Preparations are under way in the run-up to the opening race weekend of the 2017 China GT Championship. The 2017 China GT official tests were held across 15th and 16th April at the Beijing Goldenport Motor Park. These pre-race tests are of the utmost importance for teams and drivers alike, and allow drivers a chance to scope out the track and become familiar with any new features of their cars. The tests also allow the teams to gather data and fine-tune the cars.
Teams across 3 classes, including JRM, Bentley Team Absolute, KINGS, FAW T2M, Xtreme Motorsports, China Equity Racing and Wan Er Bu Fan Racing, took part in the tests. A spate of new teams has also joined the 2017 China GT in the wake of the addition of a new class of racing. These new teams also made the most of the opportunity to size up the track ahead of the first official race weekend.
On day one of the tests, reigning champions JRM put on a powerful performance. The driver combination of Li Chao and Chris van der Drift stopped the stopwatch at 1:03.576s in the morning’s session, enough to send them to the top of the timesheets.
Bentley Team Absolute also showed off their formidable prowess. Porsche Carrera Cup Asia champion and rising star Alexandre Imperatori and a mystery partner took second in the first session of time trials, with a lap time of 1:04.147.
JRM Bian Hao/Willian Bamber
In the second session of tests in the GTC and GT4 classes, Bian Hao and William Bamber once again helped JRM reach the top spot with their time of 1:05.014.
JRM Xiao Min/Zhang Dasheng
Xiao Min and Zhang Dasheng came second by 1.390 seconds, with Xu Wei and Ling Kang of Xtreme Motorsports coming in third.
Zhengzhou International Car Park - Wan Er Bu Fan RacingZhang Dongqi/Sheng Yanwen
Zhang Dongqi and Sheng Yanwen took first in the second session in the new GT4 class for Wan Er Bu Fan Racing. The main focus of their test runs was to become familiar with their Aston Martin Vantage GT4 cars, which are new for the 2017 season.
JRM Li Chao/Christopher van der Drift
In the third session of the official tests, Li Chao and Christopher van der Drift claimed the fastest lap time for JRM, with a time of 1:03.305. They pipped Li Jiaqi and Maxime Jousse to the post by 0.048 seconds.
Bentley Team Absolute Adderly Fong/Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak
Hong Kong racer Adderly Fong and Thai driver Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak entered the top three with a time of 1:03.745 for Bentley Team Absolute.
Xtreme MotorsportsXu Wei/Ling Kang
The second day of the official tests saw many drivers ramp up their performance a notch. Leading the pack after the fourth session, Xu Wei and Ling Kang took fastest lap for Xtreme Motorsports, with their Radical supercar going from strength to strength on the second day.
China Equity Racing AMRTian Xu/He Xiaole/Kimi King
The China Equity Racing AMR team of Tian Xu, He Xiaole and Kimi King stormed their way into the fifth session to snatch first in the GT4 class.
JRMLi Jiaqi/Maxime Jousse
Li Jiaqi and Maxime Jousse gave it their all in the fifth session of tests. Their time of 1:02.823 smashed the Beijing Goldenport Motor Park record for fastest lap.
KINGS Xu Jia
KINGS Xu Wei/Naoki Yokomzo
The KINGS teams of Xu Wei and Naoki Yokomzo and Xu Jia both put in performances just over the 1:04 mark in the fifth session.
JRMPan Chao/Andrew Tang
In the sixth session, Xu Wei and Ling Kang of Xtreme Motorsports continued to hold onto first place in setting the fastest lap time. The driver pairs Xiao Min and Zhang Dasheng, and Pan Chao and Andrew Tang secured second and third for JRM, only less than a second behind Xu Wei and Ling Kang!
In the seventh session of tests in the GT3 class, Li Chao and Christopher van der Drift put in a great performance at 1:02.890.
JRMLi Chao/Christopher van der Drift
FAW T2MHiroki Yoshimoto
Hiroki Yoshimoto of FAW T2M also performed well, claiming second place a scant 0.152 seconds behind the leader.
JRMHelian Xingzhong/Zhou Fan
In the last session of tests, Helian Xingzhong and Zhou Fan achieved a time of 1:03.849, pushing them up into first place, with Xu Wei and Ling Kang and Xiao Min and Zhang Dasheng following closely behind.
Now that the 2017 China GT Championship Official Test has come to an end, we can see just how small the disparity in times between drivers in the same class is, with the differences often coming down to hundreds of a second. It seems as though the 2017 season is shaping up to be even more fiercely-fought than last year! The Official Test provides an opportunity for the teams to check their cars and get in shape for the grand opening in 4 weeks. All eyes are now turned towards our first race at the Beijing Goldenport International Circuit on 12 May. Bring it on!
