PCCA NEWS
Eventful end of season
It was an eventful weekend for Asia Racing Team drivers Keith Vong, Marcel Tjia and Dr Ma Chi Min on the last event of 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the Shanghai International Circuit.
In Saturday’s Race 1, the German-series debutant Vong had a solid start and did a good job of keeping behind him a fierce peloton, placing 7th in the Class B and 13th overall. Further back, Dr Ma Chi Min had a spin early on in the race, but he recovered from that very well, finishing 17th, three places ahead of teammate Tjia.
Starting from 20th on the grid in Sunday’s Race 2, the elder brother of the Tjia motorsport clan took five positions in 13-laps to cross the line in 15th. Worse luck was had by Vong and Dr Ma. The Hong Kong driver got into a collision with another car and was hit on the side by his Macau teammate who was trying to avoid the accident. Both cars were too damaged to continue.
Speaking about the 2011 season, Team Manager Philippe Descombes said, “After our 2009 successful experience this is year was a totally different challenge. It was a long season with a lot of ups and downs. A big well done is due to the team for achieving an outstanding reliability this season and to the drivers for their determination and improvement over the season.”
Race Engineer Duarte Alves added, “Although two of our drivers were racing in PCCA for the first time and one had to replace his car chassis after one race, a lot of positives came out of this season. Keith had a quick acclimatization to Asia racing even if he has been involved in too many race accidents that prevent him to do better overall. Marcel was especially good in Singapore and Dr Ma did a very solid first season in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia after years away from racing.”
Asia Racing Team is already working towards next Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season, hoping to start testing before the year’s end.
Best results for Keith Vong and Marcel Tjia in Singapore
The glamorous Singapore Grand Prix had silver lining for Asia Racing Team drivers Keith Vong and Marcel Tjia as who recorded their best performance in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia - Class B this season.
Qualifying on Saturday was expectantly tough. Again, this field of Gentleman Drivers, where Asia Racing Team trio compete, is very competitive and the difference in the field is measured in tenths of a second. Vong qualified 18th, Tjia in 19th, and Dr Ma Chin Min lined up in 22nd.
In Race 1 Vong was the quickest among the ART drivers. The Marina Bay’s debutant had driven a flawless race to finish 14th overall and 7th in Class B, his best result so far this season. Teammate Marcel Tjia crossed the finish line in 18th. On the other hand Dr Ma did not finish as he decided to stop in the pits due to a gearbox sensor failure.
Tjia topped the three Asia Racing Team drivers Sunday with a sensational drive from 18th to 14th. The Dutch driver and Singapore resident was 14th in Race 2, finishing 8th in Class B. Dr Ma ran consistently in the middle pack, ending up 18th. Vong was the victim of an over-optimistic passing manoeuvre on lap 2 and had an incursion in the pits to check the water temperature alarm to finally cross the finish line in 24th, one lap behind the race winner.
Team Manager Philippe Descombes said, “The team did a great job over the weekend. We are working hard and one can see improvements compared to the early races. Marcel was no longer at the back, and Keith had an excellent Race 1, considering he was racing for the first time here. I am sure we will take a big lift from this weekend and look forward to the final race of the season.“
The last race of 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit on October 22 and 23.
Mission accomplished at Sepang
Asia Racing Team headed to Malaysia for the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Round 7 and 8 at the Sepang International Circuit.
Keith Vong was the best among the Asia Racing Team drivers, even if he started the weekend in the wrong way, compromising the Race 1 with a spin, finishing 21st. The Macau driver was much better in the second race, crossing the line in 13th - 7th in Class B - his best season result so far.
Racing for the first time in PCCA at Sepang, Dr Ma Chi Min made a good progress throughout the weekend in understanding how to take the maximum out of the 997 GT3 Cup. The Daytona 24 hour former participant saw the checkered flag in 19th in Race 1 and 15th in Race 2.
Meanwhile teammate Marcel Tjia overcame an accident in Free Practice One to finish 17th and 18th in Race 1 and 2 respectively.
Asia Racing Team will be in action again in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia next month at Singapore on the Marina Bay street circuit as part of the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix weekend.
Learning race for Asia Racing Team drivers at Ordos
Asia Racing Team ended a debutant weekend in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at Ordos, with a 14th place as best result.
The 18-turn, 3.751km FIA Grade 2 race track was new to Keith Vong, Marcel Tjia and Dr Ma Chi Min. After a promising free practice, Vong couldn’t match the pace in qualifying, registering the 13th quickest time. Tjia meanwhile was 21st with Dr Ma in 22nd place.
Race 1 saw Vong having a slow getaway and being swamped by the field. He managed to get back some positions to finish 15th, 10th in Class B, for non-professional racers. Still learning the track and getting his reference points, after a couple laps Dr Ma settled into a rhythm to finish on a clean 19th. Holland’s Tjia finished one lap down in 22nd place.
For Sunday’s Race two, with the results of Round 5 determining the grid order for Round 6, Vong was well set for a stunning race until he got hit from behind by an opponent. The Macanese driver would survive to this accident but two laps later he ended up in the gravel. Dr Ma Chi Min drove what was probably his best race of the season this afternoon, showing great determination to fight his way through the field. The Hong Kong native finished 14th, his best result so far in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. Tjia meanwhile had a smart and conservative approach to the race that paid off securing the 15th place.
