Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is heading to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for the first Endurance Cup event of the 2025 season. The weekend will feature Rounds 5-7 of the campaign, including the first of two 43 minute + 1 lap races, with the second of those to come at Mandalika International Circuit in Indonesia on 22-24 August.

A huge 28 cars will take on the event, with four of those one-off entries. Home favourite Nazim Azman returns to the series with Malaysian dealer Sime Motors Racing, at the venue he took an overall podium at in 2023. Marco Giltrap is also back in the championship in the second Team Porsche New Zealand car, with Brock Gilchrist in the other entry after missing the Motegi round due to having appendicitis surgery. Daffa Ardiansyah Budiharjo joins the Pro class for his series debut with SUPERSTARS MOTORSPORT.

The young Indonesian racer has displayed his talent in Porsche Sprint Challenge Indonesia, and made a superb start to the 2025 season, winning all three races at Sepang last month. He also took part and impressed in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Talent Pool Presented by Michelin Assessment Test at the end of last year. The final one-off entry sees Simon Chan take on the event in the #101 Fire Monkey Motorsport car. The Thailand Super Series regular previously competed in the championship at Marina Bay Circuit in Singapore last year.

n further changes to the usual entry list, 2024 driver Cao Qikuan makes his first appearance of the season in the #610 610 Racing car. Also, Liu Kai Shun steps into the #77 TORO Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, returning to the track where he scored two Pro-Am victories last year.

Championship leader Dylan Pereira (Team Shanghai Yonda BWT) is likely to be the man to beat at the Kuala Lumpur track. With three wins to his name already, the Luxembourger holds a commanding advantage in the standings. The chasing pack is tightly bunched, with Sime Motors Racing’s Hugo Ellis, TORO Racing’s Enzo Trulli and Team Jebsen’s Rodrigo Dias Almeida split by just five points.

Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Talent Pool member Amer Harris Jefry (Z.SPEED Motorsport) will be competing in his home race this weekend, sporting a brand-new livery, welcoming banking giant CIMB as a new sponsor.

Five-time Pro-Am champion Bao Jinlong recovered strongly last time out in Motegi following a frustrating start to the year in Shanghai to regain the lead of the class. The BWT Phantom Global Racing driver holds a narrow four-point advantage over Z.SPEED Motorsport’s Li Xuanyu, who has been ever-present on the podium in 2025.

In the Am category, Munkong Sathienthirakul has enjoyed a perfect season to date, with the EBM racer taking all four available wins. 2024 champion Eric Kwong (Bergwerk Motorsport) is the Thai driver’s closest competitor, but Kwong will need to begin scoring victories soon if he is to overturn the current 33-point deficit.

Finally, in the new-for-2025 Masters’ class, Adrian D’Silva has had a strong start to the year, claiming three wins. The EBM driver will be targeting more success at his home race this weekend, while Christian Chia (OpenRoad Racing), Jacky Wu (Porsche Own Retail 69 Team) and John Shen (Modena Motorsports) all look to reel him in.

Off-track, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia is delighted to renew its partnership with the Technology Transfer Apprenticeship Programme in 2025. The series is excited to continue supporting the development of young technical talents, with six new members joining after the class of 2024 graduated and found employment with race teams across the region. This year’s recruits will be placed with four different outfits during the weekend as they gain valuable hands-on experience.

Porsche Malaysia will again be supporting the event, running the popular Porsche Esports Sprint Challenge, with different categories spanning all ages set to compete against each other.

Track action begins with Free Practice at 14:45 local time (UTC + 8) on Friday, before qualifying on Saturday at 15:00. Race 1 will take place under lights later that day at 19:10, with Race 2 on Sunday morning at 11:10. Finally, the Endurance Cup event begins at 15:00 later that afternoon.

Nazim Azman, Sime Motors Racing: “I’m excited to be returning to Porsche Carrera Cup Asia this weekend for my home race in Sepang. It’s a very special track to me and I’ll be looking to put in a great performance in front of my friends and family who will be in attendance. Thanks to Sime Motors Racing and Porsche Malaysia for this fantastic opportunity!”

Francis Tjia, OpenRoad Racing: “I was satisfied with my performance in Motegi even though it could’ve been even better, due to some incidents that happened right in front of me. I enjoy Sepang as it’s a good combination of technical corners and has a very nice flow. This will be my first Endurance Cup event at this track after I missed last year through injury. The longer format is great and with some mixed weather conditions thrown in, it should make for exciting viewing.”

Henry Kwong, TRIPLE ACE RACING: “The season hasn’t started the way I expected with some damage and other factors meaning I’ve missed out on the top podium spots. However, these challenges only fuel my determination to push harder! Sepang has always been a strong track for me, and I finished all of the 2024 races in the top three. My priority this weekend is to secure maximum points as I focus on delivering a consistent performance to strengthen my championship position.”

Adrian D’Silva, EBM: “I’m very proud to be leading the Masters class heading into my home event. Sepang is always a special race for me because of the amazing support from the crowd, especially the Porsche Malaysia club members. The Endurance Cup round will be difficult due to the heat and possibility of rain, but I’m looking forward to the challenge!”

Alexandre Imperatori, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Manager: “I’m really excited to head to Sepang this weekend, the place where it all began for Porsche Carrera Cup Asia back in 2003! We can’t wait for this season’s first Endurance Cup event and it’s brilliant to have 28 cars taking part, including a stacked Pro field with the return of Nazim and Marco, while Daffa makes his debut. The season so far has produced some great racing and incredible moments and we’re expecting more here. It will be amazing to see our field race under the lights as well, providing an awesome spectacle for the fans. We’re also delighted to be partnering again with TTAP. It was great news to see last year’s graduates find employment in the industry and can’t wait to work with the class of 2025 this weekend!”