Absolute Racing made an emphatic start to the 2026 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS campaign, claiming both an overall and class victory with its pair of Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) EVO entries at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit.
Chinese Bronze-rated driver Huang Ruohan — a Silver-Am podium finisher last season — enjoyed a standout debut weekend with Porsche, joining forces with Porsche driver Alessandro Ghiretti to deliver an impressive overall victory in Race 1. The duo also secured maximum points in the fiercely contested Pro-Am category.
Saturday proved particularly fruitful for the team. In qualifying, the No. 918 AAS by Absolute Racing entry, driven by Bastian Buus, led a strong Porsche showing with first and third positions in Q2. The Danish driver set a benchmark 2m03.287s lap, edging our well known Alessio Picariello — now racing with a rival outfit — by just one tenth. Absolute Racing’s Alessandro Ghiretti placed third after a late improvement following the chequered flag.
Equally significant for the race outcome, Huang delivered an outstanding performance in Q1 to secure Pro-Am pole position, placing the Almost Real-liveried No. 911 Absolute Racing Porsche on the second row of the grid for the opening race.
Huang and Ghiretti executed a flawless race to claim victory in the season opener. A well-timed Full Course Yellow period proved pivotal, enabling their Porsche to leapfrog the sister Absolute Racing Lamborghini, which had been leading.
After a strong start, Huang maintained third position overall while keeping the leading Silver-class entries within reach. A well-timed driver change handed Ghiretti, a GT World Challenge Asia debutant and reigning Porsche Supercup champion, the opportunity to undercut the Lamborghini and Audi ahead. Demonstrating exceptional pace, the Frenchman capitalised on the unfolding battle for second place to seize the lead, which the pair controlled comfortably through to the chequered flag.
Buus’s qualifying pace counted for little on Race 2 when he was swallowed up on the run to Turn 1, dropping to sixth. The Dane was unable to gain any positions during his stint, and Vutthikorn rejoined the race in seventh after the pit stop, a position he recovered after one lap.
On lap 21, Vutthikorn attempted a move for fifth place overall, but the two cars collided. Although the race effectively ended at that moment for the No. 918 AAS by Absolute Racing entry, it was still classified, earning a single point for 10th place.
Huang and Ghiretti enjoyed a much more straightforward race, with the French youngster moving into second during the opening lap, a position he held until the end of his stint. With a 15-second success penalty to serve, Huang dropped to fourth during the pit stop.
The Chinese driver did not give up, however, and on the final lap he made a decisive overtaking move to secure a place on both the overall and Pro-Am podium.
With this weekend’s results, Huang and Ghiretti lead both the overall and Pro-Am standings, while Absolute Racing heads the Teams’ championship.
The 2026 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS season resumes on 2–3 May at Indonesia’s Mandalika International Street Circuit.
Team Quotes
Fabien Fior (Absolute Racing Team Principal)
“We’re delighted to start the new season with a win for the Porsche after last year’s tough campaign. Ron and Alessandro were flawless this weekend, confirming that they form a very strong line-up for the title fight. Unfortunately, ‘Vutti’ and Bastian couldn’t convert their strong pace into results, but the championship is long and we’re confident they will bounce back strongly. We leave Sepang leading both the Teams’ and Drivers’ championship standings.”
Huang Ruohan (No.911 Absolute Racing)
“It’s been a brilliant weekend, my first two races driving this car and we took two amazing results. The win yesterday was an amazing feeling, and then today Alessandro got a great start and put me in a good position despite the success penalty we faced. My target was the podium so I was happy to make the move into third. I enjoyed the weekend, a huge thanks to Absolute Racing and I’m looking forward to more.”
Alessandro Ghiretti (No.911 Absolute Racing)
“We’re delighted to be leaving Sepang as the championship leader after a brilliant weekend. Ron performed superbly in both races and the car was fantastic. I was able to get a good launch today and set strong pace in my stint, so a big thank you to the team for all their great work.”
Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak (No.918 AAS by Absolute Racing)
“We had a good start to the weekend in qualifying, but unfortunately it didn’t go our way in the races. Bastian took an excellent pole position but we were a bit unlucky today. It’s early in the season so I’m looking forward to the next rounds and fighting for more for the rest of the year.”
Bastian Buus (No.918 AAS by Absolute Racing)
“We put ourselves in a good position for both races after qualifying but sadly we didn’t achieve what we hoped for. We need to bounce back and fight our way up the championship, so hopefully after Mandalika the picture will look different.”