Speaking about the team’s performance in Ordos, Team Manager Philippe Descombes said, "Overall our drivers did a very professional job on a new track. Of course we need to close the gap to the other top drivers in Class B but consistency in the championship is important too. Dr Ma and Marcel are progressing every race and a bit more of luck will be welcome by Keith. Hopefully at the next race in Sepang we will have a better weekend.”
Race Engineer Duarte Alves, added, “We are heading in the right direction. We shall look at our overall performance and data from this weekend and see where we need to produce a little extra for the closing rounds of the season. Still, this Ordos weekend was a really good experience.”
Asia Racing Team will be in action again from August 26-28 for Rounds 7&8 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the Sepang International Circuit.
Rough weekend for Asia Racing Team in Zhuhai
Asia Racing Team’s drivers Keith Vong, Marcel Tjia and Dr Ma Chi Min endured a tough weekend in the second round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at the Zhuhai International Circuit.
After an encouraging showing in Friday morning testing, Keith Vong hit gearbox problems in qualifying, putting him 20th on grid for the first race. The technical problems were solved on time for the Race 1 but the Macau driver was caught up in the first corner crash, crossing the line in 18th. In Race 2 Vong made a brilliant start gaining several positions until a risky move by a competitor in front caused contact in the first corner, sadly forcing him to make an early pit stop to repair his car that cost Vong two laps.
Starting from the 22nd position, Dr Ma Chi Min’s first race came to a disappointing end when he ended up in the gravel trap after missing the braking point with three laps to go. Things were a little brighter for Dr Ma in the second race as the Hong Kong veteran engaged in fierce battle throughout the race, being able to come away with a 18th place, conquering the PCCA Race Award Medal.
Qualifying 23rd, Team-mate Marcel Tjia was able to overcome a turbulent weekend in Shanghai, restoring his confident with two solid finishes in Zhuhai. The Dutch driver entered by OpenRoad Racing finished both races in 19th, scoring points for the first time in Class B.
Reflecting on the team’s home race, Race Engineer Duarte Alves said, “It was not the luckiest weekend in Zhuhai, but as everyone knows, luck turns around. We can’t fall into the trap of losing confidence because we have all the human and technical strengths we need to raise the bar in the Class B. Often silly mistakes are made and incidents cannot be avoided and this is unfortunately what happened to Keith twice this weekend. Dr Ma was pretty unlucky in Race 1 but he did well in the second race. The whole team is happy with Marcel. He had a nightmare weekend in Shanghai and hopefully this will be the beginning of something good for us.”
Asia Racing Team will be in action again in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia from July 8-10 for Rounds 5 & 6 at the Ordos International Circuit.
PCCA: Good season start at Shanghai
The opening round of the 2011 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) on the Shanghai International Circuit last weekend had mixed feelings for Asia Racing Team. If PCCA rookies Keith Vong and Dr Ma Chin Min showed a great pace and performance in Class B, Marcel Tjia was forced to retire after an accident on Race 1.
In the first race, run over 12 laps, Vong and Dr Ma made very cautious starts and lost a couple of positions. They both were able to pull away from the cars behind and keep to the strategy to fight with the rivals ahead. The Macau driver based in Australia finished 14th overall (Class B 8th) and his Hong Kong teammate in 17th (Class B 11th). Tjia had an unfortunate short race. The Dutch driver ended up his first race of the season hitting the wall in the end of turn 1. Even if the car wasn’t‚ severely damaged, the chassis couldn’t‚ be repaired for the Race 2.
Race 2 saw Vong climbing several places in the first laps. When he was a fantastic 7th overall, a front left puncture sent his car to the pits. Vong saw the chequered flag in 17th (Class B 14th). Battles continued throughout the field for the entire 12 laps, with the Class B drivers providing the crowds with some superb action. In the closing stages of the race, all eyes were on Dr. Ma and an opponent, the two Hong Kong racers locked in battle, with Dr Ma eventually edging past his rival on the penultimate lap to finish 11th (Class B 8th).
Reflecting on the first weekend of the season, Team Manager Philippe Descombes, said, "We had a very encouraging race weekend from the point of view of our overall pace and performance in Class B. Keith and Vong did a fantastic job and now we need to enjoy this moment, build on this feeling and keep moving forwards. We are deeply sorry about what happened to Marcel. We managed to solve the brake problem that affected Marcel from the Free Practice right after the Qualifying but it was impossible to repair the chassis here in the circuit".
Race Engineer Duarte Alves, added, "We were competitive all the weekend in Class B. Dr Ma and Keith came very close to the top-10 in the second race, and Keith just missed out at the end when the he had a puncture. Marcel hadn‚Äôt the lady luck on his side and this weekend results is meaningless. We’ll look at what we’ve learned today and aim to continue improving when we next race back in Zhuhai."
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will be back in action at the Pearl River Delta‚ Zhuhai International Circuit next month.
