on pole after a superb lap in qualifying, although he would drop positions at the start. He battled hard with the drivers around him before handing over to Kiks, who ran in the podium positions, crossing the line in fourth.
Azlan and Jia had a more difficult race, with a wheel issue setting them back before a puncture prevented any chance of challenging for victory, eventually taking second in class.
In the GT4 category, AAS Motorsport entered two cars, hoping to continue their battle for the title. A difficult first race saw Kantadhee Kusiri and Dechathorn Phuakkarawut claim fourth, while Kmik Karnasuta and Thanapattra Sutthisawang finished sixth.
The following day was more successful for the #91 crew, as Kusiri started from pole position. Although he would drop to second, Phuakkarawut re-gained the lead in the pit stop phase and was unchallenged for the rest of the race, extending the duo’s championship lead heading into the final round. Karnasuta and Sutthisawang battled hard in a competitive field, crossing the line in sixth again.
Thailand Super Series returns to Chang International Circuit for the final two races of the season on 12-13 December 2026.
Henk Kiks, B-Quik Absolute Racing: “While we had good pace in car #26 unfortunately we weren’t able to turn it into positive results. Thank you to the team for all their work, and it was a pleasure to be joined by Enzo! It was still a strong weekend for B-Quik Absolute Racing and we’ll be aiming to bounce back at the final round next month.”
Enzo Trulli, B-Quik Absolute Racing: “My first weekend in Thailand Super Series is done, we showed great speed by collecting pole position and fastest lap in both races. Unfortunately the results don’t reflect the pace we had, but I still enjoyed working with the team and with Henk.”
Naquib Azlan, Fire Monkey x Silver Rocket: “A surprise last minute call-up turned into a double podium over the weekend, with one of them being a class victory. It was great to experience and race the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup at a new track. Massive thanks to Silver Rocket x Fire Monkey for the opportunity.”
Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “Finishing the season with a 1-2 in GT World Challenge Asia is a huge achievement for Porsche, and we’re delighted for Wei, as he takes a well-deserved championship after coming so close in recent years. I also want to say congratulations to Absolute Racing for winning the Teams’ title, they’ve been competitive all year and have earned this success. It’s been a great season for us, to be so competitive in the overall championship and in the Am class is amazing. Porsche teams have won the Teams’ Championship for four years in a row and we have although won three consecutive Drivers’ titles and we will hope to continue this next year. We were also pleased to see Enzo making his debut in Thailand Super Series, setting superb lap times and claiming a pole position, even if the overall results didn’t reflect his speed. Taking victories in both the GTM and GT4 class made for a great weekend in both Shanghai and Buriram.”
