Shanghai. Five-time and reigning champions Team StarChase will defend their Porsche Carrera Cup Asia Driver and Dealer Trophy titles with a new driver and a new partner for 2021, with Chinese talent Yu Kuai signing with the V-KOOL-backed team, making his debut in the premier one-make racing series in Asia.

Team StarChase, which has catapulted the careers of former drivers such as Alexandre Imperatori, Nico Menzel and Philip Hamprecht into the international spotlight, has built a reputation for identifying and nurturing young talent to reach their full potential. In line with the growth of Chinese motorsports, Yu Kuai will be the first Chinese driver to compete for Team StarChase.

Yu Kuai knows he has big shoes to fill, but with the leadership and guidance of the most victorious team in series history, the ambition and drive of youth, the 2021 season holds plenty of potential and anticipation. As a Team StarChase driver, Yu Kuai will enjoy a whole new level of support from professional engineers to simulator training. As a member of Porsche’s extensive driver development programme PCCA Talent Pool, he will benefit from the technical coaching of Porsche champions  in addition to regular fitness training.

The Shanghai-born driver raced in the 2019/2020 F3 Asian Championship, claiming a season best fourth-place finish at Sepang. He also competed in the Formula Masters Asian Series in 2017, following a debut open-wheel racing season in the Formula Masters Asian Series in 2016.

The 20-year-old driver will now make the transition to GT racing for the first time in the Carrera Cup Asia and he has already started getting to grips with the new car as the team took part in the pre-season Official Test Days at Shanghai last weekend, accumulating plenty of laps and data ahead of the new season.

With expert race engineering and technical support in place from the 10-year long technical partner Absolute Racing, a team that has captured victories in every major GT and single-seater racing series in Asia, the stage is set for a successful season.

Speaking about the three-day test and the upcoming season, James Yu said, “This is an amazing opportunity that I've been given and I'm excited to get started. I’m thrilled to have an opportunity to move up to the GT racing with the reigning Carrera Cup Asia championship winners Team StarChase. It feels like a dream come true. My goal for this season is to continue learning and improving my racing skills. I am new to GT racing and want to do my best and have no regrets. I believe that Carrera Cup Asia is a platform like no other in the region to help a driver progress in the world of motorsports, so I’m really excited.”

“I have learned a lot about driving the Cup car in the past three days of testing. The Cup car is very different to the formula cars I am used to, and I’ve had to change my driving style to adapt to the car. The new Cup car is a huge step forward compared to the previous generation. It has stunning acceleration, braking and cornering capabilities, a lovely interior and a beautiful look. Every second spent in this car has been tremendously enjoyable,” he added.

New Season, New Partners, New Car

Team StarChase is proud to announce that V-KOOL has joined as a team partner and will race with the team throughout the Carrera Cup Asia series in 2021. The partnership with Eastman Chemical Company brings together two dynamic brands which share a passion for technology and speed, and will place the V-Kool logo onto the team’s orange liveried No. 99 Porsche 911 GT3 Cup (Type 992)

In addition, BASF with its premium paint line Glasurit renewed its partnership with Team StarChase. The distinct logo of the brand ambassador RUDY, the Glasurit parrot, will be seen on Team StarChase’s Porsche for the third consecutive season.

The 2021 season marks the debut of the latest “Type 992” generation of the 911 in GT3 Cup trim. The spectacularly styled new car features modified suspension and an uprated 510-hp version of Porsche’s legendary boxer engine driving the rear wheels through a six-speed sequential gearbox. The Carrera Cup Asia will be among the first six series in the world to run the first Porsche makes-cup racer to feature a wide turbo-spec body.

Looking ahead to the 2021 season, Mr. Robby Niermann, Chief Executive Officer Greater China of StarChase, commented: “We are delighted to welcome exciting Shanghai driver Yu Kuai to Team StarChase this season. Introducing young talent to GT racing at this level has always been important for Team StarChase. Yu will be the first Chinese driver in the team’s history. He is young, intelligent, hungry for success, and incredibly committed to racing. We believe that these qualities, combined with the support of our partners, the experience of our team and our professional approach, will make for a winning combination. The introduction of a new car is always an emotional moment, especially after such a long break from racing. We want to thank Porsche Motorsport for making this happen. We are ready for the new season and can’t wait to see Yu Kuai and our new 992 generation 911 GT3 Cup race car on track.”

It’s been a long off-season, one Team StarChase has been putting to good use as they prepare for the 2021 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia season, which gets underway this coming weekend (May 8-9) in Shanghai, China. The one-make cup sports car racing series will run 15 rounds at seven events in the People's Republic of China, Japan and Singapore.