Patel Scores Despite Difficult Weekend In Audi R8 LMS Cup At Sepang

The Audi R8 LMS Cup concluded this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit with Indian GT driver Aditya Patel scoring crucial points for the team.

By Sameer Contractor

1 mins read

Published on August 17, 2016

Highlights

Patel finished 7th and 12th in race one and two respectively
Alex Yoong won the first race, while Edoardo Mortara won Race two
Race 7 and 8 will be held at Korea International Circuit in September

The Audi R8 LMS Cup concluded this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit with Indian GT driver Aditya Patel scoring crucial points for the team. The weekend however, did not go as hoped by the Audi India sponsored driver who was eighth in the super pole, after two top 10 finishes in the practice session. Speaking on his performance, Aditya Patel said, "It's not ideal to have another rough weekend making it three weekends in a row. We've identified where the time is being lost and it's only a matter of putting it all together. The spin in race two also was unfortunate because I'm sure I could have battled for at least a top 5 finish." Aditya Patel Audi R8 LMS Cup Asia Sepang Aditya improved continuously during practice to finally end up sixth, ahead of Marchy Lee and championship contender Martin Rump. However, qualifying didn't go as per plan and while the JK Tyre backed driver managed to make it into superpole, a small mistake by Patel resulted in him having to settle for eighth. At the start of race one, Patel made quick work of Rump to move up to seventh but but could improve his pace and had to settle for 7th position behind Marchy Lee, scoring valuable points. The podium though was dominated by Alex Yoong who took a commanding win ahead of DTM Star Edoardo Mortara and former DTM driver Rahel Frey. Race two started off well for Patel with the Chennai-based driver moving up to the sixth position from eight on lap one. However, a spin while battling with Malaysia's Alex Yoong saw Patel drop down the order. The Indian racer did pick up pace towards the end of the race, but the gap was much higher and the driver had to settle for the twelfth place. Race two was won by Edoardo Mortara with Alessio Piccariello and Rahel Frey coming in a close second and third respectively. Aditya Patel currently stands 9th in championship standings Talking about the future rounds of the season, Aditya said, "I guess there were a lot of positives this weekend that we can carry forward to Korea in four weeks time!" After round six, the driver standing is currently led by Alex Yoong and Alessio Picariello, both with 95 points, followed by Rahel Frey with 75 points. Aditya currently stands ninth on the standings with 26 points ahead of Ryo Ogawa.