Audi R8 LMS Cup
Press Release
- Fong's third place finish in Macau seals title ahead of Alex Yoong
- Edoardo Mortara wins round 11 ahead of André Couto and Fong
- Audi R8 LMS Cup announces 2014 race calendar and contract extensions for Yoong and Marchy Lee
Macau, November 10, 2013 – A dramatic and wet final
round of the Audi R8 LMS Cup saw Hong Kong rising star, Adderly Fong, clinch
the overall drivers championship. Holding third position from start to finish
behind guest drivers Edoardo Mortara and André Couto, Fong was able to secure
the maximum points amongst the regular driver's and overtake Malaysian Alex
Yoong at the top of the leaderboard. The tight and technical Macau street
circuit was even more de-manding because of the slick track conditions.
"It is great to see Adderly [Fong] secure the championship. He came to the weekend with a small chance but he made no mistakes and drove consistently. He deserves it. It is also great to see an Audi dealership team (KLM Group) win this year's title. Marchy (Lee) showed that he will be strong here next week in the Macau GP as he posted the quickest lap time today", said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. He added: "Next year's calendar shows the exciting further expansion of our cup across Asia, with 3 stops in China and 3 outside, including a new race weekend in Fuji, Japan. In China we will have support races for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the German Touring Car Championship (DTM)."
"It is great to see Adderly [Fong] secure the championship. He came to the weekend with a small chance but he made no mistakes and drove consistently. He deserves it. It is also great to see an Audi dealership team (KLM Group) win this year's title. Marchy (Lee) showed that he will be strong here next week in the Macau GP as he posted the quickest lap time today", said Rene Koneberg, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. He added: "Next year's calendar shows the exciting further expansion of our cup across Asia, with 3 stops in China and 3 outside, including a new race weekend in Fuji, Japan. In China we will have support races for the World Endurance Championship (WEC) and the German Touring Car Championship (DTM)."
At the start of round 11, Macau racing veteran, Mortara, quickly pulled away
from his fellow Brothers Racing Team (BRT) driver Couto, who solidified second
position. Behind them the driver's championship was intensifying. Fong was
followed closely by "Franky" Cheng Congfu and Marchy Lee. Lee put a
lot of pressure on Congfu who eventually lost the perfect line and drove into
the barrier, allowing Lee to dive down the inside. Congfu's race was ended
here, and Lee had clean air to cut into Fong's lead. The final four laps
underlined the competitive nature of the series, with Lee shadowing Fong
through every turn. Yet, it was Fong who showed driving maturity to hold Lee
off and cross the line for the championship. With the 25 points he earned as
the best cup driver, Fong finishes the season with 188 points ahead of Yoong
(186) and Marchy Lee (164). Macau winner Mortara and second Couto were not
points scoring due to their guest driver status.
Philip Ma won the amateur race in Macau ahead of the overall amateur champion Alex Au, with Eric K finishing in third place.
Fong has had an exceptional second season in the 2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup. Showing driving maturity beyond his young age, Fong has maintained consistency throughout the series in which he has been placed outside of a podium on only two occasions. It was a tough day for Yoong though. The Malaysian had a very strong season with four race wins. Coming to Macau he led the championship. But his accident during qualifying damaged his car beyond repair, so that he was not able to compete and score valuable points in the final round today.
But there was good news for Yoong as well. As Audi Sport customer racing Asia an-nounced the extension of the contracts for both Alex Yoong and Marchy Lee for the 2014 season.
Next year's competition will see the cup expand even further across Asia with
the exciting inclusion of a race weekend in Fuji, Japan. It will also be
notable as the first race of the season will take place outside of China at
Inje, South Korea. Please see below for the 2014 calendar.
Audi R8 LMS Cup 2014 Race Calendar (Provisional)
- April: Zhuhai, China (Test Race)*
- May 3-4: Inje, South Korea
- July 26-27: Fuji, Japan
- August 16-17: Sepang, Malaysia
- September 27-28: China (with DTM, German Touring Car Championship)*
- October: China*
- October 31- November 1: Shanghai, China (with WEC , World Endurance Championship)
*to be confirmed
Release Date: November 12, 2013 (131110, Version 1)
Adderly Fong:
"I actually couldn't sleep last night. In 2011 I had a good race here, which gave me an idea of what the track is like. I've only driven the Audi for 20 laps in the rain before. I had no clue I would finish on top of the championship, I tried to drive as hard as I could. I took every corner one by one, and I am very happy to have fin-ished as champion in Macau."
Edoardo Mortara:
"Congratulations to Adderly!! It was a pretty difficult race due to the conditions. With street circuits those conditions are even trickier. I tried to push quite hard at the beginning. It was a pleasure to be able to compete together with André at Macau for the same team. Thank you to Ren Wei from Brothers Racing Team for giving me the opportunity to drive here."
André Couto:
"I am satisfied with second place. My car was very nervous in the rain. During the race I tried to push the same as Edoardo [Mortara]. At some point I saw that I could not catch him anymore, so I thought just bring the car home and secure first and second place for Brothers Racing Team. I am happy to be on the podium."
Alex Yoong:
"It is very difficult day for me. I had a very good season. At the same time I am sad that I did not win it in the end. But I am very happy for Adderly [Fong] and he has won fair and square."
Marchy Lee:
"Well done Adderly!! He deserves the championship. This race was a good race for me, I really tried my best. Yesterday's qualifying didn't go so smooth. I wanted to show everyone I was better than my fifth place in qualifying yesterday. My season wasn't very good because I have not been so consistent this year but I will try again next year."
Alex Au:
"My happiest moment of the season was when, during an interview, I found out that I was champion. That was quite a memorable moment. This is my first time in Macau. It is very exciting to race this circuit. It is very narrow but I had the luxury of racing without too much pressure."
Rahel Frey:
"It was a challenge to race on this very fast, technical and sometimes even dangerous street circuit. Every driver has to decide individually how much risk they want to take. It was a very nice experience and I am happy that I have now done Macau!! And when I come back next time, I will know my way better."
Massimo Vignali:
"It was a rollercoaster season with a lot of ups and downs for me. It was my first season in sprint racing and I learnt a lot. I hope I can come back next year and improve more. To race in Macau was really a highlight of the season, not so many people get this chance. It was memorable."
2013 Audi R8 LMS Cup Top Ten Overall Classification
Round 11, Macau, China – Final Results
(D) Dealer Team
(DNF) Did Not Finish
Audi R8 LMS Cup Official Website: www.audir8lmscup.com
