> Heinrich, Preining, Picariello and Boccolacci all confirmed
AO, Absolute Racing and Laurin Heinrich are reprising their Suzuka 1000km-winning combination for the upcoming FIA GT World Cup at Macau on November 19-22.
Theirs is one of four Porsches tackling the standalone, single-driver event at the iconic Guia Circuit where GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS regulars Alessio Picariello and Dorian Boccolacci as well as newly crowned DTM champion Thomas Preining also pilot Absolute-run 911s.
The manufacturer is yet to win on Macau’s streets but did collect podiums across both the qualification and main races last year.
Tempo by Absolute Racing once again sends two entries to the event, with Picariello returning for the outfit. The Belgian finished third in 2025’s Qualification Race and was also part of Suzuka’s winning entry earlier this year.
On the other side of Tempo’s garage, Preining returns to the Guia Circuit after 12 months away. Like Picariello, he’s also won a major Intercontinental GT Challenge race this year – the CrowdStrike 24 Hours of Spa – before reclaiming the DTM crown he previously clinched in 2023.
There’s also Boccolacci, who makes his second consecutive appearance at Macau after claiming overall Bathurst 12 Hour and Suzuka 1000km podiums – the latter with Absolute – this season.
However, it’s AO and Rexy’s debut in down town Macau that will turn most heads. The toothy dinosaur has achieved plenty of success Stateside – most notably with Heinrich in IMSA’s GTD Pro class – before dominating IGTC’s Japanese round in September. Its driver has also achieved recent FIA GT World Cup success after finishing third last season.
“I’m very happy to be back in Macau!” said Heinrich. “It’s a massive race for Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific and it will be my third time competing there. The podium I picked up last year has made me even hungrier for success as we now aim for the top step. My first race with AO by Absolute Racing was our incredible success at Suzuka 1000km last month so hopefully we can continue this strong performance. It’s a once in a lifetime opportunity to race Rexy on the streets of Macau and I’m confident that the team will once again provide me with a competitive car.”
Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific’s managing director Alexandre Gibot added: “We’re looking forward to heading to Macau with four top class entries ready to take on the FIA GT World Cup. We’re looking forward to working together once again with Absolute Racing and to welcome back the partnership between AO by Absolute Racing, after their success at Suzuka 1000km. All four of our drivers have experience around the Guia Circuit so we’re hopeful that together, with the combination of an excellent team supported by a robust technical infrastructure, we can fight towards the front again. The Macau Grand Prix is a prestigious event in the Asia-Pacific region and it’s one we are keen to take success at, so we can’t wait to get out on track there next month and aim for victory.”
Absolute’s focus hasn’t entirely shifted to Macau just yet, however. Before that comes GT World Challenge Asia’s Shanghai showdown on October 31 - November 1 when the Hong Kong outfit attempts to clinch the overall drivers’ and teams’ championships.