20 Porsche entries took on the first round of 2026 China GT season this weekend at Shanghai International Circuit, as the marque kicked off the campaign by picking up numerous trophies across the three categories. In Japan, the Suzuka 5 Hours Race of the Super Taikyu Series saw ST-1 and ST-Z success for Porsche entries.

China GT

The opening race of the weekend on Saturday afternoon saw the GTC and GTS cars taking to the track. In the 992 Cup class, Wang Yang and Roy Tang initially crossed the line first but were handed a post-race time penalty. This promoted Yan Chuang to victory and second overall for 610 Racing, meaning the duo had to settle for second in class and third overall.

Meanwhile, 027 AUTO CLUB’s Jiang Nan and Tang Zihao completed the 992 class podium, as Liu Chao and Cui Yue enjoyed Pro-Am success.

In the GTS category, Hankai Wu and Mathieu Detry qualified second for Climax Racing and led parts of the event, but it would be reigning China GT GTS champion Moritz Berrenberg who came through from fourth on the grid in the #927 Porsche 718 Cayman GT4 RS Clubsport to get his title defence off to the perfect start with the GTS win.

Archer Wu and Che Shaoyi joined the German driver on the overall podium, earning third, with the entries from EMO RACING, SDR Racing and Ultimate Racing all managing top seven finishes in the Am-class.

Next up was the GT3 opener which saw four Porsche 911 GT3 R start in the top five after an incredible qualifying performance, as Yuan Bo and Deng Yi lined up on pole position. The Winhere Origine Motorsport duo held the lead off the start and showed incredible pace throughout to wrap up a dominant victory by a stunning 41-second margin.

Chris Chia and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Selected Driver Enzo Trulli moved up from fifth to take an impressive second for Phantom Global Racing, withstanding late pressure to make it a Porsche 1-2. 610 Racing’s Yang Hao Jie and Luo Kailuo as well as Origine Motorsport’s Gu Meng and Xie Xin Zhe claimed top 10 Pro-Am finishes, while Hu Bo and Cao Qikuan narrowly missed out on the Am-class podium in fourth.

Sunday’s action kicked off with the second race of the weekend for the GTC/GTS entries as 610 Racing dominated the event, with its five Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars finishing from second to sixth overall.

Wang and Tang led home Chuang in the 992 class as Liu Chao and Cui Yue completed the podium, also securing the Pro-Am victory.

The all-female duo of Kristie Zhu and Hana Burton took second in Pro-Am, while He Xiaole and Tian Xu wrapped up the GTC Pro win. Berrenberg rounded off a perfect start to his 2026 campaign by earning another overall GTS success at the season opener for Maxmore W&S Motorsport. After an incident in Race 1, Origin7 Racing’s Lenny Tian Weiyuan and Georgi Dimitrov battled from the back of the grid to take an incredible second in GTS Pro-Am, as Wu and Detry narrowly missed out on a podium in the same category.

Additionally, Wu and Che clinched fourth in the Am-class for Racing Panda. The fourth and final race of the weekend saw the Porsche 911 GT3 R back in action. Yuan and Deng started from pole position again, with Yuan delivering a strong opening stint to hand the car over still in the lead. Deng then continued this consistent performance initially crossing the line in first. However, the car would be disqualified after being unable to provide a fuel sample for scrutineering. Chia and Trulli again looked strong, moving up four positions to stand on the Pro-Am podium and fourth overall, after excellent overtaking from both drivers.

There were also top seven finishes in the Pro-Am class for Gu and Xie in the #55 Origine Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R as well as Yang and Luo.

Phantom Global Racing’s #79 crew of Li Ning and Nico Menzel managed to gain eight places during Sunday’s race but didn’t manage to climb into the points. China GT now heads to Ningbo International Circuit on 22-24 May to contest the second round of the 2026 season.

Yuan Bo, Winhere Origine Motorsport: “Overall, we did a pretty good job, taking victory in the opener and initially crossing the line first on Sunday, before being disqualified due to being unable to provide a fuel sample. We showed excellent pace throughout the weekend and adjusted well to any challenges. We head to Ningbo knowing that we can battle for the title.”

