Porsche

AP: Round 10 race report

Marsh Clinches Win as Chen Crowned Class B Champion A-Ha Racing's Matthew Marsh scored his second victory of the day taking top honours in Round 10 of the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia, while A1 Racing Team's Max Chen clinched the Class B ...

Published: Oct 18, 2004, 9:25 PM

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Marsh Clinches Win as Chen Crowned Class B Champion

A-Ha Racing's Matthew Marsh scored his second victory of the day taking top honours in Round 10 of the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia, while A1 Racing Team's Max Chen clinched the Class B championship title at South Korea's 2.5km Taebaek Circuit.

Marsh almost led the pack from pole to flag for the second time today, but it was not to be a repeat of his earlier, unchallenged win. As he had predicted, it was series leader Fuspeed Racing's Charoensukhawatana Nattavude who almost denied him his fourth win in five rounds.

The Thai made a blinding getaway to overtake the Briton off the grid, and held the lead until lap four when disaster struck and he spun. "Nattavude did a great job on the first lap," said Marsh. "I made a mistake, probably because of the pressure from him. Then he spun! He's been incredibly consistent all season and he deserved to win today."

Crest Jaseri Racing Team's Rizal Ramli was second and visibly thrilled to be on the podium. The Malaysian started from 6th on the grid but was up to 4th by the end of the second lap when Nattavude spun. Ramli made his move on reigning champion Charles Kwan in the closing stages of the race. "I was chasing Ramli," said Kwan, "but he's very hard to pass!" Team Infineon-Novellus driver Kwan crossed the line 3rd, making up for the setbacks he experienced in the earlier round.

Despite not finishing on the podium In Class B on this occasion, Chen's 4th place was enough to give him an unassailable lead in the points table, earning him the 2004 Class B title. Commented Porsche Asia Pacific Regional Marketing Manager, Dr. Henrik Dreier: "The entire series is absolutely delighted for Max. He is a superb driver and tremendously competitive. He has demonstrated the very best in sportsmanship and it has been our privilege to have him in the series this year."

In the race, it was once again series guest driver Akira Hirakawa who took win in Class B, followed by William "Chip" Conner II, also on the podium for the second time today, with Scott Miau in third.

"I really owe a lot to Max (Chen's) teaching and guidance over the year -- he is my friend and my mentor," said Miau. Chen didn't fare so well after having a slight off which put him back to finish 4th in the Class, but the championship title was more than a consolation.

Despite his setback, Nattavude still tops the Class A championship leaderboard, but the gap to Marsh is now just a single point. However, reigning champion Team Infineon-Novellus driver Charles Kwan of Hong Kong could still clinch a second title at his "home" race at the Macau Grand Prix in November. Kwan trails Nattavude by 16 points, and with 20 up for grabs at Macau, the 2004 Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia title will be decided in the final race of the 11-round season. All three drivers have considerable experience of the infamous Guia street circuit, so the final showdown will be a real treat for racing fans.

The deciding round of the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia will be held on November 20 and 21 as part of the 51st Macau Grand Prix.

Supporting the series are two of the most recognised names in international motorsport, Mobil1 and Michelin. Mobil and Porsche have been partners since 1996. Close co-operation in research and development has to led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil1 high-performance lubricant. Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the advantage of high technology tyres, supplied by series partner Michelin, that have consistently improved the performance of many teams in international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia has emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between Porsche AG and the Michelin group in 2001.

The Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia runs as part of the Asian Festival of Speed, organised by Malaysian-based Motorsport Asia Limited. <pre> Round 10 Results

Pos  Comp. No.  Drivers                         Class   Entrant                         Time
1       33      Matthew MARSH (GBR)             A       A-Ha Racing                     00:19:09.573
2       55      Rizal Ashram RAMLI (MAS)        A       Crest Jaseri Racing Team        00:19:12.589
3       1       Charles KWAN (HKG)              A       Team Infineon-Novellus          00:19:13.439
4       18      Vutthikorn INTHRAPHUVASAK (THA) A       Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak       00:19:19.569
5       88      Darryl O' YOUNG (CAN)           A       Team Jebsen                     00:19:19.869
6       13      C. NATTAVUDE (THA)              A       Fuspeed Racing                  00:19:20.260
7       19      Dilantha MALAGAMUWA (JPN)       A       Team IWS Holdings               00:19:31.459
8       15      Akira HIRAKAWA* (JPN)           B       Akira Hirakawa                  00:19:33.615
9       89      Ringo CHONG (SIN)               A       Eurokars Racing                 00:19:33.983
10      77      William E. CONNOR II* (HKG)     B       The Pizza Company               00:19:52.211
11      2       Scott MIAU (TPE)                B       Scott Miau                      00:19:53.141
12      28      Max CHEN (TPE)                  B       A1 Racing Team                  00:20:04.260
13      66      SIU Yuk Lung (HKG)              B       Siu Yuk Lung                    1 lap
14      3       William E. HEINECKE (THA)       B       The Pizza Company               1 lap
15      22      SIU Tit Lung (HKG)              B       Siu Tit Lung                    DNF
16      98      Patrick MA (HKG)                B       P. Ma                           DNS

*Non series registered.

-msl-

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