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Asia: Series China events preview

GT Spectacular Revs Up for Championship Deciders Having wowed the crowds at the 2010 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX last month, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia now heads to China for the final, championship-deciding races of the season in ...

GT Spectacular Revs Up for Championship Deciders

Having wowed the crowds at the 2010 FORMULA 1 SINGTEL SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX last month, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia now heads to China for the final, championship-deciding races of the season in Shanghai and Zhuhai.

First up is a two-race meeting at the Shanghai International Circuit next week as part of the China Touring Car Championship. The drivers are all familiar with the 5.5km track as it was here the 2010 season got underway in April in support of the 2010 FORMULA 1 CHINESE GRAND PRIX. Then, it was reigning champion Christian Menzel of Team StarChase who took pole position and two wins, with FIA World Touring Car Championship regular Darryl O'Young second in both races.

This time though, Menzel will be even more determined to take victory in Shanghai having seen his season-long reign at the top of the championship leaderboard whipped from under him in Singapore by New Zealand's Craig Baird, competing there with SC Global Racing. The Team PCS Racing regular's two stunning victories on the Marina Bay street circuit give him a four point lead over the German with just four races to go.

However, the overall 2010 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship race is still wide open, with a staggering 13 drivers in with a mathematical chance of lifting the title.

Still very much in contention for title honours this season are Red Bull Racing's Marchy Lee of Hong Kong, who has two victories plus four podium finishes to his name so far, and Class B championship leader Mok Weng Sun, Baird's team mate at Team PCS Racing. Mok's perfect score card of uninterrupted pole positions and wins in Class B this season have put him right up with the Class A challengers in the points.

Team Jebsen's Rodolfo Avila, competing in just his second Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season and only his third in sportscars, will be keen to get back to the Shanghai track which he knows well after a clutch problem saw him retire from the second race there in April.

In Class B, Mok will no doubt be looking forward to continuing his on-track rivalry with friend Ringo Chong of Team Kangshun. However, the strong entry in the category this year is rapidly gaining pace as the season progresses. Series newcomer Francis Tjia of OpenRoad Racing lies just six points adrift of Chong, while fellow Hong Kong driver Wayne Shen of Modena Motorsports is four points behind him.

Likewise, Frenchman Jean Marc Merlin has put in some stellar performances this year, while a DNF in Beijing for Jeffrey Lee of Pauian Archiland Team in May put a dent in an otherwise impressive season. There's more to come too from young gun Yuey Tan of Wimobilize McElrea Racing.

Making his Porsche Carrera Cup Asia debut at the weekend will be guest driver Benny Lim of Hong Kong, who takes over driving duties at Jacob & Co Racing from series regular and reigning Class B champion Philip Ma.

The competition could not be more intense as the region's premier GT championship prepares for its four-race charge to the final chequered flag of the 2010 season, and the crowning of two Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champions.

-source: pcc asia

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