AP: Rounds 11, 12 Zhuhai preview

Championship Hopes at Stake in Penultimate Rounds

With 40 points up for grabs in the two penultimate rounds of the 2007 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season it is up to three drivers to keep their championship aspirations alive and prevent Briton Tim Sugden from clinching the title before the grand finale in Macau in November.

The GruppeM racer tops the Class A leaderboard on 170 points, with determined Japanese racer Keita Sawa of Cref Motorsports just six points adrift and Australian SCC Racing China driver Christian Jones only two points behind Sawa. Team Vertu's Nigel Albon is still in with a shot at the championship, but the odds are against him with a 51 point gap from the leader.

With six wins in ten races, Sugden travels to the Southern Chinese city of Zhuhai with the cards stacked in his favour, but both Sawa and Jones have proven to be worthy adversaries. Throw into the mix reigning Champion Darryl O'Young of Team Jebsen, 2nd and 3rd in Shanghai last month, and fellow Hong Kong racer Marchy Lee, and the Briton may well not have things all his own way this weekend.

Australian Geoff Morgan is coming to the end of an impressive debut year in Class A and currently lies 5th behind Albon. Sri Lanka's Malagamuwa is 6th ahead of Hong Kong's Alain Lee who, racing this season with Sunseeker Asia, has proven time and again he has the pace and the talent, only for his ill luck to return in one shape or another throughout a frustrating season.

The Class A title chase may already be down to a four-horse race, but the situation is very different in the intensely-fought Class B for non-professional racers.

Singaporean newcomer Mok Weng Sun of Team PCS Racing tops the leaderboard in the category going to Zhuhai's 4.3km track, but only four points separate him from Peter Boylan of Australia and Hong Kong's William "Chip" Connor.

Also right in the championship fray is another Hong Kong driver Philip Ma, who finished a superb fifth overall at the Chengdu circuit in September. Malaysia's Tunku Hammam has bounced back from disappointment early on in the season, while Melvin Choo, the second Singaporean newcomer, is also in with a shot at the title in his debut year.

With the final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 2007 season to be held on one of the most demanding street circuits in the world, every driver will be looking to get as many points as possible under his belt before facing the ultimate challenge on Macau's Guia Circuit in November. For Sugden, it would be huge relief to get the Class A title done and dusted this weekend, but there are plenty of talented drivers ready and able to stop him.

Supporting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia 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 led to every new Porsche engine being filled with Mobil1 high-performance lubricant. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia drivers also have the advantage of racing on cutting-edge tyres supplied by series partner Michelin. The consistent performance and leading technology of Michelin tyres constantly improve the performance of many teams in international motorsport. The partnership between Michelin and the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has emerged from a worldwide agreement signed between Porsche AG and the Michelin group.

The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia runs as part of the Asian Festival of Speed, organised by Malaysian-based Motorsport Asia Limited.

-credit: porsche.com/carreracup