Back to Winning Ways in Sepang

Absolute Racing returned to winning ways at Sepang International Circuit, as Dylan Pereira took victory in race two of a triple-header in the penultimate round of the 2026 Porsche ARbox Carrera Cup Asia season.

Reigning Porsche ARbox Carrera Cup Asia champion Dylan Pereira returned for Absolute Racing following his appearance in Bangsaen, this time in the new-liveried #88 entry. ARbox's brand character, BOXMAN, has transformed into a full-car livery, and he's even given himself a name: "Absolute Boxheart".

A last-minute call-up saw local ace Aaron Lim take the wheel of the #89 "Silver (Moonlight) Illumes Blooms" liveried entry. Inspired by Malaysia's national flower, the hibiscus, the livery combined vibrant red, fresh green and silver across the Porsche 911 Cup. Following Thailand's "Golden Tree in Full Bloom", this was the second chapter of ARbox's "Southeast Asian National Flowers Trilogy", with each design inspired by a different national flower.

In Saturday morning's qualifying session, things started badly for Pereira, who qualified P27 for race one due to track-limits infringements. The Portuguese-Luxembourgish driver bounced back strongly in Q2, posting P2 overall, a mere 0.003 seconds from pole position. Series debutant Lim was 13th in Q1, and second quickest in the AM class, and P20 (P5 in the AM class) in Q2.

Starting from the back of the grid, Pereira quickly got into his rhythm. As night fell and Sepang's floodlights lit up the circuit, Pereira made rapid progress: after just one lap, he had climbed to 14th; by lap three, he had broken into the top ten. A mid-race incident triggered a safety car, which bunched the field and gave Pereira another opportunity to close in. When racing resumed on lap eight, the #88 "Absolute Boxheart" Porsche 911 Cup went back on the attack. On lap nine, he engaged in a side-by-side battle through several corners, using decisive lines to apply relentless pressure. By lap 13, his persistence paid off as he seized an opportunity between Turns 1 and 2 to move up to sixth. He was then around two seconds behind fifth, but by the final lap he had closed that gap completely, making a crucial overtake to finish fifth on a spectacular charge from 27th on the grid.

Starting from the front row in Sunday's second race, thanks to a strong performance in Saturday's second qualifying session, where he missed pole by just 0.003 seconds, Pereira wasted no time in attacking. He pressured his rival into an error at Turn 4 and swept around the outside to take the lead. From that moment, the race was firmly in his control. Within a single lap, he had extended his lead to over two seconds, and the former Porsche Supercup champion continued to push to the limit, increasing his advantage with each lap. By the final lap, the #88 car held a lead of more than 10 seconds, crossing the line over 11 seconds clear of second place.

As a special format for the Sepang round, the third race was a 45-minute endurance race, with the grid set based on combined qualifying times from Saturday's two sessions. For Pereira, this meant another charge from the back, starting 22nd. With a rolling start, he quickly made up ground, going four-wide into Turn 1 and emerging with a strong position. After one lap, he was already up to 12th, and soon rejoined the top-ten fight. By the midway point, he had climbed to seventh. With around 20 minutes remaining, he attacked the car ahead, diving up the inside at Turn 1 to take fifth. He then closed in on fourth, keeping the pressure on for several laps and forcing his rival to defend down the straights. With about six minutes to go, Pereira seized his chance at Turn 7, taking a clean inside line to move up to fourth. Though he pushed hard for a podium finish, time ran out; he crossed the line less than a second behind third place, having cut a deficit of over four seconds.

Meanwhile, local Malaysian driver Aaron Lim, driving the #89 "Silver (Moonlight) Illumes Blooms" specially liveried Porsche 911 Cup car, made his first appearance of the season in the series at Sepang. The livery, created by Absolute Racing in partnership with ARbox, added a unique visual touch to the weekend.

NEXT: With Sepang now complete, the 2026 Porsche ARbox Carrera Cup Asia heads to the season finale at Marina Bay Street Circuit in Singapore on 9–11 October.