Audi R8 LMS Cup
Press Release
- Round 8 win sees Yoong regain series lead from Adderly Fong
- 18 year old newcomer Thong caps excellent drive with fifth place
- While the cup wraps up, teams prepare for the 12-hour MMER
Beijing/Sepang, August 31, 2013 – Round 8 of the Audi R8 LMS Cup saw a dominant performance by Alex Yoong. Leading from start to finish the Malaysian local hero took the chequered flag ahead of "Franky" Cheng Congfu from China and Adderly Fong from Hong Kong. Yoong's second win in just as many days saw him regaining the overall championship lead with 141 points, ahead of Fong (132) and Lee (121), before heading into Rounds 9 and 10 in Shanghai, China.
"We saw a very competitive speed race in extremely hot weather conditions. The fact that all entries finished the race once again shows the great reliability of our GT3 race cars. It was an excellent debut of our brand cup in Malaysia. The circuit and facilities are fantastic. And the passion of the motorsport fans here at Sepang has been great", commented Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.
Beijing/Sepang, August 31, 2013 – Round 8 of the Audi R8 LMS Cup saw a dominant performance by Alex Yoong. Leading from start to finish the Malaysian local hero took the chequered flag ahead of "Franky" Cheng Congfu from China and Adderly Fong from Hong Kong. Yoong's second win in just as many days saw him regaining the overall championship lead with 141 points, ahead of Fong (132) and Lee (121), before heading into Rounds 9 and 10 in Shanghai, China.
"We saw a very competitive speed race in extremely hot weather conditions. The fact that all entries finished the race once again shows the great reliability of our GT3 race cars. It was an excellent debut of our brand cup in Malaysia. The circuit and facilities are fantastic. And the passion of the motorsport fans here at Sepang has been great", commented Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia.
While Yoong managed to stay clear at the start, Cheng ducked down the inside of Fong on turn one, with the Hong Kong racer falling back to third. Marchy Lee retained his fourth position. The top four drivers opened up a gap from the chasing pack behind them, pushing each other to the limit but unable to close the gap on the car in front. Cheng underlined his strong performance with the fastest lap of the day. Yet, it was Yoong who set the pace and dominated from start to finish. The positions were unchanged by the chequered flag, giving Yoong his second win in two days, followed by Cheng, Fong and Lee.
Behind the top four, the race saw an impressive battle for fifth position. On lap three Sun Zheng tried to overtake Kyong-Ouk You, however his manoeuvre allowed room for Wei Fung Thong to pass both of them. Thong, an eighteen year old talent from Hong Kong, pulled away from the more experienced drivers and finished the race in an excellent fifth position ahead of Korean You.
Italian driver Massimo Vignali claimed a superb seventh place for Round 8 of the Audi R8 LMS Cup. He came out on top in a close battle with Jeffrey Li and also managed to overtake Sun Zheng, after the Chinese driver spun towards the end of the race.
In the amateur competition, Aaron Kwok was able to underline his strong form in Sepang by overtaking Alex Au on lap one. Au battled back and it was on lap six that he finally managed to regain the lead from Kwok and defend it until the end of the race. With back to back wins in Malaysia and a total of 176 points, Alex Au managed to wrap up the overall amateur title. With three races to go, and 90 points clear of second positioned Eric K, he cannot be caught.
Also decided in Sepang was the special Dealer trophy for the 2013 championship. Adderly Fong's third place meant that Team KLM secured the title for participating Audi dealerships.
With the Malaysia rounds over for the Audi R8 LMS Cup, attention now turns to the 12-hour Malaysia Merdeka Endurance Race (MMER) taking place at Sepang on Sunday. Audi has four entries in the challenging endurance race, three of which come from the Audi R8 LMS Cup. One entry comes from an Audi supported team of the GT Asia. Altogether, eight drivers from the Audi R8 LMS Cup will also get behind the wheel for the MMER.
The next race weekend of the Audi R8 LMS Cup will be held at the Shanghai International Circuit (25-27 October) in China.
Alex Yoong:
"I had a good start unlike yesterday. I had a very controlled race, which did not allow room for any major mistakes – in that way the race was fairly calm. I am very relieved as the previous race weekend in South Korea was a bit of a disaster, which meant I was feeling the pressure a little. I am very fortunate to have the support of both my friends and family, which makes a huge difference."
"Franky" Cheng Congfu:
"I was lucky to get a good start and squeeze into second position to get behind Alex (Yoong). Like Alex said, he was in control most of the race, however I was pleased with my pace and at one point even able to close the gap a bit. I did have one scary moment where I almost lost control, and because of how intense the competition is – every second counts."
Adderly Fong:
"I am fairly satisfied with the race results, I knew it was Alex's home circuit, therefore we viewed this as damage reduction for the championship. I just tried to focus on getting as many points as I could. I made a mistake in yesterday's race but today was fairly steady."
Alex Au:
"I am happy to have won the amateur cup with my back to back wins here in Sepang. I knew I could do it, after I was calculating the points last night. I sat behind Aaron (Kwok) for a while trying to ensure there were no mistakes until I finally took the chance to overtake him."
Audi R8 LMS Cup, Round 8, Sepang, Malaysia – Final Results
(Am) Amateur Driver
(D) Dealer Driver
2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup - Overall Classification after Round 8
Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com
Audi R8 LMS Cup,
2013, Upcoming Races
25–27 October, Shanghai International Circuit,
China
