Marina Bay, Singapore. Team StarChase and talented driver, Philip Hamprecht put one hand on the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia crown with two races to go, stepping up onto the top step of the podium for the third time this season on Singapore’s demanding Marina Bay street circuit.

Team StarChase extended its tally of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia podiums to nine at the Singapore Grand Prix weekend with the team edging closer to claiming the Overall and Porsche Dealer Trophy titles, with a comfortable win and a third place finish in the series’ return to the Lion City.

With just a single practice session before the 30-minute Qualifying, Hamprecht and the team had just a few laps in which to perfect the set-up of the No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II). The German youngster had got his weekend off to a great start by setting the pace in the practice session, claiming the top spot with a time of 2:16.969.

Hamprecht decided to set the pace on the narrow, twisting Marina Bay street circuit right from the outset on Saturday’s qualifying session. The Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Young Professional put in his best effort, lapping the Singaporean circuit in a time of 2:17.230 to conquer the pole-position for Round 11. He also seized pole-position for Round 12 with the best second time.

The first race took place later on Saturday afternoon. The 22-year-old driver unfortunately lost two positions in the opening lap as the green flag dropped on race one. From there, he opted to take a more measured approach as he completed the race with the championship in mind. By finishing third, Hamprecht collected important points to stick at the top of the championship standings.

“With the championship in mind all I wanted to do was stay out of trouble as things were going our way,” Hamprecht explained. “Although we weren’t able to maximise our pole position advantage, I am happy that I was to be able to keep on the power and push hard all the way.”
On Sunday’s race Hamprecht started from pole-position again. Despite the pressure, this time the German driver got the most out of the pole-position. He was victorious in dominant fashion, leading the race from start to finish in front of packed grandstands. Anyone who looked solely at the grid order and the end result would assume it was a monotonous race, as the top three podium finishers were the top three on the starting grid – but nothing could be further from the truth. Hamprecht took control of the race from the green light, but he was always under pressure from the group of drivers immediately behind him. Knowing that saving tyres for the latter stages of the race would be crucial, Hamprecht kept his cool, but he had to put his head down and drive a tidy, measured race to finish first – getting the best from Team StarChase car and repeating his win from 2017.

Speaking after the race, Hamprecht said: “Everything went smoothly today. The team gave me a great car making it possible for us to win again. We are heading to the last race of the year in the lead of the Championship and the Porsche Dealer Trophy to a circuit where we always have strong results. Our goal is of course to secure both titles.”
Hamprecht currently holds a 33-point lead in the driver standings over his nearest rival. A maximum of 43 points are on the table for each driver in the last event. Team StarChase is now first in the Porsche Dealer Trophy’s standings with 200 points, requiring only five points in Shanghai to win the trophy.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Executive Officer Greater China of StarChase, commented: “Huge congratulations to Philip and Team StarChase. We are racing for 12 years, but winning never gets old. And winning the signature event of the season at the Singapore Grand Prix tastes extra sweet. Everyone put in a flawless performance and Team StarChase is now in a commanding position to win both the overall Carrera Cup Asia Championship and the Dealer Trophy. We can’t wait for the season finale in Shanghai!”

Mr. Chris Titmarsh, Vice President of Automotive Refinish Coatings Solutions Asia Pacific, who was on site to support Team StarChase, added: "First of all congratulations to Team StarChase and Philip for today’s win. Philip put in a strong performance without the slightest mistake. It is a well-deserved reward for the intensive work and the efforts of everyone involved in this racing program. It's been a long and hard fought season and we are proud to be part of this success. I hope we keep the momentum for the final race in Shanghai."
Rounds 13 and 14 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will be held from November 9-10 at the Shanghai International Circuit as part of the FIA World Endurance Championship (WEC) weekend in China.

Bangsaen, Thailand. Team StarChase and Philip Hamprecht came out victorious for the second consecutive year at the gruelling Bangsaen Street Circuit in Thailand for Rounds 9 & 10 of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. The result saw the German driver retakes the lead in the Drivers’ Championship battle, while Team StarChase strong points haul meant the squad has moved into championship lead in the Porsche Dealer Trophy standings.

The track slippery conditions weren't enough to keep the #99 Team StarChase Porsche 911 GT3 Cup away from some great racing during the third visit of Porsche Carrera Cup Asia to the coastal town in Thailand. Hamprecht matched last year’s great performance against a strong opposition in the single Qualifying session, held on Saturday morning, posting the fastest time to earn the pole-position for the first race on Saturday. With a lap time of 1:34.942, Hamprecht took almost 0.3 seconds of last year’s lap time record. His personal second best lap of 1:35.579 placed him in fourth place for Round 10 on Sunday.

