2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Rd 3&4 – Sime Motors Racing Team scores double podium finish at Motegi

Following a dramatic opening event in Shanghai, where the series raced on the Chinese Grand Prix support bill, the 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season headed to the Tochigi prefecture to compete on the same weekend as Super Formula.

In Rounds 3 and 4, which was held at Mobility Resort Motegi, the Sime Motors Racing Team celebrated a strong race weekend with a double podium finish. Sime Motors Racing’s Hugo Ellis delivered an impressive performance, clinching second place in both rounds.

Dylan Yip took his maiden Porsche Carrera Cup Asia pole position for Race 1 with a fantastic lap for Phantom Global Racing, but it was Hugo Ellis who had the best getaway. The British driver, competing for Sime Motors Racing, leapt from third to first on the run down to Turn 1.

Team Shanghai Yonda BWT’s Dylan Pereira passed Yip later on the opening lap, and then put pressure on leader Ellis. The Luxembourger’s efforts soon led to another overtake, snatching first after an intense battle, before building a strong gap to those behind, taking a comfortable win. Ellis clinched second for his first podium in the series, while Yip held off Toro Racing’s Enzo Trulli for third.

Five-time Pro-Am champion Bao Jinlong crossed the line first for BWT Phantom Global Racing, but a 10-second penalty for being out of position on the starting grid saw Li Xuanyu add a victory to his double podium from Shanghai. Bao’s gap to those behind was enough to retain second, while Team Betterlife’s Li Chao became the sixth Pro-Am driver to pick up a podium in three races, as he came home third.

Munkong Sathienthirakul kept up his perfect start to the season with another dominant performance in the Am class for EBM. The impressive Thai driver also managed to score overall points in 10th. Henry Kwong put in a strong showing to take second for Triple Ace Racing, while Xu Zhefeng claimed third on his first appearance of the campaign.

In the Masters class, it was Jacky Wu who clinched victory, with the Porsche Own Retail 69 Team driver bouncing back from a pair of fourth-placed finishes at his home event in Shanghai last month. EBM’s Adrian D’Silva was second, with OpenRoad Racing’s Christian Chia taking third.

Sunday’s event saw more action, with Ellis again getting a good launch, this time from second on the grid. He challenged polesitter Pereira into the opening turns, but the 2022 Mobil 1 SuperCup champion held the lead.

A late Safety Car when 610 Racing’s Hu Bo found the gravel gave the chasing pack a chance to challenge Pereira, but a strong restart meant he extended his championship advantage with a third victory of the season. Ellis and Yip were once again second and third, while Trulli held off Team WeTrade x PGR’s Josh Rowledge for fourth after a race long battle.

Bao bounced back from his Saturday disappointment with a typically strong showing in Round 4, pressuring the rear of the Pro field and taking Pro-Am victory. Another good performance from Xuanyu saw him cross the line second, with Francis Tjia third for OpenRoad Racing.

The best battle across the field was for the Am victory, which lasted several laps between reigning champion Eric Kwong of Bergwerk Motorsport and current class leader Sathienthirakul. Kwong withstood pressure from behind for multiple laps, only for Sathienthirakul to make a superb move down the inside at Turn 3 after the late safety car restart. Origine Motorsport’s Wu Jiaxin completed the podium in third.

In the Masters, D’Silva returned to the top step for his third win of the year, with Chia and Modena Motorsport’s John Shen second and third respectively.

Next on the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia calendar for this year is Malaysia, with Sepang International Circuit hosting Rounds 5, 6 and 7 on June 6-8. The event will also see the return of the Endurance Cup for the first time in 2025.

The post 2025 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, Rd 3&4 – Sime Motors Racing Team scores double podium finish at Motegi appeared first on Paul Tan's Automotive News.