Podium finish for Yuey Tan in Spa-Francorchamps

SINGAPORE — Battling heavy rain at Belgium’s Spa-Francorchamps circuit, local driver Yuey Tan made his maiden appearance at the tricky 7.004km track count yesterday, finishing third in the Porsche Carrera Cup France (Class B category) for his Sebastien Loeb Racing team.

Comprising Porsche’s best racing drivers from around the world, the 45-minute sprint race was one of three single-make races, including Renault and Lamborghini, that were run ahead of the 24-hour Endurance race that took place yesterday.

Tan, 33, who races for Hong Kong’s Team Jebsen in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, was one of two drivers from the Asia series — the other was Kamlung Racing’s Chris van der Drift — who were selected to compete in Belgium this year.

While the results of the Porsche Carrera Cup France do not count towards the Asia Cup, yesterday’s podium finish will be a confidence boost for the driver as he races towards his goal of winning the Class B division title this season.

“It was a fantastic race weekend for me … I have learned a lot on one of the most gruelling circuits in the world at Spa-Francorchamps, with all weather conditions ranging from sunny skies, intermediate conditions, and heavy rain during the race,” said Tan.

“I needed to adapt to each session and I managed to do so. To get fully funded for this with Porsche has helped immensely, and with Team Jebsen also backing me this season, a big thank you to all of these guys.

“It was a very challenging weekend and I hope to return to Europe to race very soon.”

Tan is currently in the lead in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Class B category, and 11th overall, in what is his best performance in the series since making his debut in 2009. He had finished runner-up in the Asia Cup in 2014 and 2013.

The eight-leg series will travel to Thailand’s Chang International Circuit for the Thailand Super Series this week, before moving to Sepang, Malaysia, and the Marina Bay circuit in Singapore — as part of the 2015 Formula 1 Singapore Airlines Singapore Grand Prix from Sep 18 to 20 — before ending in Shanghai in October. LOW LIN FHOONG