Round 9 was held later that same afternoon and the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Young Professional driver had a good front row start taking the lead by the first corner. Hamprecht led half of the race on the narrow street circuit, but just wasn't able to hold on to that first place and had to settle for a second-place finish at the flag. However, the apparent race-winner was excluded from the results by the stewards following an alleged violation of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Technical Regulations. In turn, Hamprecht and Team StarChase took home their second win of the season.

Heading into the second race from fourth on the grid and sitting first in the standings, Hamprecht did not have to take unnecessary risks. Putting in a safe drive, he remained within striking distance of the top three, crossing the finish line in fourth, collecting valuable points to keep the lead in the championship.

At the end of the Thailand leg of the season, 22-year-old German driver returns to the top of the Drivers’ Championship with 15-point breakaway from the closest opponent. Team StarChase collected 34 points for the Porsche Dealer Trophy classification over the weekend, and is now leading with a 15-point margin on the second.

Commenting on the weekend results, Hamprecht said: “Overall it was good event for us. Qualifying was the best session of the weekend. It was really nice to get the pole-position and the new track record, and being the only driver lapping below the 1:34 mark. Things just didn’t go my way in race one, but our closest opponent was disqualified and we got our win in the end. In race two we had a chance to go on the podium again, but a fourth-place finish is still good for the championship points. We will now focus on getting a good result on the streets of Singapore.”

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Executive Officer Greater China of StarChase, added: “There’s a lot of positives we can take from this weekend in Thailand. Philip’s pole lap is really impressive and also really shows how much work the team has put into the season. I’m extremely proud of them all. We are now where we want to be, at the top. There are still two events to go this season in Singapore and Shanghai, so we are not getting carried away but this weekend has been a game changer. If we keep on racing well and confidently, it would be fantastic to win a fifth Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Championship title.”

The Rounds 11 and 12 of the 2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season will take place on 21st and 22nd of September at the Marina Bay Street Circuit, Singapore.

Team StarChase and Philip Hamprecht closed in on the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia championship lead at Sepang International Circuit last weekend, moving up into second place in the drivers’ standings after securing three podium-place finishes on the iconic Malaysian Grand Prix circuit.

Team StarChase driver Philip Hamprecht recovered from a challenging round in Fuji in the perfect way at Sepang, a landmark event that celebrated the 200th ever Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race. Over 30 enthusiastic members of StarChase's Incentive Program have attended to the event to support Team StarChase at the track, adding extra motivation to the whole team.

The weekend started ambitiously when Hamprecht set the quickest time in Friday free practice sessions. Having impressed from the start of the weekend, the German youngster put in a strong performance in qualifying, securing Team StarChase its place on the second row for both Saturday races with 2:06.416 and 2:06.566 respectively for Rounds 6 and 7, less than three tenths from the pole position times.
Round 6 was held later on Saturday afternoon and marked the 200th ever Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race. In the gruelling 13-lap race in the searing heat of Malaysia, Hamprecht showcased extraordinary talent by defending from his rivals while simultaneously – and successfully – challenging for the podium positions before and after the single Safety Car period.

The Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Young Professional lost a position at the start dropping back to fourth. The 22-year-old driver kept himself in the front pack, slotting his orange #99 Porsche into second when the two front-runners hit each other on lap 5. He did not submit to the pressure to finish the race in the second position, setting the fastest lap time in the process. This lap time of 2:08.432 placed him in first position for the start of race three.

Round 7 was the first ever Carrera Cup Asia night race at Sepang, and it was action-packed from the get-go. After being overtaken on the opening lap, Hamprecht was running in fifth position when the Safety Car was deployed to clear the track just one lap into the race. The race restarted two laps later and Hamprecht lost one more position, dropping to sixth. The Safety Car was called out for the second time, closing up the field and setting the stage for a monumental final for Hamprecht. The German driver managed to take back two positions to finish fourth. He was promoted to third two hours after the chequered flag due to the exclusion of the second-place finisher for irregularities.

Hamprecht started from pole position on Sunday morning race, and made an excellent start to pull out an impressive advantage over the opening laps. For most of the third race, he looked to have victory sewn up but ultimately had to settle for the second runner-up spot after being locked in an intense late battle with two of the most competitive drivers in the series.

