The 2026 GTWC Asia powered by AWS season continued at Okayama International Circuit with a weekend that transformed the championship battle and delivered a clean sweep for Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom.
Sandy Stuvik marked his return to the championship by taking Race 1 pole for Absolute Racing, while Jaxon Evans led an Audi front-row lockout for Sunday’s contest. However, changing weather denied Stuvik and Akash Nandy on Saturday as Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai secured their second victory of the season. Evans and Andrés Pato then completed Audi’s sweep in Race 2 after resisting a last-lap attack from Lu Wei and Laurin Heinrich by just 0.089s.
Yet Lu emerged as the weekend’s biggest championship winner. He arrived at Okayama four points behind Huang Ruohan and Alessandro Ghiretti, moved ahead with fourth in Race 1 and then stretched his advantage to 22 points through Sunday’s runner-up finish after the Absolute Racing Porsche exited on the opening lap.
Okayama therefore leaves the title fight looking markedly different from the picture that emerged after the previous Fuji round.
2026 GTWC Asia: Okayama testing: Stuvik and Miyake set Thursday benchmarks
Absolute Racing began the event strongly as Nandy and returning teammate Stuvik topped the opening test in the No. 29 Lamborghini Huracán GT3 EVO2.
The pair recorded a 1m29.552s to beat Ruan Cun Fan and Neil Verhagen’s Team KRC BMW by 0.153s. LM Corsa’s Ferrari followed in third through Shigekazu Wakisaka and Ryo Ogawa, while Harmony Racing, Team 5ZIGEN and Apex Predator Harmony Racing completed the top six.
Lu and Heinrich started seventh for Origine Motorsport, one place ahead of Phantom Global Racing’s Anthony Liu and Okayama substitute Ayhancan Güven. Climax Racing led Silver-Am through Li Lichao and Elias Seppänen, while Garage 75 set the Am benchmark.
Team 5ZIGEN then moved to the front in Test Session 2. Atsushi Miyake and Takayuki Aoki produced a 1m29.133s in the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3, which ultimately remained the fastest time from Thursday.
Cheng and Yu finished only 0.054s behind for Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom, while Liu and Güven placed third for Phantom Global Racing. Stuvik and Nandy followed in fourth ahead of LM Corsa, while championship leaders Huang and Ghiretti completed the top six for Absolute Racing.
Official Practice: Seppänen edges Heinrich in slippery conditions
Light drizzle complicated the beginning of Friday’s Official Practice, but Seppänen found the pace as conditions improved and put Climax Racing on top.
The Finn produced his best lap at the end of the session, recording a 1m29.197s to beat Heinrich by only 0.095s. GTO with KRC also demonstrated the BMW M4 GT3 EVO’s suitability to Okayama as Maxime Oosten took third, while Verhagen put Team KRC’s sister entry fourth.
Klaus Bachler and Kazuki Ota placed Absolute Racing’s returning No. 918 Porsche fifth ahead of Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Liang Jiatong and Daisuke Yamawaki. Cheng and Yu led Audi’s runners in seventh, followed by Evans and Pato.
The championship-leading No. 911 Absolute Porsche experienced a quieter session in 15th, although Ghiretti and Huang would respond strongly later in the afternoon.
Meanwhile, Tomohide Yamaguchi topped the separate Bronze Session in the Plus with BMW M Team Studie M4. His 1m30.769s put him 0.613s ahead of Lu, while Anthony Liu finished third.
Pre-Qualifying: Ghiretti puts Absolute Racing on top
Ghiretti moved Absolute Racing back to the head of the order during Pre-Qualifying.
The Frenchman produced a 1m29.276s in the newly denim-liveried No. 911 Porsche and beat Verhagen’s Team KRC BMW by exactly one tenth. Evans showed Audi’s improving pace by taking third, while Güven placed the Phantom Global Racing Porsche fourth.
Brendon Leitch followed in fifth for Apex Predator Harmony Racing before Oosten again led Silver-Am in sixth. Seppänen finished seventh after topping Official Practice, while Porsche Center Okazaki’s Kazuto Kotaka and Hiroaki Nagai took eighth.
Cheng and Yu placed ninth, with Stuvik and Nandy completing the top 10. Lu and Heinrich sat only 11th at this stage, although their weekend would become considerably stronger once racing began.
2026 GTWC Asia: Okayama Qualifying: Stuvik stars before Audi locks out Race 2 front row
Qualifying produced two contrasting sessions. Stuvik dominated Q1 on his first GTWC Asia appearance since 2022, while Evans responded in Q2 to head a Phantom Audi one-two.
Q1: Stuvik dominates on GTWC Asia return
Stuvik delivered one of the weekend’s standout performances to take Race 1 pole by more than four tenths.
The Thai driver immediately looked comfortable in Absolute Racing’s Lamborghini and recorded four laps quick enough for pole. His eventual 1m28.982s placed him 0.426s clear of Cheng, an unusually large margin around the short Okayama layout.
