- Antares Au secures Pro-Am class win at International GT Open Round 2 in Belgium
- Valuable preparation for Hong Kong driver ahead of legendary 24 Hours of Spa
- Au builds confidence in new Porsche 911 GT3 R with Huber Motorsport
Hong Kong racing driver, Antares Au, has confirmed his entry for the biggest GT3 race of the year, the iconic CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa, set to be held at Circuit de Spa-Fancorchamps, Belgium from the 29th of June to the 2nd of July 2023. This announcement comes off the back of a sensational class win by Au at the same legendary Belgian circuit earlier last month, at Round 2 of the International GT Open. The victory, which ensued after two days of successful testing and data gathering at the official Prologue to the twice round-the-clock classic, is invaluable preparation for Au and his teammates. His new team, Huber Motorsport, looks strong and well-prepared in their fresh #30 Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) for the ultimate trial of perseverance in the Ardennes.
Au is seeking redemption at the 24 Hours of Spa after his unforeseen retirement from the 2022 race. He will be competing in the Bronze Cup along with Porsche Driver, Matteo Cairoli (ITA), Jannes Fittje (GER) and Dennis Fetzer (GER). The Hong Kong driver along with his 3 teammates, took up two days of testing to familiarize themselves with the upgraded-from-last-year Porsche 911 GT3 R. The 992-version of the Porsche is a new challenge for Au and has taken some learning and adaptation. Huber Motorsport was able to gather essential information which would be ideal for finding the optimal set-up for the car on race day.
As further preparation, Au and Cairoli also entered Round 2 of the International GT Open which was held at the same 7 km Spa track. The duo looked extremely strong right off the bat, challenging the top times in the Pro-Am class. A commendable qualifying performance put the #30 Porsche 2nd in class and P9 overall for the start of the 140-min endurance race. Au started on the 5th row of the 42-car grid and showed excellent racing ability right from the get-go, avoiding incidents and manoeuvring yellow flag periods to keep the car pointing in the right direction. Cairoli followed up with yet another brilliant stint to place the team in the class lead and in contention for the overall win.
A gallant effort by the team handed the pair a well-earned triumph in their category, finishing P4 overall and just missing out on the podium due to minor issues in the pit stop and a faulty pit timer. Nonetheless, the Pro-Am victory hands the Huber Motorsport squad a great deal of confidence in the build-up to the 24 Hours of Spa, knowing they have a strong package with the car and well-experienced drivers. Au is preparing hard for the upcoming challenge as he gears up for his 4th attempt at the Ardennes enduro challenge.
Antares Au | Driver, #30 Huber Motorsport Porsche 911 GT3 R (992) “Winning GT Open in Pro-Am was a good result ahead of the 24H. We faced a lot of new variables this year: a new car, a new team and a new driver line-up. Matteo’s a true pleasure to work with – fast, competitive and a trove of knowledge. The Huber crew worked hard and evolved with us throughout the week. We feel we’ve all taken tangible steps forward this week. There’s still a lot of wood to chop for the 24H, but we’ll be ready for it.”
