Rounds One and Two of the 2017 Audi R8 LMS Cup

Reigning Audi R8 LMS Cup champion Alex Yoong of Malaysia stormed back to form yesterday, taking a win in Round Two in front of his home fans at the Sepang International Circuit. The Team Audi R8 LMS Cup driver snatched the lead from pole-sitter Alessio Picariello of MGT by Absolute off the start and never looked back, crossing the line more than a second clear of the Belgian youngster who was carrying a 50kg success ballast, thanks to his victory in Round One on Saturday.

Taking his first Cup podium in only his second race was Malaysian-born Mitch Gilbert, 22, a well-earned reward for him and OD Racing Team after the disappointment of retirement in Round One while running in second. Jeffrey Lee took the Am+ win for Team Audi Volkswagen Taiwan after 13 laps of the challenging Sepang International Circuit.

Picariello's consistency over the weekend sees the MGT by Absolute racer atop the championship standings. The youngster has enjoyed an almost faultless start to the Cup's sixth season with points collected from his second place in Round Two, combined with his Round One win and bonus points for pole position in each race giving him a healthy 45-point total. In second overall lies Yoong, on 31 points, with Martin Rump of Champion Racing Team in third, after his fifth-place finish in Round One, on 28 championship points.

"Five different drivers on the podiums over the weekend shows how evenly-matched the Audi R8 LMS Cup is this season," said Bernd Goeres, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. "Our mixture of hungry young racers, experienced professionals and ambitious gentlemen drivers is what the Audi R8 LMS Cup is all about."

Local hero Yoong was determined to reward his home fans for their enthusiastic support this weekend; the successful Malaysian driver showing the class that has seen him win three Cup titles when the lights went out for the standing start. He launched from second on the grid, pounding past Picariello and setting off on an uninterrupted run to the flag.

Despite carrying the maximum success ballast, Picariello continued his impressive form, holding onto the back of Yoong throughout the race and fighting hard to catch him, incredibly setting the fastest lap of the race in the process, despite his ballast disadvantage, earning him the award from new Cup tyre partner Pirelli.

For KCMG's Akash Nandy, impact with Team Audi Korea's Kyong-Ouk You saw the Malaysian spin before rejoining the race at the back of the order. You was later handed a 30-second time penalty for the incident, putting him 11^th in the final standings, while Nandy finished ninth.

In a field packed with both proven success and fledgling talent, Round Two illustrated the thrilling intrigue of pitching youth against experience. For Yoong, his undisputed class earned him the win, while Rump successfully resisted one of the region's most accomplished racing drivers.

Round Two brought to a close a successful start to the sixth season of the Audi R8 LMS Cup. New innovations such as the return of Push-to-Pass, this time with visible exterior LED counters, and separate qualifying sessions for each race, have been hailed by both drivers and fans.

Next month, the Audi R8 LMS Cup 2017 is back in action when it makes its debut at the iconic Suzuka Circuit in Japan. The 5.807km track is home to the Japanese Grand Prix, and is where former Formula One driver Will Stevens will make his Cup debut for Rounds Three and Four from 10^th to 11^th June. To watch the races in English, please go to www.audir8lmscup.com, while the Chinese live stream will be available at www.audir8lmscup.com/cn.

2017 Audi R8 LMS Cup - Overall Classification after Round Two (Top 10)

Pos	Points		Driver	Team					Class
1	45		Alessio Picariello	MGT Team by Absolute					Pro
2	31		Alex Yoong	Audi R8 LMS Cup					Pro
3	28		Martin Rump	Champion Racing Team					Pro
4	24		Cheng Congfu	FAW-VW Audi Racing Team					Pro
5	21		Shaun Thong Wei Fung	Audi TEDA Racing Team					Pro
6	18		Marchy Lee	Audi Hong Kong					Pro
7	15		Mitch Gilbert	OD Racing Team					Pro
8	12		Akash Nandy	KCMG					Pro
9	5		Kyong-Ouk You	Team Audi Korea					Pro
10	2		Rick Yoon	KCMG					Am