David Chen Weian qualified Harmony Racing’s Fuji-winning Ferrari third, while Lu led the Pro-Am runners in fourth. Aoki placed Team 5ZIGEN fifth and ensured five different manufacturers occupied the first five positions.
Anthony Liu took sixth for Phantom Global Racing ahead of LM Corsa, while Li led Silver-Am from eighth overall. Yamaguchi and Ruan completed the top 10.
Huang endured a much more difficult session and could only qualify 14th, leaving the championship leader with substantial work ahead in Race 1. Liu Hangcheng and Wang Zhongwei claimed Am pole for Origine Motorsport from 15th overall.
Q2: Evans leads Phantom Audi front-row lockout
Evans then produced Audi’s response during the second 15-minute session.
The New Zealander initially led before Team KRC briefly moved both BMWs ahead. However, Evans immediately responded with a 1m27.716s and eventually secured his first GTWC Asia pole position by 0.251s.
Yu completed an all-Audi front row in second, while Verhagen qualified third ahead of Oosten, who took another Silver-Am benchmark. Heinrich placed Origine’s Porsche fifth and ensured Lu remained well positioned for Sunday despite the pair’s championship pressure.
Leitch followed in sixth ahead of Miyake. Güven managed eighth on his first GTWC Asia weekend, while Liu Kaishun and Nandy completed the top 10.
Absolute Racing encountered another difficult session with its title-leading Porsche. Ghiretti could manage only 13th, leaving Huang and Ghiretti outside the first six rows for Race 2.
2026 GTWC Asia: Okayama races: Phantom completes Audi sweep
Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom converted its strong Qualifying pace into victories in both races.
Cheng and Yu took advantage of Absolute Racing’s failed wet-tyre gamble to win Saturday’s opener, while Evans and Pato controlled Sunday’s contest despite intense late pressure from Origine.
Race 1: Absolute gamble hands Cheng and Yu victory
Stuvik converted pole into a commanding early lead and quickly began pulling away from Cheng.
The Absolute Lamborghini built an advantage of approximately six seconds during the opening quarter of the race and appeared well placed to control proceedings. However, rain soon began falling around the circuit and completely changed the complexion of the contest.
Haziq Zairel Oh and Song Jiajun both encountered trouble at Turn 1 as the slick-shod cars struggled with the worsening conditions. Race Control called a Full Course Yellow just as the mandatory pit window opened, creating an immediate strategic decision for every team.
Stuvik instructed Absolute Racing to fit wet tyres when Nandy took over. Almost every rival remained on slicks, and the rain soon eased enough to make Absolute’s gamble costly.
Nandy consequently returned to the pits for another tyre change before the subsequent Safety Car period ended. The extra stop dropped the Lamborghini from the lead to the back of the top 10.
Yu took control after the pit sequence, with Miyake moving into second after taking over the 5ZIGEN Nissan from Aoki. Liu Kaishun sat third ahead of Seppänen and Verhagen when racing resumed with approximately 20 minutes remaining.
Yu and Miyake quickly moved clear, but Verhagen produced the strongest charge behind them. The BMW factory driver passed Seppänen and Liu to reach third and secure Pro-Am honours alongside Ruan.
Heinrich also made significant progress. The Porsche factory driver passed Ghiretti early in his recovery and eventually climbed to fourth, a result that gave Lu the championship lead for the first time in 2026.
Yu eventually crossed the line 1.983s ahead of Miyake, giving himself and Cheng their second victory after their earlier Mandalika success. Verhagen finished another two seconds back in third, with Heinrich fourth for Origine.
Chen and Liu took fifth and Silver victory for Harmony Racing. Lee and Oosten originally finished ahead of the Porsche, but officials handed their BMW a two-place penalty following contact with Liu, dropping the Silver-Am winners to sixth overall. Seiji Ara and Yamaguchi finished seventh, while Huang and Ghiretti could only manage eighth.
Pato and Evans recovered to ninth after also trying wet tyres before switching back to slicks, while Stuvik and Nandy completed the top 10.
Anthony Liu endured a particularly costly race. A puncture on the opening lap forced an unscheduled stop, and the 10 seconds of success time carried from Fuji further complicated Phantom Global Racing’s recovery. Liu and Güven eventually finished 12th and failed to score overall points.
Santoso and Zhou Bi Huang secured Am honours for Climax Racing.
Race 2: Pato resists Lu by 0.089s in Okayama thriller
Evans led Race 2 away from pole, but an opening-lap incident immediately disrupted several leading contenders further back.
Verhagen ran wide before rejoining into a tightly packed group at Turn 3, where Güven and Miyake also converged. The Nissan became squeezed between the Porsche and BMW, forcing Miyake to slow sharply. Ghiretti and Nandy then braked hard behind him, while Bachler spun into the wall during the resulting chain reaction.
