Podiums and class victory at Mandalika for Craft-Bamboo Racing
- nicholas45235
- 2 days ago
- 6 min read
14 May 2025
Rounds 3 and 4 of the 2025 GT World Challenge Asia powered by AWS Championship (GTWCA) across May 9-11 saw Craft-Bamboo Racing celebrating both overall and Silver Class podiums in Indonesia, including a much talked about victory and also one that got away.
It was the first time the series and the 2023 title winning team had tackled the Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit. Traditionally known as a motorcycle venue but having been homologated for car racing in recent years, the facility’s mix of fast straights, technical corners, and sudden changes in direction offered a challenging yet exciting proposition for the #31 Pro-Am entry of Jayden Ojeda and Cao Qi, sponsored by Sunny Rain, and the #77 Silver Class Rowe-sponsored entry of Jiatong Liang and Danial Frost.
Both the #31 and #77 would finish in the top ten for both races across the weekend, including a Silver class victory, a class second place, and an overall podium for the #77. And if it hadn’t been for a devastating late penalty in race two, that tally might have also included an overall and Pro-Am class victory for the #31.
The proceedings got off to an incredibly strong start for the team, with Frost securing P2 for race one in the #77, while Ojeda locked down pole position for race two in the #31, ensuring a Craft-Bamboo Racing entry was on the front row of the grid for both races.
In the opening 60-minute competition, Frost took the start in the #77 and maintained his P2 standing throughout his stint, handing over the driving duties to Liang in a well-timed pit stop under full course yellow conditions (safety car).
Liang was able to rejoin still second on the road, from where tight racing ensued. While the sometimes four-wide contests were spectacular to watch, Liang unfortunately would incur some damage as a result to be dropped down the order in the late stages of the race, from where he would do his best to regain P2 in class and 6th overall.
In the #31, Qi drove the opening portion of Saturday’s race, starting from P10 and working hard to gain back a few positions which were lost during what was a frenetic opening lap.
A decision to stay out on the track a little longer instead of pitting under the full course yellow was made as a further attempt to recoup track position, with Ojeda eventually taking over for a nice and clean race to the line, keeping the #31 out of trouble to bring the car back up to P9 overall and P5 in Pro-Am by the time the checkered flags flew.
On Sunday, the second race of the weekend beckoned with the team again starting from the front row thanks to the #31’s pole position.
This time it was Ojeda’s turn to take the race start before handing over to Qi, with both drivers and crew delivering a near flawless race which truly showed the pace the #31 had across the weekend – leading the majority of the 60-minute race and creating a dominant 13 second gap from those in P2.
Things were looking on-track for the team to break through for its first GTWCA overall race win of the 2025 season, however a heartbreaking one second ‘stop and go’ penalty for having been 0.5 seconds too short on the compulsory pit time would see those hopes come undone. While devastated, Qi put his head down and did all he could to regain position, crossing the line in P9 overall and P7 in class.
For the #77, plenty of race pace was also on display, along with a masterclass in clean driving from Liang and Frost for what was arguably the story of the weekend for the Craft-Bamboo Racing team.
Having started from P19, the pair put in an impressive ‘come from behind’ performance, with a well-timed pit stop first putting them closer to the competition before the drivers executed a slow and steady rise up the ranks from P21 to be 11th at the final restart, and then within striking distance of the leaders as the final moments ticked down.
It was then, on the final lap, that Frost made his move – slicing through the surrounding chaos to claim not only P1 in Silver Class but also P3 overall at the flag, ensuring Craft-Bamboo Racing would not only stand on the top step of the Silver Class podium, but also celebrate on the overall podium at the close of Sunday’s GTWCA action in Indonesia.
Following the weekend’s racing, the Craft-Bamboo Racing team currently stand at 5th on the GTWCA Teams’ championship standings. Ojeda and Qi are 5th in Pro-Am Class, while Liang and Frost occupy 3rd in Silver Class on Drivers’ championship standings.
The GT World Challenge Asia presented by AWS Championship is being contested across 12 rounds in 2025. Rounds 5 and 6 will be held on May 30 to June 1 at Thailand’s Chang International Circuit. Fans can follow along with the racing action live at https://www.gt-world-challenge-asia.com/watch-live.
For more information about Craft-Bamboo Racing, please visit www.craftbamboo.com.
Darryl O'Young
Team Principal | Craft-Bamboo Racing
““There were a lot of positives to take away from our races in Mandalika. Both the #31 and #77 were fast, so that is the most important first and foremost having front row starts in both races. Unfortunately the strong qualifying and pace didn't translate to victory, but it is one of those tough situations we will have to learn from regarding pit lane time. On the flip side, to see all our drivers take big steps forward is fantastic and we strive as a team to get the most out of our drivers to help them achieve success. #77 started P19 and crossed the line P3 overall and took the silver class win, which was amazing. We can only look forward to Thailand where we hope to claim our first overall wins of the season.”
Cao Qi
Driver, #31 Craft-Bamboo Racing
“The team worked together and we had a super fast car for the weekend. We had a great chance to win the race, but a small mistake took the win away. We learned from this and will come back stronger in Buriram.”
Jayden Ojeda
Driver, #31 Craft-Bamboo Racing
“Happy to finish at P2 for our first race of the season. The team did a great job all weekend and we showed some impressive pace, especially in qualifying. If we continue to work hard like this, I am sure we will win the next race. Thank you for all your support.”
Jiatong Liang
Driver, #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing
“A strong weekend for us to collect pole position and come home second in the race are results we can be proud of! We executed well in the race with no mistakes but unfortunately we just did not have the pace of the winning Porsche. Nonetheless a great return for Craft-Bamboo Racing to the Super Taikyu Series so a thank you to them as well as my great teammates in Kaku and Jeffery for an enjoyable weekend.”
Daniel Frost
Driver, #77 Craft-Bamboo Racing
“I'm very happy with how the weekend turned out for the 77 car. We showed good speed in qualifying and in the races. It was a really smooth weekend for us and for my second race in GT3 I couldn’t be happier with my performance. Scoring an overall podium and a class win was a big momentum boost for us and I'm looking forward to Buriram. Thank you to everyone for the efforts to get us here.”
2025 GT World Challenge Asia Powered by AWS Calendar
11-13 April 2025 | Rounds 1 and 2 – Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia
9-11 May 2025 | Rounds 3 and 4 – Pertamina Mandalika International Circuit, Indonesia
30 May-1 June 2025 | Rounds 5 and 6 – Chang International Circuit, Thailand
11-13 July 2025 | Rounds 7 and 8 – Fuji International Speedway, Japan
29-31 August 2025 | Rounds 9 and 10 – Okayama International Circuit, Japan
17-19 October 2025 | Rounds 11 and 12 – Beijing Street Circuit, China
