Absolute Racing Shines at China GT Opener in Shanghai

The China GT Championship got underway at Shanghai International Circuit, and the Ultraman Tiga-liveried #63 Absolute Racing Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2 was right in the thick of it from the off with Malaysia's Akash Nandy and China's Alex Liang Jiatong announcing themselves as a pairing to watch.

Following two days of testing and practice on Thursday and Friday, the fan-favorite #63 Lamborghini arrived at Saturday's qualifying sessions in competitive shape. With most teams fielding professional drivers, the GT3 field was exceptionally tight, just one second blanketing the top twelve. As the only all-Silver driver pairing in the class, Absolute Racing sent Nandy out first to face a strong field of experienced European and domestic rivals. He delivered a measured performance, finding clean air and posting a 1:59.984 to secure eighth in Q1. Liang Jiatong then impressed in Q2, navigating traffic to set third-fastest time.

The all-Silver driver classification brought a significant strategic burden: an additional 20 seconds added to the mandatory stop, bringing total stationary time to 98 seconds - the heaviest pit stop requirement in the field. At the Race 1 start, Nandy settled into a consistent rhythm, though contact ahead at Turns 1 and 2 cost him positions in the opening laps. He quickly regrouped and ran within the top ten for the duration of his stint.

A five-second penalty for a start procedure infringement added further pressure, but the team responded decisively when the pit window opened, executing an early undercut to recover track position. Liang rejoined into clean air and delivered a string of competitive lap times as the field cycled through its pitstops. The strategy proved its worth in the closing stages, with Liang making several clean overtakes on his way to fourth at the flag, a solid recovery given the penalties and pit stop demands the crew had faced.

Sunday afternoon's Race 2 saw the #63 Lamborghini supported by Trends Hobby start from third on the grid, with Liang Jiatong taking the opening stint. The Chinese driver immediately applied pressure to the cars ahead, remaining closely attached to the leading group throughout. Running on used tyres, a decisive overtaking opportunity proved elusive, but Liang maintained strong pace and managed his rubber carefully ahead of the pit window. The team elected to extend his stint by one additional lap to optimise track position, before handing to Nandy with the car sitting in a healthy strategic position.

Nandy wasted no time finding his rhythm, driving on the limit throughout and gradually pulling away from the pursuit behind. He crossed the line third on the road, before post-race scrutineering applied penalties to the two cars ahead, promoting the #63 Lamborghini to a well-deserved second place.

With two wins in the PRO category, it was a thoroughly encouraging opening weekend for Absolute Racing. The China GT Championship resumes at the Ningbo International Circuit from 22 to 24 May.

“This weekend was quite up and down for us. After experiencing a technical issue on Friday and traffic complications during Saturday’s qualifying, we were still able to show strong pace in the races. In both races, we had the potential to fight for the overall podium. On Saturday, we narrowly missed the podium by just one second, but today we managed to secure a podium finish. I would like to sincerely thank the team for giving me this opportunity to compete in this event, and I look forward to continuing our collaboration and achieving stronger results in the upcoming season.”

“It was a positive weekend for us in Shanghai, finishing P4 overall in Race 1 and P2 overall in Race 2. Our pace was strong throughout, and while a few small mistakes cost us a podium in Race 1, it’s something we can learn from moving forward. It’s been a pleasure working with the team and Alex, and I believe there’s still more potential for us to unlock. A big thank you to Absolute Racing for the opportunity this weekend. I’m always grateful to be part of the team and fighting for strong results.

“We’re very pleased to be back in the China GT Championship this weekend, and to do so in front of such a large crowd makes a podium finish even more rewarding. The team did an excellent job and the drivers were consistently on the pace with the frontrunners. Naturally, it wasn’t a flawless weekend, but we’ve taken valuable lessons from it and will be pushing hard to fight for victory in the coming rounds.”