Tang eyes bigger prize after second PCCA win

SINGAPORE — Andrew Tang’s initial aim heading into his debut season in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) was modest: secure a couple of race wins.
But just six races in, the Singaporean race driver has already achieved his goal, as he notched his second victory of the year on Saturday at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

The Porsche China Junior Team driver, who secured his maiden win last month in Fuji, Japan, started Round 5 in fifth position out of a 24-strong field. But a melee on the first-turn presented the 21-year-old with an opportunity to make up ground on the leading pack, which he duly took advantage of.

Tang finally took the lead in the ninth lap after making a clean pass on Fun88 Team Sunfonda’s Zhang Dasheng, and there was no looking back for the Singaporean thereafter as he went on to take the chequered flag in a time of 22min 36.388s. OpenRoad Racing’s Scott Hargrove finished second, while Zhang claimed the final podium place.

“It’s definitely encouraging to have achieved the target that was set for me so early on in the season,” Tang told TODAY in a phone interview. “But I’m going to remain focused, continue working hard and take it race by race in order to secure more good results.

“It was a rough start on Saturday but I managed to get clear from the accident on the first corner, although it was a close call. From there on, it was a case of chasing the guys in front and making clean passes. Once I took the lead, I kept my head clear and just concentrated on finishing the race strongly and cleanly.”

Tang, however, was unable to follow up his win with another podium finish in Round 6 on Sunday (July 10). Starting in sixth, his car suffered a spin at the start of the race which left him languishing at the back, but he eventually recovered to finish the round in 10th place.

After a weekend of mixed fortunes in the PCCA, Tang remains third in the championship standings on 92 points, behind second-placed Nico Menzel of Team PICC (105), while Kamlung Racing’s Maxime Jousse still holds the lead with 108 points.

With just about half the season gone, it is a remarkable accomplishment for Tang, who beat about 100 candidates from Asia last December to secure a contract and a 1 million yuan (S$207,000) sponsorship with the Porsche China Junior Programme, to find himself in the top-three.

After all, Tang’s racing career had been put on hold for the past two years due to his National Service commitments.

And while he may have set himself modest goals at the start of the season, Tang’s recent positive displays on the track have given him reason to believe that he can challenge for the championship title.

“For sure, when you’re so close at the front, there are thoughts of challenging for the championship,” said Tang. “I wouldn’t put the title out of reach, although it will be difficult for sure. But I have a fantastic team who has been helping me out greatly and my family has been great pillars of support as well, so I feel really good about the season so far.

“Nonetheless, it’s my first year back in racing, and I want to manage my expectations properly and not put too much pressure on myself. So we’ll keep doing our best and try to bring in more wins, and we’ll see where we are at the end of the season.”