Weekly Racing Roundup (11.13.23)

O’Young Wins as Macau Grand Prix Kicks Off

Craft-Bamboo Racing team director and driver Darryl O’Young won the Greater Bay Area GT Cup as the Macau Grand Prix event kicked off last weekend.

The two-time Macau GT Cup winner started from pole position and kept his Mercedes-AMG GT3 Evo ahead of the Kang Ling-driven Lamborghini Huracan GT3 through Lisboa.

There was drama behind the leading pair as Anthony Liu overtook Kevin Tse down the inside at the Lisboa right-hander, causing the latter’s Mercedes-AMG to step wide.

Porsche driver Liao Yiang then tried to squeeze past Tse, but contact caused the Mercedes-AMG to spin around and block the track.

After a safety car period, racing resumed with four laps to go but Ling’s chances of challenging O’Young were dealt a blow when he glanced the wall at the Melco Hairpin.

O’Young went on to win by 0.9 seconds, with Ling finishing second in the Phantom Pro Racing Lamborghini.

Chien-Shang Chang completed the podium in an MP Racing Mercedes-AMG, ahead of Climax Racing’s Heng Min and Yang in the K-Sport Racing Porsche 911 GT3 R.

The second week of the Macau Grand Prix will see international factory drivers take to the Guia Circuit for the FIA GT World Cup, which is being held for the first time since 2019.

RESULTS: Greater Bay Area GT Cup

Other Racing Action & News

***Thomas Merrill, Rick Wright, Tom Burt and Eddie Nakato won the 20th anniversary 25 Hours of Thunderhill in a Three Thieves Racing Audi R8 LMS ultra. The AP Motorsport-prepared machine led almost the entire race after starting from third and moving into the lead during the first hour. It completed 742 laps around Thunderhill Raceway Park in California, marking the fourth-highest winning distance achieved to date. Results

***The APR Racing Lexus trio of Hiroaki Nagai, Kazuto Kotaka and Koki Saga won the four-hour Super Taikyu season finale at Fuji Speedway by more than a minute. However, it was the Rookie Racing that secured the ST-X title with a third-place finish for its Mercedes-AMG driven by Ryuta Ukai, Naoya Gamou and Hibiki Taira. Results

***Last weekend’s Macau action included a GT4 race won by Kailuo Luo in a TORO Racing Lotus Emira GT4. Luo overtook fellow Lotus driver Adam Christodoulou into the Lisboa braking zone and went on to win by 0.6 seconds. The race included a red flag after a BMW M4 GT4 spun and blocked the track approaching the Melco Hairpin. Results

***Leipert Motorsport will enter the 2023-24 Asian Le Mans Series with an unchanged driver lineup from last season when it finished fifth in the GT3 standings. Lamborghini factory driver Marco Mapelli will team up with Brendon Leitch and Gabriele Rindone in the German squad’s Lamborghini Huracan GT3 EVO2.

***The ADAC has made three venue changes to the Prototype Cup Germany schedule for next year with Spa-Francorchamps, Lausitzring and Sachsenring replacing Assen, Oschersleben and Norisring. The season will start at Spa on April 19-21 before heading to Lausitzring (May 24-26), Zandvoort (July 12-14), Hockenheim (Aug. 9-11), Nürburgring (Aug. 16-18) and Sachsenring (Sep. 6-8).

***Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific has launched a new one-make series in Indonesia. The Porsche Sprint Challenge Indonesia will consist of six races at the Mandalika circuit in December and January, using the Type-992 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup.

***Isotta Fraschini has revealed details of the road-going variant of its LMH car for the FIA World Endurance Championship. The Italian company calls the Tipo 6 LMH Strada a “direct derivation” of the competition model and it will be built in a limited 12-unit run. Its 3-liter V6 turbocharged engine produces 750 hp and works alongside a 270 hp hybrid system. The car is priced at €3.25 million ($3.48 million USD).

On this weekend: FIA GT World Cup (Macau), Lamborghini World Finals (Vallelunga)