As one of five different marques entered, Porsche heads to the FIA GT World Cup at Macau seeking its first victory around the challenging Guia street circuit for a decade having watched German rivals Mercedes-Benz and Audi take the honours in recent years.

The manufacturer is represented by four cars across two teams for its 2018 effort with a pair of 911 GT3 Rs entered by Germany’s Manthey Racing and Hong-Kong team Craft-Bamboo Racing.

Boasting a long history of GT and touring car competition, Manthey Racing is likely to be a front-runner with its Porsche factory driver line-up of former Macau winner Laurens Vanthoor and double Le Mans 24 Hours champion Earl Bamber.

A leading light in Porsche GT efforts around the world, Vanthoor currently competes for the manufacturer in the FIA World Endurance Championship LMGTE Pro category, as well as the GTLM class of the US-based WeatherTech Sportscar Championship.

Moreover, Vanthoor is a former winner on the streets of Macau after clinching FIA GT World Cup honours in 2016 driving with WRT Audi, experience he will be keen to call upon when he lines up in a Porsche for the second time this year.

Two-time Le Mans 24 Hours winner Bamber joins Vanthoor in the sister Manthey Porsche 911 GT3 R looking to bolster his repertoire with another high-profile prize. In addition to his 2015 and 2017 Le Mans 24 Hours wins with Porsche – with the latter contributing towards his eventual FIA WEC title glory too – Bamber already competes alongside Vanthoor in the WeatherTech Sportscar Championship

Furthermore, Bamber has good experience at Macau, peaking with his run to fourth position in 2016 with Manthey Racing.

A regular contender at Macau, Craft-Bamboo Racing and Hong Kong racer Darryl O’Young was the driving force behind Porsche’s last Macau victory in 2008. A decade on and the pair is teaming up for another attempt alongside up-and-coming sportscar racer Mathieu Jaminet.

A former front runner in the Porsche Mobil 1 Supercup and the recently crowned ADAC GT Masters champion in Germany, the 24-year-old Frenchman has the talent and credentials to cause an upset on the streets of Macau this year.