Phoenix Racing may not have turned a wheel in earnest yet this season, but behind the scenes preparations for the new season are already at an advanced stage. It’s not just the team in Meuspath with their hands full, either, the Phoenix Racing Asia crew are also busy working on their 2019 effort.
The 2019 season marks Phoenix Racing Asia’s first full season racing a pair of Bentley Continental GT3s in the Blancpain GT Series Asia, following successful runs in the final two events of last season. At a private test in Portimão, Portugal, the team were working hard on optimising the Bentleys to be in the best possible position going into the new year.
“Our preparations are already well underway, both in Europe and in Asia”, said Team Principal Ernst Moser. “This will be our first full season with Bentley in Asia, so we have a lot of work to do. We are right in the middle of the planning phase and are working on getting our driver line-ups confirmed. We hope to find one final bronze- or silver-rated driver in the near future, allowing us to go into the new season in the best shape possible.”
There have been a number of important changes to the regulations for the Blancpain GT Series Asia in 2019. Each car must have at least one Asian driver, in an effort to promote and support local drivers. In addition, the series’ name has been changed to the Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia.
As in 2018, the series will visit six different racetracks in 2019, with two races held on each race weekend. The calendar includes rounds in China, South Korea, Malaysia and Thailand, as well as two separate rounds in Japan. The season kicks off at the Sepang International Circuit on 6 April.
