Avila wins at Zhuhai
Macau's Rodolfo Avila of Asia Racing Team claimed the first Porsche Carrera
Cup Asia (PCCA) victory of his career, and a maiden win for a Macau driver,
at the Zhuhai International Circuit this Sunday.
After a Saturday's qualifying session in strong winds, Avila started from
the first row for the first 12-laps race of the weekend. The talented 22-
year-old driver from Macau dropped one position at the start. The youngest
driver of the field would get back his position and get into the leadership
when German's Christian Menzel had an engine failure. Once at the front
Avila valiantly hold off a determined Tim Sugden until a thrilling final
lap to win for the first time in Porsche Carrera Cup Asia.
"Today's is father's day in China. I want to dedicate this victory to my
father. It was the first time he watched me racing in Porsche Cup. He is
being supporting me since the very beginning; he's part of this success
too. This result means a lot to me and to my sponsors when I don't even
know if I will be able to participate in the next race", Avila declared.
"It was a very, very hard race, and was really tough, especially with Tim.
This is my second home circuit, so maybe I was a little bit aggressive, but
if you want to win you need to be! I haven't slept much, and I've been
putting a lot of pressure on myself. I didn't think I'd be so mentally fit.
In the race, I started to think too much and make mistakes. At turn 11, I
thought Tim really had it, but I closed the door - I gave it my all. I
thought, 'crash or win', something I wouldn't do at any other track, but
this is my second home circuit", said a delighted Avila, who also set the
fastest lap of the race.
Race 2 saw Asia Racing Team's Rodolfo Avila ending his race in the gravel
after dramatically spinning out while battling for 2nd, although he did
have the satisfaction of setting the fastest lap of the race.
"I don't know what happened. When I tried to overtake Tim, I downshifted
from third to second gear but nothing happened. I managed to get back on
track but I ended up in the gravel three or four corners after. We have to
look at the data to understand why that happened", said the driver
sponsored by BNU, RPmacau, Fat Siu Lau, Sujika Crafts, PAL Asiaconsult and
Thai's Asia Creative Group.
The Porsche Carrera Cup Asia will resume in one month time when the
championship heads to Indonesia on July 18/19 at the Sentul Circuit as part
of Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS).
-credit: rodolfoavila.com