Deng Yi, Winhere Origine Motorsport: “It was a tricky start to the weekend, but we found a great set-up for qualifying which put us in contention. We made massive improvements which meant we won the first race by over 40 seconds and looked to have the victory on Sunday before the disqualification. I’m happy with our performance and I hope we can keep it up to fight for the overall championship this year.”

Gu Meng, Origine Motorsport: “It took some adjusting to get used to the Porsche 911 GT3 R, however, I adapted quickly as the more laps I drove in this machinery the better I felt. It’s amazing to be representing a team like Origine Motorsport and I trust them completely knowing they will keep delivering us a competitive car. We learned a lot from this round and I’m positive about what the future holds.”

Xie Xin Zhe, Origine Motorsport: “We had some challenges in the build-up to the event and setting-up the Porsche 911 GT3 R became tricky. We got unlucky across the two events with poorly timed Safety Cars and being caught up in an incident. I think without that we could’ve brought the car back in the same position. My mileage in GT3 machinery is relatively low so I’m hoping to quickly learn from these experiences and achieve better results in the future.”

Chris Chia, Phantom Global Racing: “We knew coming into the event how strong the competition would be on this record-breaking China GT grid. Across both races we achieved podiums and our performance was solid. We developed our understanding of the new Porsche 911 GT3 R and I believe that we can continue to build on these results. We can’t wait to get back out on track next month!”

Enzo Trulli, Phantom Global Racing: “It was a great start to the China GT season with two Pro-Am podiums, showing strong pace throughout. The team and Chris did an amazing job so we can be happy with the results we achieved. We know it’s a long campaign, so we’ll keep working hard to be even more competitive next month at Ningbo International Circuit.”

Li Ning, Phantom Global Racing: “With this weekend being my GT3 debut I knew it was going to be a massive challenge. Although my qualifying result wasn’t ideal, I managed to gain valuable experience and improve my driving during the races, which I’m hoping will help me in the future. I’m looking forward to further progressing at the upcoming China GT rounds.”

Nico Menzel, Phantom Global Racing: “It wasn’t the weekend that we wanted but we took steps forward over the weekend. My teammate, Li Ning, is learning all the time as it was his maiden GT3 appearance, and he set some competitive lap times in the second event. It was great to be back in China and thanks to Phantom Global Racing and Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for all their support to make this possible.”

Luo Kailuo, 610 Racing: “It was great to drive the new Porsche 911 GT3 R this weekend and finish the event in the top 10. The team set the car up perfectly and we had strong progress throughout. I hope that next time we come back to Shanghai we can improve on this performance, and we’re moving in the correct direction with the car.”

Yang Hao Jie, 610 Racing: “This was my first time competing in an event while driving the Porsche 911 GT3 R. The team and my co-driver helped me find the right approach and guided me on how to improve. During the races, I became more comfortable and we were able to achieve some positive results, finishing inside the top 10.” Hu Bo, 610 Racing: “It was a difficult weekend for me as there were a lot of new elements like a new engineer, teammate and the updated model of Porsche 911 GT3 R. I have been battling through an injury so I could only do the minimum driving time required. A massive thanks to my teammate and the crew who did an amazing job and helped us achieve the best results possible.”

Moritz Berrenberg, Maxmore W&S Motorsport: “It was a great weekend overall and it’s very impressive to see how much the championship has evolved. I felt strong across both races and managed to make several overtakes in chaotic conditions to secure a double GTS victory. The team did an amazing job this weekend, from car set-up to race strategy and execution. A huge thank you to everyone involved.”

Georgi Dimitrov, Origin7 Racing: “I enjoyed my first experience of racing in China and the championship. Our opening event was cut short due to an incident but on Sunday we put together a great race, finishing second in the GTS Pro-Am class. The competition is incredibly tough this year so we’re aiming to continue our strong momentum into the next races.”