The incident effectively ended the race for both championship-leading Absolute entries driven by Huang/Ghiretti and Stuvik/Nandy. It also forced Team 5ZIGEN to pit and removed Miyake from the SRO GT Academy lead battle.
Officials later handed Verhagen a 10-second penalty for causing the collision. He then compounded Team KRC’s difficult start by spinning separately at the beginning of the following lap.
After a short Full Course Yellow, Evans retained first ahead of Oosten, Heinrich, Güven and Yu. Heinrich moved into second shortly before the pit window and gave Origine an opportunity to attack Audi in the second half.
Evans handed the No. 15 Audi to Pato with a 2.6s advantage. Initially, the gap remained stable, but Lu gradually began reducing it as the race approached its closing stages.
Behind them, Lee occupied third but came under sustained pressure from Anthony Liu. Chen also joined that fight after taking over Harmony Racing’s Ferrari and led the Silver class from fifth.
Lu eventually reached Pato and began searching for an opportunity. Spots of rain in the final five minutes increased the pressure, but the Audi driver continued to defend.
The decisive attack came on the final lap. Lu attempted to move underneath before switching back, forcing Pato to defend through the penultimate corner. The compromised line then gave Lu a better exit from the final turn.
The Porsche drew alongside on the run towards the finish, but Pato held on by only 0.089s to give Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom its second victory of the weekend.
Lee resisted Anthony Liu to secure third overall and complete a perfect Silver-Am weekend alongside Oosten. Liu and Güven finished fourth, while Chen and Liu Kaishun claimed Silver honours in fifth.
Li and Seppänen recovered from 11th to sixth, with Leitch and Song seventh for Apex Predator Harmony Racing. Cheng and Yu carried success time from their Saturday victory and finished eighth, adding more valuable championship points. LM Corsa and Porsche Center Okazaki completed the overall top 10.
Wang and Liu Hangcheng took Am victory for Origine Motorsport from 12th overall.
Incidents, penalties and missed opportunities
Okayama produced several major swings through strategy, incidents and penalties.
Absolute Racing looked set to control Race 1 after Stuvik built a six-second lead, but its decision to switch Nandy onto wet tyres cost the Lamborghini its advantage when the weather quickly improved. The second stop for slicks eventually left the pair 10th.
The team’s championship-leading Porsche also struggled to maximise the opportunity. Huang and Ghiretti qualified outside the leading positions in both sessions and finished only eighth on Saturday. Their weekend then ended on the opening lap of Race 2 when they became caught in the Turn 3 chain reaction.
That incident also hurt Nandy and Team 5ZIGEN. Miyake played no role in causing the contact but needed a pit stop after the collision, while Nandy’s Lamborghini completed only the opening lap.
Anthony Liu suffered a different setback on Saturday. His lap-one puncture and existing success penalty left Phantom Global Racing outside the points, although Güven helped the team respond with fourth in Race 2.
KRC also experienced contrasting fortunes. Verhagen charged to the Race 1 podium alongside Ruan, but officials handed him a 10-second penalty following Sunday’s Turn 3 incident. Lee and Oosten, meanwhile, produced the most consistent class performance of the weekend by winning Silver-Am in both races despite the Race 1 contact penalty costing them two overall positions.
Championship picture: Lu turns four-point deficit into 22-point lead
Okayama completely reshaped the overall title fight.
Lu arrived four points behind Huang and Ghiretti after scoring 40 points across the previous Fuji weekend. Fourth place in Race 1 moved the Origine driver ahead for the first time, and his runner-up result on Sunday increased his total to 106 points.
Huang and Ghiretti added only four points from eighth on Saturday before their Race 2 retirement left them on 84. Anthony Liu’s fourth place on Sunday also takes him to 84, while Cheng and Yu sit only one point further behind on 83 after combining victory with eighth place. The four leading championship crews therefore leave Okayama separated by 23 points, but Lu now enjoys substantially more breathing room than any driver has held since Fuji.
Heinrich also made major progress across his second appearance of the campaign. Fourth and second lifted him to 70 points, while Pato and Evans move to 66 after adding their victory to ninth place in Race 1.
Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom also appears set to take control of the Teams’ Championship after its exceptional weekend. The team entered Okayama 25 points behind Absolute Racing but collected both race victories alongside additional points from its second entry. Absolute, meanwhile, scored only through its eighth and 10th-place Race 1 finishes before both of its main Sunday contenders exited on lap one.
The SRO GT Academy standings changed as well. Yu moved into the lead ahead of Oosten, while Miyake’s involvement in Sunday’s opening-lap incident cost him the position he held entering the race.
GTWC Asia now leaves Japan and heads to the Beijing Street Circuit from 2–4 October for the penultimate event of the season. Lu will arrive with the championship lead, but with Anthony Liu, Huang and Ghiretti level only 22 points behind and Cheng and Yu another point back, the battle remains open as the series begins its final four races.
