13 Leading Cars Penalized in Regional GT3 Race, Minor Prince Wins From 14th
Post-race time penalties and other disqualifications have long changed the winners of sports car races hours, and sometimes even days, after the races have been completed. Generally, these will impact one car or every car from one manufacturer or team, and will promote a driver in second or third to a win. Sometimes, though, all but two cars in a field will violate the same rule, and you will see a winner promoted from outside the podium. In Sunday's second GT World Challenge Asia race at Fuji, The winner came from all the way down in 14th.
The unusual outcome was the result of a safety car procedure change made in real time by race control. During the day's third safety car period, officials instructed the field to pass through the pit lane in order to avoid a crash scene on the start-finish straight. All but two cars failed to heed that instruction, so all but four cars were given a 30-second time penalty. That meant the No. 88 Triple Eight JMR Mercedes-AMG GT3, an entry that actually followed the instructions, would go on to win despite finishing 14th on track. After the race's provisional winners were handed an additional 10 second time penalty for overtaking outside of track limits, the would-be winning Aston Martin finished just seventh.
The story is made all the more strange by the drivers of the winning car. After the disqualifications, the victory went to Prince Abu Bakar Ibrahim and co-driver Luca Stolz. That "Prince" is not an honorary title; his full name is Tunku Abdul Rahman Hassanal Jefri ibni Sultan Ibrahim and he is the son of the Sultan of Johor, a 500-year-old title that now indicates rule of a constitutional monarchy in the Malaysian state of Johor. The prince joins FIA World Endurance Championship LMP2 driver Ferdinand Habsburg and former WEC GTE-Am driver Abdulaziz al Faisal of the House of Saud, among others, as people from current or former royal houses with sports car wins.
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