New Zealand’s Chris Van Der Drift suffered a gut-wrenching early exit in the second race of the GT World Challenge Asia weekend at Mandalika, bringing a dramatic and disappointing end to what had been a thrilling turnaround just a day earlier.
Teamed up with Malaysian co-driver Adrian D’Silva for Earl Bamber Motorsport (EBM), Van Der Drift entered Race 2 with high hopes after a sensational drive in Race 1 that saw the pair charge from 34th on the grid to a remarkable 16th-place finish.
It was one of the standout drives of the weekend and highlighted the Kiwi-Malaysian duo’s tenacity and racecraft. But the elation of Saturday gave way to despair on Sunday.
Starting 18th overall and 12th in the Pro-Am class for Race 2, Van Der Drift’s race unravelled almost immediately.
After a chaotic opening lap that saw the field jostling tightly through the first corners, the EBM Porsche rapidly slipped down the order to 30th.
Moments later, Van Der Drift pulled into the pit lane with suspected damage or mechanical issues. The car was officially retired before completing a full lap — a brutal and premature end for a crew that had shown such determination just hours earlier.
It was a particularly bitter pill for the Earl Bamber Motorsport outfit, though the team still had reason to celebrate. The second EBM entry, driven by Setiawan Santoso and Andrew Bentley, claimed victory in the Am class, capping off the weekend with the top step on the podium and some much-needed silverware for the team.
Pole position for Race 2 had gone to Craft-Bamboo Racing’s Qi Cao and Jayden Ojeda in the Pro-Am class, while Santoso and Bentley had secured the AM class pole.
In the Silver class, Winhere Harmony Racing’s Weian Chen and Yi Deng led the way, with teammates Hangcheng Liu and Lorenzo Patrese taking pole in Silver-Am.
The grid’s front row featured Ojeda and Patrese, followed by Silver-Am competitor Yu Kanamaru and Pro-Am’s Dorian Boccolacci. The third, fourth, and fifth rows were a Pro-Am showcase, with heavy hitters like Thierry Vermuelen, Alessio Picariello, Ralf Aron, Edoardo Mortara, and JMR pair Ben Green and Jordan Love tightly packed and ready for battle.
As the lights went out, Ojeda got the jump off the line and surged into the lead, with Kanamaru slotting into second and Vermuelen holding third. But the drama was far from over.
In the scramble through the final corners of the opening lap, Boccolacci made a daring move around the outside of Vermuelen to snatch third place.
Meanwhile, chaos erupted further back — not only had Van Der Drift plummeted down the field, but WHR driver Patrese sustained heavy front-end damage to his Ferrari and was forced to pit.
Then came the major flashpoint. On the main straight as the field began Lap 2, a clash between Markus Winkelhock and Anders Fjordbach left the latter’s car facing the wrong direction and severely damaged Winkelhock’s ASA Audi R8. Debris littered the track, triggering a safety car period as marshals cleared the carnage.
At the front, Wei Lu and Alessio Picariello held on to win the race outright and secure victory in the Pro-Am class, while fellow Pro-Am competitors Anthony Liu and Dorian Boccolacci finished second overall.
Danial Frost and Jiatong Liang claimed the final spot on the overall podium in third and also secured class honours in the Silver category.
CunFan Ruan and Maxime Oosten put in a strong showing to finish fourth overall and win the Silver-Am class.
The incident-strewn opening highlighted the unpredictability and intensity that defines GT World Challenge Asia, but for Chris Van Der Drift and Adrian D’Silva, Race 2 will be remembered as a weekend of what could have been—a cruel reminder of how quickly fortunes can change in motorsport.
Header Image: SRO / GT World Challenge Asia