Liang Qinglin, EMO RACING: “It’s amazing to be competing in such a great series like China GT, as the level of competition is so strong. We achieved some promising results which we can build on moving forward. Thanks to Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for the professional support provided to the team throughout the event.”

Jiang Ruxi, EMO RACING: “This weekend worked as a starting point and we can take away some positives. Going forward, I will continue to improve and along with the hard work of the team I know I can achieve even better results during the next China GT round.”

Wang Yang, 610 Racing: “Firstly, I’m delighted to drive the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup for the full season of China GT. This car gives me tremendous confidence and together with my teammate we pushed its limit. I know we can be competitive throughout the 2026 campaign.”

Roy Tang, 610 Racing: “The level of performance throughout the weekend was very high as we managed to take P2 and P1 in the 992 Cup class across the respective races. We were very competitive in the overall GTC category, so we look to continue this form in the upcoming events.”

Cui Yue, 610 Racing: “This race has given us a good platform for the rest of 2026 as we improved as the weekend went on. As the Pro driver, I did what I needed to do which was to keep overtaking. Liu Chao got faster with each lap and put in a steady job overall. I want to thank 610 Racing and also Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific for their great support and I’m hopeful we’ll be even more competitive next time out.”

He Xiaole, 610 Racing: “It was my maiden appearance in the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, and working with 610 Racing has been a lot of fun. I hope to continue making progress in the upcoming rounds."

Tian Xu, 610 Racing: “It was my first time experiencing the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is very different from what I've driven before. However, I have a lot of confidence in the car, and I hope to keep learning and improving."

Kristie Zhu, 610 Racing: “I’m delighted to be back on track after a year and a half, driving the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, which is a car I know very well. It was great to take part in China GT for the first time and I enjoyed the weekend. Both my teammate and I made progress and ended up on the podium!” Hana Burton, 610 Racing: “I'm happy to be at the China GT season opener, where the atmosphere was fantastic. I have driven single-seaters in the past, but stepping into the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup, the driving experience was very good so let’s see what the future holds.”

Jiang Nan, 027 AUTO CLUB: “We successfully completed both races and claimed two third-place finishes in the Am-class. Stepping onto the podium was an amazing feeling and it was incredible to drive the Porsche 911 GT3 Cup. This achievement wouldn’t have been possible without my teammate and the amazing crew behind us.”

Super Taikyu Series

The second round of the 2026 Super Taikyu Series season saw success for both Porsche entries at Suzuka International Racing Course during the five-hour enduro this weekend. Kokusai Group Sports’ #22 entry piloted by Ryosuke Kure, Rintaro Kubo, Shota Kitazono and Naoya Yamano delivered an excellent performance, moving up from fourth in the ST-Z category to clinch victory.

The #47 D’station Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup crew of Kenji Hama, Tatsuya Hoshino, Tetsuya Tanaka and Taiga Kabaki kept up their impressive form from the opening round in Mobility Resort Motegi by once again taking the ST-1 win, making it three consecutive successes for the squad.

Super Taikyu Series continues next time with the Fuji 24 Hours on 6-7 June.

Alexandre Gibot, Managing Director Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Ltd.: “It’s been a great weekend for Porsche at the China GT season opener. We managed to get a 1-2 in the GT3 category on Saturday as well as taking multiple victories and podiums in other classes. The overall performance from our teams and drivers across all categories was impressive, especially in such a competitive championship. It was amazing to see our Selected Driver Enzo pick up excellent results in the Porsche 911 GT3 R with Phantom Global Racing, securing second and fourth overall. We’re delighted to have him involved in this series and he’s impressing us every time he steps into the car. I would also like to thank TOP SPEED and China GT for putting on such an incredible event in front of 45,000 fans across the weekend. We’re not leading the standings but we’re very much in the mix as we head to Ningbo next month. “

Over in Japan, the Porsche entries continued their strong starts to the Super Taikyu Series campaign as Kokusai Group Sports and D’station Racing both wrapped up victories in their respective categories at Suzuka.”