Vanthoor Leads FP1 at Macau, Suffers Heavy Crash
In a dramatic opening practice session for the FIA GT World Cup at Macau, Laurens Vanthoor topped the charts with a commanding lap time of 2:16.451 before crashing out in the final moments. The Belgian driver, behind the wheel of the #92 Tempo by Absolute Racing Porsche, lost control at Turn 2, crashing heavily into the barriers.
Despite the extensive damage, Vanthoor exited the vehicle unaided, and the session was not restarted. His impressive pace was showcased as he finished 0.755 seconds faster than local favorite Yifei Ye, who took second place in the #83 Harmony Racing Ferrari 296 GT3. Raffaele Marciello’s #53 ROWE Racing BMW and Adderly Fong’s Uno Racing Team Audi rounded out the top four, all within one second of Vanthoor’s time.
Following the crash, the Absolute Racing team quickly began assessing the damage to the Porsche, which included a full complement of spare parts on-site, ready for potential repairs or chassis replacement as necessary.
As the team works to repair the vehicle, the stakes rise ahead of the event’s qualifying and race sessions, with teams looking to capitalize on early practice insights.
