Intriguing Entry for Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia Fuji Spectacular

Fierce competition expected at penultimate Asian round of 2024 season

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia (LSTA) is set for a thrilling fourth round of the 2024 season, with a number of new and returning drivers further boosting the grid for the double-header at Japan’s 4.563km Fuji International Speedway from August 16-18. Fifteen teams campaigning 39 drivers are confirmed for the penultimate Asian round of the season, with 23 Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo EVO2s guaranteeing the enthusiastic Japanese fans a weekend to remember.

Leading the way in the PRO standings are SJM Iron Lynx Theodore Racing’s Charles Leong Hon Chio of Macau, a Lamborghini Super Trofeo junior driver, and Japan’s Miki Koyama, who will enjoy home crowd support as the team looks to strengthen its points advantage in Fuji. Never off the podium in six races, the talented duo is still on the hunt for their first win in their debut LSTA season. However, just five points behind them on the PRO leaderboard are DW Evans GT’s Dan Wells and another Lamborghini Super Trofeo junior, Emilien Carde, winners in Australia earlier in the season. Only three points behind them, however, are the third 2024 junior driver Gavin Huang and team mate Jonathan Cecotto, meaning just eight points separate the three PRO title contenders with six races remaining.

Returning to the PRO ranks, once again driving solo, is reigning LSTA champion Chris van der Drift, the New Zealander at the wheel of the Absolute Racing Lamborghini Auckland car with which he won both races at Korea’s Inje Speedium last month. Meanwhile, joining the PRO class in Fuji are two stars of Super GT Japan GT300, Shunsuke Kohno and Yuya Motojima, entered by Promotion Racing.

A shake-up in the PRO-AM entry could see a change to the leaderboard, with single seater star Liu Kaishun and series returnee and successful GT campaigner Lu Wei replacing class leaders Chen Fangping and André Couto at Madness Racing Team for the Fuji round. Their absence gives DW Evans GT’s Thomas Yu Lee and Nikolas Pirttilahti a golden opportunity to close their 21-point deficit on the leaderboard. However, Malaysian FIA World Endurance Championship star Jazeman Jaafar and fellow countryman Selim Rafique at Arrows Racing will be equally keen to snatch championship points in Japan. Returning to the PRO-AM class for Japan is successful GT campaigner Liang Jiatong of China, joined by Stanislav Minsky at Harmony Racing, while father-and-son pairing Kenneth and Bertram Lau join the series in Fuji in the Kam Lung Racing Lamborghini.

LSTA newcomers, Thai duo Nattanid ‘Kat’ Leewattanavalagul and Dechathorn ‘Phu’ Phuakkarawut of YK Motorsports by Star Performance, have proven a revelation this season, with two AM wins and four podiums putting them top of the class after six races. However, despite a DNF in Australia earlier this season and driving solo, Korean star Brian Changwoo Lee is still only four points behind them in the SQDA-GRIT Motorsport Lamborghini Seoul car.

The eight-strong AM entry for Fuji also includes title contenders Stephen Hong Shijie and He Xinyang at Madness Racing Team, and 610Racing by Absolute pair Li Xuanyu and Xie Wenjun, equal on points heading to Japan. Experienced Thai solo driver Suttiluck Buncharoen of True Visions Motorsports Thailand lies fifth on the leaderboard ahead of Arrow’s Racing’s Johnson Huang, who is joined once again by Vincent Tai who will contest his third round of the season. Vortex Racegraph’s Luo Haowen and Song Jiajun, meanwhile, are expected to continue to make gains.

Making his LSTA debut in Japan is talented Australian AM driver Yasser Shahin. The ultra-competitive Australian’s career has taken a steep upward trajectory since he took up motorsport a decade ago, starting with domestic series before winning the Audi Sport R8 LMS Cup in 2019, then finding success in LMP2, and going on to finish second in this year’s FIA Endurance Trophy-LMGT3 class.

The Lamborghini Cup ranks include five entries for Japan. HZO Fortis Racing Team by Absolute Racing Malaysian brothers Hairie and Haziq Oh continue to top the leaderboard, but a win for Siamgas Corse’s Supachai Weeraborwornpong of Thailand and two podium finishes for Iron Lynx’s Kumar Prabakaran in Korea has reignited the title battle. Retuning to the series in Japan for the first time since the opening round in Malaysia are Samson Chan and Steven Chian at Arrows Racing where they are joined in a second car by LSTA returnee Dr. Ma Chi Min.

Held in the foothills of the revered Mount Fuji, round four of Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia gets underway with two, one-hour official free practice sessions on Friday 16 August. The two, 15-minute qualifying sessions on Saturday morning decide the starting order for each race, with the first 50-minute race starting at 13:35 the same day. Race two starts at 13:20 on Sunday 18 August (all times UTC+09).

Both LSTA races will be live-streamed via the Lamborghini Squadra Corse YouTube channel.

Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia 2024 Calendar