Shanghai. Reigning Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion and 2014 points leader Earl Bamber took victory for the second time on Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit today, winning Round 10 of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia after starting the race from sixth on the grid. Bamber crossed the line in his LKM Racing Porsche 911 GT3 Cup 4.8 seconds ahead of Team Porsche Holding’s Martin Ragginger and pole-sitter Alexandre Imperatori of PICC Team StarChase.

The Class B field put on a brilliant race which had the Singapore Grand Prix fans on their feet, with local hero Yuey Tan of Dorr Havelock Racing taking his first win on his home track. Although Alif Hamdan of Nexus Racing crossed the line first in the Class, he was later handed a 30 second penalty for shunting eventual second place finisher Francis Tjia of OpenRoad Racing. Taking the final podium spot was another Singapore driver, Mok Weng Sun of Clearwater Racing, making it a good day for the city state which has no permanent race track.

With just two rounds of the 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season remaining, Bamber now has a 21 point lead over Ragginger, while Imperatori and Tung Ho-Pin of Budweiser Team Absolute Racing are tied in third, 19 points behind the Austrian. In Class B, the title chase is now between Hamdan, who has a slim three point lead over Tjia, and Tan.

As the lights went out, Imperatori didn’t get a good lift off from pole, almost stalling. Ragginger wasted no time capitalizing on the situation, ploughing into the lead followed by Team Jebsen’s Rodolfo Avila. Bamber meanwhile was already up to third as the 28-strong field hurtled into a dramatic opening lap which saw Avila drop down to 7^th in the order behind Zhang Tong Auto’s Zhang Da Sheng, Team Yongda Dongfang’s Ro.C. Skyangel, and Tung Ho-Pin of Budweiser Team Absolute Racing up in fourth.

While Ragginger set about building a gap from Imperatori, Bamber was piling on the pressure to the Swiss ace, trying to rattle him into an error and finally finding a way past on lap 4.  From there, the New Zealander set off to hunt down Ragginger, catching and passing him on lap 7 after a furious battle.

Hamdan didn’t get the best of starts away from the grid, and then came together with a rival at turn 2, which put him to the back of the field. From there, he charged back up through the pack, closing up to his Class B rivals by lap 9. In the exuberance of youth, however, the 23-year-old Hamdan clipped Tjia, tipping him into a spin.

Avila made a good recovery, passing both Zhang Da Sheng and Skyangel to cross the line in fifth behind Tung.

Said Bamber: “We put our heads down and just did our best, and today best was first! It was very clean and fair and I think we put on a great show for the Singapore fans. LKM Racing have given me a fantastic car all season and that makes my life easier – they’re just a stunning team.”

Imperatori was disappointed not to have been able to capitalize on his pole position: “I had a terrible start – I almost stalled. I dropped the clutch and the engine nearly died and it was an uphill battle from there.”

For Tan, his delight at winning his home race was evident: “It was a pretty close race, pretty intense.  My start wasn’t the best, I could have launched better, but considering what happened in the opening lap perhaps I should count my lucky stars. It just feels awesome to win here!”

The 2014 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia overall and Class B championships will come down to the wire at the season finale next month, where Rounds 11 and 12 will be part of the Sports Car Champions Festival at the Shanghai International Circuit from October 17 to 19.

Provisional Porsche Carrera Cup Asia – Round 10 Results

*Non series registered

Fastest Lap: Earl Bamber/LKM Racing/2:20.146/Lap 4/130.107kph

Overall Provisional Points after Round 10 (top 5)

Class B