AP: Sepang round four summary

O'Young's Perfect Mother's Day Gift

Team Jebsen's Darryl O'Young grabbed his second victory of the day, clinching Round 4 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia at Malaysia's Sepang International Circuit, and immediately dedicating his double wins to his mother. O'Young is proving almost unbeatable with three wins out of four races so far this season.

Second was fellow Hong Kong driver Matthew Marsh of Gates GR Asia after a hard-fought battle with O'Young at the front of the chasing pack. Third was series newcomer, Japan's Kazuyuki Nishizawa of Tomo Racing, notching up his first podium finish of the season, ahead of team mate Shinichi Yamaji.

Pole sitter O'Young lost the lead to Marsh off the start, only regaining it on the penultimate lap of the 10-lap race. The pair enjoyed the duel, although their off-track friendship was nowhere in sight: "This race was a lot tougher (than Round 3). Matthew drove well and defended well. I was being as patient as possible behind him, then he went a little wide and I got through," said the 26-year-old Hong Kong driver, while Marsh jokingly congratulated his "former friend".

Nishizawa was thrilled with his result and fans can expect to see a lot more of him on the podium as the season progresses: "There was some vibration in the car, but I went from 6th on the grid to 3rd after a very good start. I'm not used to Michelin tyres, but now I am becoming more accustomed to them, I'll be a lot quicker!" he vowed.

Cref Motorsports' Keita Sawa, starting from the back of a grid following a penalty from race officials for his last-minute passing maneuver in the previous round, drove a phenomenal race to finish 5th ahead of Team Vertu's Nigel Albon who set the fastest lap of the race and had a thrilling battle with the Japanese driver.

SCC Racing's Charoensukhawatana Nattavude, 5th on the grid, was up to 4th by the end of lap two, but a spin on lap 7 put him back and he finished the race in 9th.

Hong Kong driver Alain Li's unlucky weekend didn't improve when he was left stationery on the grid at the start of the formation lap and started the race from the back of the grid for the second time today. However, after a second phenomenal effort, he worked his way through the entire Class B pack to finish a creditable 10th overall.

In Class B it was newcomer Rusty French of Australia who took the win having leapt into the lead on the opening lap from 4th on the Class B grid, followed by Taiwan's Max Chen and Dr. Toshihide Hashimura of Japan. Fellow Australian Geoff Morgan, who had taken Class honours in Round 3, was involved in an incident on the opening lap and the resulting damage put him out of the running. Said French: "The race was very good and I'm delighted with the win. It's my second time at Sepang, and this was good, clean racing. I was in 4th off the grid and then got in front of Chip (Connor). There was a bit of pushing and shoving. Geoff (Morgan) was in front and got caught up in the fray. Three or four cars were pushing me which made me go even quicker!"

Max Chen was delighted to be back on the podium: "I had a good start and overtook two or three cars. I was behind Dr. Hashimura and saw somebody hit him. I saw his car was very slippery so I managed to overtake, and then he passed me again! Eventually I got by and he gave me room to pass. From there I nearly caught Rusty but there weren't enough laps!" he said.

In Class A, O'Young's wins - three out of the four rounds so far - put him at the top of the championship leaderboard - exactly where he had vowed to put Team Jebsen prior to the start of the weekend - 12 points ahead of Yamaji. Marsh's successful weekend means he trails Yamaji buy just two points in third. In Class B it is French who tops the leaderboard, a single point ahead of William "Chip" Connor, while Toshiya Ichiraku and Chen are joint 3rd on 10 points.

The thrilling Porsche Carrera Cup continues next month with Rounds 5 and 6 to be held at Beijing's Goldenport Circuit. In a change to the provisional calendar, Rounds 10 and 11 on October 20 to 22 will be held at Southern China's Zhuhai International Circuit.

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.

-porsche.asia