Shanghai. LKM Racing’s Earl Bamber took his second consecutive Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship crown today after a faultless pole-to-flag run in the penultimate round of the season at the Sportscar Champions Festival in Shanghai. Bamber crossed the line just over a second ahead of PICC Team StarChase driver Alexandre Imperatori, who kept the new champion in his sights throughout the 12-lap race. Third was Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger, who saw his last remaining chance to lift the title from Bamber evaporate, when the New Zealand superstar collected his seventh victory of the season.

While the overall championship may have been wrapped up with a race in hand, the Class B title is still very much open going into the finale of 2014. Nexus Racing’s Alif Hamdan drove a storming race to take the win from pole, but a third place finish for Dorr Havelock Racing driver Yuey Tan keeps the contest very much alive. Modena Motorsports’ Wayne Shen was second, but it was an unlucky race for OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia who spun out.

Said Bamber: “Alex didn’t make it easy for me in the race, but all season we knew it would be difficult as we’d missed a race in Zhuhai. It’s a fantastic result for the team, and the competition has been great all season. Some of the best racing the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia has seen.”

Ragginger was gracious in defeat and quick to congratulate his season-long title rival: “I didn’t get such a good start today. I was following Earl and Alex for the first couple of laps but I couldn’t stay with them.”

Tan, meanwhile, was excited to still be in the Class B title chase: “I’d like to thank my team for giving me a great car. Luckily the driver managed to get it together towards the end! Alif has raced a really great season, but maybe I’ll just pray a little that something happens tomorrow. Whatever the outcome though, we’ve had a really superb season.”

As the lights went out, Bamber got away well with Imperatori in hot pursuit, while Avila had a look on the inside of Ragginger but realised there was no room to make the move.  Behind the race leaders, the battle was already heating up between the two drivers who would be the stars of the show: Zheng Tong Auto’s Zhang Da Sheng of China and Team Yongda Dongfang’s Ro.C. Skyangel. Having got by Zhang, initially Skyangel was able to pressure Avila ahead until he was forced by the furious Chinese driver to put all his efforts into defending. The pair made slight contact and the battle was on.

With Zhang piling on the pressure, Skyangel faltered allowing his rival by, only for the Singaporean to immediately strike back, going up the inside just two corners later to reclaim fifth. Zhang fought back, the pair engaged in a crowd-thrilling cat and mouse chase to the line. A big moment just two laps from the flag saw Zhang lose time giving Skyangel some breathing space.

Meanwhile, guest driver Carlo Van Dam, who had been running in eighth, began to drop back with first Hamdan and then Budweiser Team Absolute Racing’s Tung Ho-Pin getting by him.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – Round 11

Round 11 Provisional Results

*Non series registered