Macau Thursday Notebook

***Laurens Vanthoor’s No. 992 Porsche 911 GT3 R was in the process of being repaired on Thursday evening following the Absolute Racing driver’s crash in the closing stages of the first practice session of the weekend, in which he set the fastest time.

***Recalling the crash, Vanthoor told Sportscar365: “I wasn’t pushing too much or doing anything crazy. Up until the incident I was driving quite safe, in my opinion, although I wanted to explore a bit further. I ended up entering Mandarin maybe 10cm to the left, at the same speed with the same brake, same throttle. But there is a bump, and the front came up as I turned in. I was able to avoid the outside wall but I lost the car on the exit.”

***The Belgian added: “If the car drives the same in quali as it did in FP1 then I am not worried about it; I know we will be there. That would be the dream scenario. I know the mechanics are fully on it and do will their absolute best, so fingers crossed.”

***Porsche Motorsport Asia-Pacific managing director Alexandre Gibot admitted the fact that Vanthoor’s car hit the barriers at Mandarin square on was a stroke of luck, as it meant the damage was not severe enough to warrant a change of chassis.

***Gibot told Sportscar365: “I think we got lucky with the angle the car hit the wall. The chassis is not damaged, that’s the most important thing. The crash looked impressive on the video, but the consequences are acceptable. We are confident in Absolute, with the additional support of Porsche, that the car will be fully ready for qualifying.”

***Despite the level of performance showed by Porsche in both practice sessions, Gibot warned that he expects to see rival manufacturers make a step forward on Friday. He said: “We showed a decent level of performance, and it’s encouraging, but I don’t think it’s very representative. I think qualifying will be a different story. We hope we can put the maximum number of Porsches through to Super Pole.”

***Sheldon van der Linde, who was third-fastest in FP2 behind stablemate Raffaele Marciello, has set himself the clear goal of victory on his third Macau appearance after finishing third in last year’s race. “We’ve had potential for the podium in both years, and I’m with the best team in the business, WRT, so I have no doubt that we have a good chance to win the race,” van der Linde told Sportscar365. “Now I’ve finished on the podium, winning the race is definitely the next target.”

***Van der Linde added he hopes that the arrival of torque sensors could come as a boost to BMW’s chances. “I’m hoping it could help us,” he said. “I think it’s good for fairness, regulating everything in a professional way. Hopefully they can use the knowhow they have picked up in WEC to make it closer in Macau.”

***It’s understood that another BMW driver, Augusto Farfus, was also due to race at Macau this year with Team KRC until the team unexpectedly withdrew.

***Porsche Motorsport Asia-Pacific selected driver Dorian Boccolacci is making his first appearance on the streets of Macau in ten years, having last raced the Guia Circuit in Formula 3 machinery in 2015. The Frenchman finished 11th on that occasion.

***Describing his first day of running at Macau in a GT car, Boccolacci told Sportscar365: “After ten years the track was not so clear in my mind, so it was almost like my first time, and with a new car. But the performance was not too bad actually, we were P10 in both sessions. I think I had the potential for P7, but I had a big moment at Mandarin on my best lap and I had to brake a lot to save the car, so I lost three tenths on that lap.”

***Boccolacci added that Phantom Global Racing is at a disadvantage against two-car Porsche teams Absolute Racing and Schumacher CLRT by only running a single 911 GT3 R. The team is also running a pair of Audi R8 LMS GT3 Evo IIs under the Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom banner for Christopher Haase and Joel Eriksson.

***Of the 16 drivers contesting the FIA GT World Cup, six were in action in last weekend’s FIA World Endurance Championship-closing 8 Hours of Bahrain: BMW pair van der Linde and Marciello, Ferrari drivers Antonio Fuoco and Yifei Ye, and Porsche duo Vanthoor and Laurin Heinrich. Additionally, Boccolacci is also fresh from having driven a Porsche 963 for the first time in his career in the Bahrain rookie test for Proton Competition.

***The Greater Bay Area GT Cup for GT4 machinery held its first practice session on Thursday. The event serves as the fourth and final round of the inaugural season of the SRO GT Cup, a new series launched this year. Toyota Gazoo Racing China’s Han Lichao arrives having already sealed the overall title with four wins from the first six races.

***Darryl O’Young will conclude his career as a racing driver in the event driving a Mercedes-AMG GT4 for the Craft-Bamboo Racing team, for which he also acts as director. “I’ve been looking forward to this race all year, but it’s hard to believe this will be my 20th and last Macau Grand Prix,” said O’Young. “This event holds such a special place in my heart, so I will definitely arrive in Macau with mixed emotions.”

***He added: “Ever since my first entry in 2004, I just connected with this track and it always felt very natural to me. A lot has happened here, but most of all it launched my international racing career with my first win back in 2005. It’s going to be a very special weekend, I have a lot of friends and family coming this weekend to watch this weekend and it would be a dream to finish my career with a victory on the streets of Macau.”

***With practice completed, first qualifying for the FIA GT World Cup is due to take place on Friday at 3:40 p.m. local time (2:40 a.m. ET), followed by Super Pole for the ten fastest qualifiers in the opening session at 4:30 p.m. (3:30 a.m. ET).