- The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia celebrates its 20th anniversary.
- The Porsche Sport Cup China welcomes its fifth season.
- Porsche GT Race Track is back after last year's great success.
- Porsche continues to pay attention to the cultivation of racing talents, and Ye Yifei leads international competitions.
- Porsche became the first car brand to join the China Motor and Motorcycle Sports Federation.
Shanghai, April 4 – Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport held a press conference at the Porsche Experience Centre in Shanghai to announce the highlights of the 2023 season. For Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, 2023 is a year of surprises and anticipation. As the Porsche brand celebrates 75 years of motorsport, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia also celebrates its milestone 20th anniversary season.
The two single-brand competitions continued their success
After 20 years of growth and development since its first start in 2003, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has now become Asia's premier single-model event, standing at the top of regional motorsport. In 2023, the Cup will return to a series of international circuits to commemorate its 20th anniversary with the most exciting calendar. The season opener will be held at Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, where the 20th anniversary of the season will be celebrated, as the venue for the first race of the Cup. The Cup will then visit circuits in Korea, Japan, Thailand and Singapore, before returning to the Shanghai International Circuit at the end of the season for a grand finale with the Porsche Sport Cup in China. Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, said: "This year's Cup has a strong squad with 21 drivers from five countries, 13 of whom are dealer team drivers. Not only that, but there are also fan-favorite veterans returning after a long absence, and they are looking forward to seeing them compete with new drivers on the track. ”
Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport Managing Director - Jiboan
The growing Porsche Sports Cup China China will also celebrate its fifth season this year. As an important level of the Porsche Asia Pacific motorsport pyramid, the Sports Cup was enthusiastically appreciated by motorsport enthusiasts and provided them with a bridge into the professional motorsport world. This year, the Porsche Sport Cup China not only continues to transmit the passion of motorsport to Ningbo, Tianjin, Zhuhai and Shanghai, but also its driving experience program has been upgraded again. The "Track Beginner Experience" will focus on guided driving of the 911 and Taycan. The Porsche Sprint Challenge China focuses on the latest GT racing models, including the 911 GT3 Cup (992) and 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport, with exclusive podiums and trophies, as well as season standings.
Porsche GT Track Day: the "ticket" to the world of motorsport
Following its first successful event in 2022, the Porsche GT Track Day will return in the second half of the year. As the new level of the Porsche Asia-Pacific motorsport pyramid, Porsche GT Track Day is positioned between the Porsche Track Experience and the Porsche Sport Cup in China, and is an exclusive track day platform for Porsche GT model owners. With pure and full track driving, Porsche GT Track Day enables them to further master their driving skills and enjoy driving Porsche GT production and racing cars. More details on the Porsche GT Track Day will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.
Committed to nurturing the next generation of racing stars
While Porsche is committed to promoting the development of motorsport culture in the region, Porsche continues to focus on the development of racing talent. The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Young Driver Pool is open to participants aged 16 to 26 and provides them with comprehensive support including professional coaching, media training and physical training.
Another talent development programme is the Official Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport Drivers, launched in 2020 to identify talented young local drivers and help them compete in the world's top races. Ji Boan, Managing Director of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific, added: "We launched the Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport Official Driver Programme in 2020 as a strong complement to our overall talent development strategy. The program further demonstrates our commitment to supporting and developing local racing talent. ”
Qiao Jiaqi, Vice President of Porsche China Market
At last year's Night of Champions awards ceremony, Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport unveiled official driver Ye Yifei's 2023 season plans. Qiao Jiaqi, Vice President of Porsche China Market, said: "As the first official driver of Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport, Ye Yifei will prove the strong strength of Chinese drivers to the world. This year, he will join forces with Hertz Team JOTA in the entire season of the World Endurance Championship. In the recently concluded Sebring opener, he and the team won the LMP2 category, becoming the first Chinese driver to win the World Endurance Championship. ”
Ye Yifei
Not only that, but on the occasion of the 100th anniversary of the legendary 24 Hours of Le Mans, Ye Yifei will also compete in the Hypercar class in a Porsche 963 car. In addition to receiving mentorship from world-class professionals and former champions, Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport Official Drivers receive fitness training specifically for endurance racing, as well as media and brand training. Through this comprehensive training system, it is possible to help official drivers develop holistically, so that they can be calm and confident on and off the track.
Racing updates for customers in Asia Pacific
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific's customer racing will also have a wonderful and compact new season with a series of Asian-renowned events. This year, two customer teams will compete in the Intercontinental GT Challenge, while two regional teams will compete in the 24 Hours of Spa. The Porsche 911 GT3 R (Model 992) will make its GT World Challenge Asia debut, with 10 of the 11 teams using the new model. Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport will present the Porsche Sprint Trophy Thailand for the sixth time during the Thailand Super Series. Several teams will compete in the GT4 and GT3 classes, including the 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport and Cayman GT4 Clubsport, the 911 GT3 Cup (992 and predecessors) and the 911 GT3 R (992).
Porsche became the first car brand to join the China Motor and Motorcycle Sports Federation
The China Motorsport Federation (CAMF) has always been a beacon of motorsport in China and a close partner of Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport. Being a member of the China Motor and Motorcycle Sports Federation means that Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport can now offer photo training to motorsport enthusiasts together with the Porsche Experience Centre in Shanghai. This not only demonstrates that Porsche is one step closer to the heart of motorsport in China, but also reaffirms that the Porsche Asia Pacific Motorsport Pyramid can provide a complete path from entry motorsport to top-level racing for fans in the region.
Virtual Event Upgrade returns
Following its first event in 2020, the Porsche Esports Challenge China China returns this year with its fourth season. As an extension of the Porsche motorsport pyramid, the Porsche Motorsport China Esports Challenge aims to provide esports and motorsport enthusiasts with more opportunities to contact the Porsche brand and motorsport, and help them realize their dreams of racing esports and even real racing driving. The China Porsche Racing Esports Challenge has professional, gentleman's and amateur categories, using the iRacing, Assetto Corsa and Gran Turismo 7 platforms respectively. The 2023 season kicks off in May and concludes in October. More season information will be announced at a later date, so stay tuned.