Split Wins and Gelael’s Home Charge Define GT World Challenge Asia Mandalika Double-Header

Across two 60-minute races, Audi and Phantom Global Racing traded blows, while every class delivered shifting momentum that reinforced just how open the 2026 title fight remains.

Qualifying set the tone early. Saturday’s Q1 session belonged to Sean Gelael, whose 1:28.026 in the #50 Garage 75 Ferrari 296 GT3 Evo secured overall pole in front of a home Indonesian crowd. The lap placed him over half a second clear of the field and positioned the Ferrari as the Silver class benchmark heading into Race 1.

The second qualifying session swung the advantage to Phantom Global Racing, with Anthony Liu and Loek Hartog putting the #37 Porsche on overall pole with a session-record 1:27.681. That lap would ultimately prove decisive for Sunday’s outcome.

Race 1 was defined by Audi control. The #16 FAW Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom entry of Congfu Cheng and Kuai Yu converted a measured run into overall victory, crossing the line 5.463 seconds clear after 33 laps. Their win anchored a Silver class one-two, with Gelael delivering the emotional centrepiece of the race by finishing third overall and first in class in front of the Mandalika crowd.

In PRO-AM, Andrés Pato and Jaxon Evans secured class victory and second overall for Audi Sport Asia Team Phantom, while Absolute Racing’s #911 Porsche of Ruohan Huang and Alessandro Ghiretti claimed second in class with another composed performance.

Race 2 delivered an immediate reversal. Phantom Global Racing’s Liu and Hartog converted pole into a controlled lights-to-flag victory, leading all 36 laps to claim overall honours and erase the disappointment of a difficult Saturday. Their response underlined Porsche’s resilience and reset the balance at the front of the championship.

Behind them, Absolute Racing again maximised consistency, with Huang and Ghiretti adding another second-place class finish, while Pato and Evans completed the PRO-AM podium.

The Silver class was reshaped almost immediately when Gelael’s Ferrari retired after just three laps, ending the home favourite’s challenge before the race could settle. Akash Nandy capitalised to secure P4 overall and Silver class honours for Absolute Racing, while Winhere Harmony Racing and Cheng/Yu completed the points-paying positions.

Elsewhere, Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Dean Yu Hao Chen and Jiatong Liang emerged as the clear SIL-AM benchmark, delivering the most consistent returns of the weekend, while AMAC Motorsport secured the AM class’s strongest Race 2 result.

Mandalika ultimately reinforced the depth of this year’s GT World Challenge Asia grid. Audi’s Race 1 authority was answered immediately by Porsche’s Race 2 response, while Ferrari, Lamborghini, and Mercedes-AMG all left Indonesia with meaningful points. With Shanghai next, the championship picture remains wide open.