Shanghai. Mid-way through its 12th season as the leader in sportscar competition in the region, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will make its triumphant debut in Japan this weekend, with the majestic Mount Fuji serving as a fittingly dramatic backdrop as 28 of the impressive new Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991) take to the stage.

The double-header at the iconic Fuji International Speedway, host to the country’s first Formula 1 Grand Prix in 1976, comes as a result of the close ties forged between the organisers of the Asian edition of the highly-successful Carrera Cup and their counterparts in Japan. The Porsche Carrera Cup Japan was established in 2001, and in November of last year four of its drivers – 2013 champion Ryo Ogawa, Tsubasa Kondo, Hiroaki Nagai and Hideto Yasuoka – joined the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia for its spectacular end-of-season invitational at the 60th Macau Grand Prix.

Originally built in 1966 in the style of an American speedway, the 4.5km Fuji International Speedway underwent a two year, multimillion-dollar refurbishment led by F1 circuit expert Hermann Tilke, reopening in 2005 to wide acclaim.

The 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field will be raring to get out on track this weekend, with some drivers, such as 2012 champion Alexandre Imperatori, already familiar with the exhilarating and picturesque track.

Leading the charge will be championship leader Martin Ragginger of Team Porsche Holding, eager to increase his four-point advantage from Imperatori, but returning champion Earl Bamber is back with the LKM Racing for the Japan debut and he will be a hard man to beat. Bamber continued to stun the sportscar world when he took victory in the opening round of the Porsche Mobil1 Supercup in Barcelona in May at the start of his full season with the championship, and the 23-year-old appears unbeatable. With the team’s appeal against a penalty after Round 2 upheld and his points for the win restored, Bamber is now just 16 points adrift of Ragginger in the race for the title despite missing Round 4 in Zhuhai. That puts him well within striking distance of successfully defending his title.

Former F1 test and reserve driver, China’s Tung Ho-Pin of Budweiser Team Absolute Racing, fourth in the championship standings, will also be keen to resume the charge for the overall championship following the cancellation of Round 5 in Zhuhai due to torrential rains. 

New Team Basetex driver Zhang Zhen Dong of China, currently fifth on the overall leaderboard, is expected to continue his remarkable series debut. One of the four 2014 China Junior Development Programme drivers, each of whom is benefitting from a programme of intensive expert tuition this season, he has so far managed to narrowly outperform Zhang Da Sheng of Zhen Tong Auto and Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang of Team C&D, the trio separated by just four championship points.

Pole-sitter and podium finisher in Round 4 and sixth on the leaderboard after four races, Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila of Macau will be looking to continue his recent form to keep his title hopes alive.

In Class B, OpenRoad Racing’s Francis Tjia and Singapore’s Yuey Tan of Dorr Havelock Racing will be out to prevent runaway leader Alif Hamdan of Nexus Racing from extending his 15-point lead at the top of the table. The 23-year-old Malaysian is in scorching form this season, taking three of the four race victories so far in 2014.

American Henri Richard, who took his first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia podium in Zhuhai in May to go fifth in the championship standings, leads Modena Motorsports’ driver John Shen by a single point.

Fuji will see a number of guest drivers join the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field, amongst them Earl Bamber’s younger brother, 21-year-old William, who will make his debut with the series. Beginning his career in go karts at an early age, William progressed to amateur production racing in his native New Zealand, more recently competing in V8 supertourers.  However, this will be his first outing with the region’s most respected sportscar championship and, given the extraordinary precedent set by his older brother, he can expect to come under intense scrutiny.

Other guest drivers on board for what promises to be a memorable moment in the series’ history are Francis Tjia’s brother Marcel, a former Porsche Carrera Cup Asia regular and welcome addition to the Fuji line-up, and Hong Kong’s John Wong who is making his debut. Taking the place of former Class B champion Mok Weng Sun at Clearwater Racing is Japan’s Hiroshi Hamaguchi.

In the imposing shadow of Japan’s tallest peak, on a race track which bore witness to the mighty F1 championship showdown between the great James Hunt and Niki Lauda, the superb Porsche Carrera Cup Asia field will be out to show just what makes them the best of the best.

Provisional Entry List

*Non series registered