© Porsche Carrera Cup Asia
Luxembourg's Dylan Pereira clinched the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title in Mandalika, Indonesia with a dominant victory, marking his ninth win of the season before heading straight into more endurance races in Europe.
He did not need many points to clinch the title, but Pereira and his team, Shanghai Yonda BWT, still had to wait until the closing race on Sunday before they could celebrate.
In sweltering conditions – around 30°C in Mandalika and up to 60°C inside the car – the former Supercup champion dominated the field. Despite a weekend that was far from flawless, he proved beyond doubt that he deserved the title.
In the final race, straight after the start, Pereira surged from third to first place, ultimately crossing the line with a commanding 22-second lead over Australia's Oscar Targett. Britain's Hugo Ellis took third place, while Italy's Enzo Trulli, second in the overall standings, failed to finish.
Reflecting on his ninth victory of the season and his championship title, Pereira said he was delighted with the outcome. He explained that Saturday's qualifying and first race had been difficult due to set-up issues, leaving him only third. But overnight he and his engineer worked late into the night, identifying the necessary adjustments around 11pm, he stated. Pereira added that thanks to those changes, he was able to fight at the front again on Sunday and secure the win.
Celebrations will be brief, as Pereira's schedule continues immediately in Europe. This weekend he will race in a 24-hour event in Zolder, Belgium, followed by the Michelin 992 Endurance Cup at Spa-Francorchamps on 6 September, a special 12-hour Porsche race.
The final round of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia takes place from 3 to 5 October at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore.