“There were a few things that didn’t quite go our way but we showed a lot more potential this weekend. It’s been a good in terms of championship points with a second place and two third-place finishes. The most important is we are back in title race. The team rolled out a perfect car and the encouragement of so many Team StarChase supporters on-site has given me confidence going into the races. We keep working hard and keep improving with each round, so it’s all looking strong for the second half of championship”, said Hamprecht, who currently sits in second overall, just four points away from the top spot.

Taken together, the three results put Team StarChase on level pegging with another team at the top of the Porsche Dealer Trophy classification table. Team StarChase has now notched up five podium finishes this season in eight races.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Executive Officer Greater China of StarChase, added: “First of all, I would like to congratulate Porsche for the 200th Porsche Carrera Cup Asia race achievement. With four titles and 42 outright victories to its name, Team StarChase is proud to be part of this successful chapter of the region’s premier sports car one-make-cup. Of course, we would have liked to win this weekend and give our StarChase colleagues something to celebrate, but you can’t complain too much as we moved forward in the standings. In Carrera Cup Asia there’s no room for mistakes, it’s incredibly close racing, with everyone running on the same fraction of a second all the time. The championship is still wide open, and these results are further motivation for the coming races. We firmly believe in our chances of reaching the targets we had at the start of the season.”

With six races still to go in the season, Team StarChase’s Carrera Cup Asia campaign resumes on the streets of Bangsaen, Thailand from August 30th to September 1st.

Suzuka. Team StarChase and Philip Hamprecht secured their first Porsche Carrera Cup Asia victory of the season at Suzuka on Saturday. The team was in a position to celebrate its second win in Japan on Sunday. However, a post-race drama meant that the final race results remain provisional.

The German youngster crossed the finish line in first in the second race of the weekend, but a post-race investigation by the stewards handed him a fifteen-second penalty, dropping him to fourth at the ‘Pro Class’ final classification. The team lodged an appeal against this decision.

With the team’s expectations high after a podium finish last time out in Shanghai, the first-event Porsche Carrera Cup Asia event at the 5.807km world-famous Suzuka circuit began well with Hamprecht showing strong pace in the qualifying session held on Saturday morning.
The last year’s Carrera Cup Asia Vice-Champion set a blistering pace to claim the season’s first pole position with a time of 2:04.337. On top of that, his second best lap of 2:04.385 was more than enough to claim the first spot in the grid for Round 3 on Sunday.

Round 2 was held later that same afternoon with Porsche Carrera Cup Asia competitors lining up behind the Porsche Carrera Cup Japan counterparts for a rolling start. Hamprecht lost his lead at the start to an opponent who did not respect the starting procedure. The 20-year-old drive kept his nerve and his closest rival at bay for seven laps when the safety car was deployed.

The safety-car stayed out until the end of the race, with the No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 991 II) crossing the finish line in second. He was promoted to first following a stewards' enquiry after the race. With the shift in standings, Hamprecht won the first ever Porsche Carrera Cup Asia in Suzuka and Team StarChase took home their first Porsche Dealer Trophy of the year.

On Sunday, Hamprecht led the Round 3 all the way from the start to the chequered flag, picking up the bonus point for posting the fastest lap - 2:04.870. The stellar performance of the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Young Professional wasn’t rewarded as he was handed a 15-second post race penalty for weaving before crossing the start line on restart of the safety-car period.

The team strongly believe the driver did not violate any rules and therefore appealed the penalty immediately. Hence the race result will depend on the decision of a sport tribunal. Four other cars, all top-six finishers, were also penalised.

Speaking after the races, Hamprecht said: “Mixed emotions and feelings at the end of a very intense race weekend. We took both pole-positions, we won the race one and we crossed the finish line in first in race two. I’m really happy for the team as we worked really hard to achieve this. It has a special meaning as Suzuka is really a drivers’ circuit and it was Carrera Cup Asia and my first time here. Overall we did the best we could, and we’ll now focus on getting another good result in Fuji.”

Independently the result of Round 3, Team StarChase left Suzuka leading the Porsche Dealer Trophy and in good position to fight for the drivers’ championship.

Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Executive Officer Greater China of StarChase, added: “The whole team, as always, put in a huge effort to prepare for this race and that hard work clearly shows in the results. Philip produced an exemplary drive this weekend and it’s great to get our first victory of the season. We will have to wait for the appeal decision on race two’s result, but our primarily focus is now the next race at Fuji. Last year Philip stormed to a first and third place finishes and we have enjoyed lots of success up there over the years. There's a lot to look forward to and it's great to be back on the top step of the podium."

The next Porsche Carrera Cup Asia round takes place in Fuji, Japan on June 15/16.