Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai Secure Overall Podium at Beijing Street Race

On October 5, 2026, the Chinese star lineup of Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai from the FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team secured a remarkable overall podium finish in the second round of the Beijing Street Race. With only one race left in the season, they climbed to third place in the AWS-presented GT World Challenge Asia Cup GT3 Driver Standings. This pairing crossed the line in second place overall in the second round, finishing third overall, further consolidating their lead in the Silver class standings and clinching the 2026 China Cup season championship two rounds early.

“For the Audi Sport (Asia) Customer Racing Department, both the Audi team and the clients experienced an emotional Beijing home weekend,” said Alexander Blackie, Head of Audi Sport (Asia) Customer Racing. “Despite encountering some setbacks, when we left Beijing, Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai had been crowned China Cup champions, and still hold hope of competing for the overall championship title before the upcoming Shanghai season finale.”

The Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team's Pro-Am pairing, Andrés Pato and Jaxon Evans, suffered a heartbreaking blow in the second round when they were steering towards the overall top four and the Pro-Am podium, only to be hit by an opponent's improper maneuver, spinning out of control before the Indonesian driver crashed into the wall. In the first round prior, both second-generation Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II cars experienced frustrating incidents: the Pro-Am pairing ultimately hit the wall, while Yu Kuai and Cheng Congfu received a drive-through penalty while finishing second overall.

Round 1

Cheng Congfu missed pole position in a competitive qualifying session by less than four-tenths of a second. The FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team driver immediately launched a fierce pursuit of the leader once the field entered the newly paved track.

Talented Indonesian AM class driver Andrés Pato encountered trouble early in the race. The Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team driver was bumped by an opponent on the start and lost three positions after launching from 11th. Although Pato quickly adjusted to regain one position, moments later he was caught off guard by a slowing car ahead and ultimately crashed into the wall, ending his race in disappointment.

The incident triggered a full course yellow, and race control immediately began recovery of Pato's car with 45 minutes remaining. Just seconds after the track was cleared and the green flag waved, a second full course yellow followed almost immediately, with race control extending the yellow flag status through the entire pit stop window.

Cheng Congfu passed the second-generation Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II car to teammate Yu Kuai in second place overall. The 25-year-old driver quickly settled in upon taking the wheel, strongly entering the championship contention. The race resumed under green flag with 20 minutes remaining, and Yu Kuai and Cheng Congfu had the opportunity to score significant overall and Silver class points. However, to everyone's regret, the team was penalized with a drive-through for violating speed limits during the full course yellow period. Yu Kuai consequently dropped to 13th place, missing the points-paying positions.

During the remaining time, Yu Kuai recovered two positions, getting close to the points-paying area, but ultimately failed to do so due to time expiring, crossing the line in 11th place overall, just missing the Silver class podium.

Round 2

In Round 2, Audi cars occupied the fourth row of the grid. Jaxon Evans and Yu Kuai adopted aggressive start strategies as they drove onto the 4.894-kilometer street circuit one last time in the car line for the weekend. Both drivers improved their positions; Yu Kuai took the lead in the Silver class, while Evans rose to fifth overall, after which race control deployed the safety car shortly after the start.

The race resumed with 45 minutes remaining. Evans briefly lost the fifth overall position but quickly regained it, then continued his attack on the overall podium.

Before the pit stop window opened, the New Zealand driver had climbed to fourth overall, battling continuous attacks from behind while keeping his eyes on the target ahead. Meanwhile, although Yu Kuai lost some positions, he still maintained the Silver class lead when handing the car over to Cheng Congfu.

Evans stayed on track, pushing the second-generation Audi R8 LMS GT3 evo II car to its limits, skillfully handling the tricky corners and undulations of this street circuit, and ultimately handed the car over to AM teammate Andrés Pato in fourth place overall.

As the second stint began, race control upgraded the full course yellow to a safety car procedure to allow staff to clear a stranded car and repair the wall.

At the end of the safety car procedure, Cheng Congfu had climbed to seventh overall. The race resumed under green flag with 14 minutes remaining; he launched quickly, continuing his aggressive attack in the car line with great speed.

With ten minutes remaining in the race, Cheng Congfu had climbed to third overall. His attack showed no sign of waning as he relentlessly chased the two leading cars ahead. With six minutes remaining, he surged to second place and immediately began chasing the overall leader.

Meanwhile, Pato was defending masterfully, keeping opponents behind him while consistently posting stable and strong lap times, holding fourth overall and steadily approaching the Pro-Am podium. However, moments later disaster struck—an opponent collided with him during an ill-advised overtaking attempt, causing the Indonesian driver to lose control and hit the wall.

Pato managed to drive the car away from the wall and continued the race, but his position inevitably dropped significantly, ultimately crossing the line in 12th place overall. Even more regrettable, the team was penalized for violating regulations under yellow flag conditions, falling to 15th place.

Ahead, Cheng Congfu crossed the line in second place overall, securing an exciting overall podium and Silver class victory, while clinching the 2026 China Cup season championship for himself and his teammate Yu Kuai from the FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team. Despite receiving a 5-second time penalty post-race for speeding in the pit lane, their final ranking dropped to third. However, with the season reaching its climax, Cheng Congfu and Yu Kuai remain firmly in the hunt for the season championship.

AWS-presented GT World Challenge Asia Cup

Round 5 Results

Round 1

11. Cheng Congfu/Yu Kuai/Silver/FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team

NC. Jaxon Evans/Andrés Pato/Pro-Am/Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team

Round 2

3. Cheng Congfu/Yu Kuai/Silver/FAW Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team

15. Jaxon Evans/Andrés Pato/Pro-Am/Audi Sport Asia Phantom Team