The 2017 season of the China GT Championship got off to a flying start at the Beijing race weekend. Over two rounds, over 50 talented drivers from home and abroad got the action started in over 30 cars from the world’s hottest brands. The year in Chinese motor sport started with a bang, with the opening rounds full of drama and overtake. Now that the first round of races has finished, the 2017 China GT driver standings are also hot off the press.

2017 China GT Driver Standings - Rnd 1 & 2

2017 China GT Driver Standings Pro/Am - Rnd 1 & 2

GT3 CLASS - PRO DRIVERS

As the highest level of racing in the China GT, the GT3 class races have become the most fiercely fought, and attracted the participation of many world-famous drivers and top of the range cars at the Beijing race weekend.

Martin Ragginger of FAW T2M came out on top of the professional GT3 drivers with a total of 28 points after securing second place in round one and fifth place in round two. Adderly Fong missed out on the top spot by 1 point, instead claiming second for Bentley Team Absolute. Hiroki Yoshimoto of FAW T2M edged his way into third place with a total of 19 points, with Chris van der Drift of JRM JiaRui-TengDa hot on his heels, trailing behind by just one point. Bentley Team Absolute’s Weiron Tan came fifth, with Audi Hong Kong’s Melvin Moh bringing up the rear in sixth position.

GT3 CLASS - AM DRIVERS

In the opening battle, Kings Racing’s Xu Jia performed impressively, storming ahead to take the top spot in both rounds and coming in first overall in the amateur class.  Bao Jinlong of FAW T2M ranked second in round one and fifth in round two, bringing him into the second spot overall. Bentley Team Absolute’s Vutthikorn Inthrapuvasak claimed third in the overall amateur standings after taking the third and fourth spots in the first and second round respectively. Fourth place to sixth place in the amateur driver standings are held by FAW T2M’s Morris Chen, JRM JiaRui-TengDa’s Li Chao and Bentley Team Absolute’s Andrew Kim after the Beijing race weekend.

After the Beijing race weekend, Xu Jia is ranked top of the GT3 class. Bao Jinlong and Martin Ragginger share the second spot in the overall rankings, with Adderly Fong and Vutthikorn Inthrapuvasak placing joint fourth, Morris Chen and Hiroki Yoshimoto occupying sixth, Li Chao and Chris van der Drift both sitting in eighth, and Andrew Kim and Weiron Tan sharing the last spot with joint tenth.

GTC CLASS - PRO DRIVERS

The GTC class races at the Beijing race weekend were fiercely fought and unusually close. This is reflected in the rankings so far, with hardly any point separating the drivers at this point.

JRM JiaRui-TengDa’s Andrew Tang’s consistent performance earned his second position in round one and fourth in round two, bringing him out on top of the GTC professionals. Ling Kang took second overall for Xtreme Motorsport, thanks mainly to snatching second in the second round. JRM’s Will Bamber came in third in both round two and overall, leaving JRM JiaRui-TengDa’s Zhang Dasheng in fourth.

GTC CLASS - AM DRIVERS

JRM JiaRui-TengDa’s Pan Chao sits at the top of the table in the GTC Am driver ranks after finishing second in round one and fourth in round two. Huang Hsi Chan of D2 Racing blazed a trail to victory in round one, taking the second spot overall. Spirit Z-Racing’s Kimi Qin achieved Pole to Win in round two, pushing him to share second place in the overall GTC Am standings with Huang. JRM’s Helian Xingzhong finished in fourth, with Li Xuefeng and Tian Liying of JRM Elite, and Xu Wei of Xtreme Motorsport also coming fourth and fifth respectively.

After the first race weekend, Pan Chao and Andrew Tang are sharing the top spot in the GTC class. Huang Xizhan and Kimi Qin are bumping shoulders in third, with Helian Xingzhong taking fifth. Li Xuefeng, Tian Liying, Xu Wei and Ling Kang are all sharing sixth place, while Bian Hao and Will Bamber finish in tenth.

GT4 CLASS - PRO DRIVERS

The GT4 class is new for the 2017 season of China GT, and the Beijing race weekend was the debut for this new class of racing.

It was clear that Roelof Bruins of The Winning Team would claim the overall crown in the GT4 class after his victory in both rounds of races. Xtreme Motorsport’s Glen Wood currently sits in second position.

GT4 CLASS - AM DRIVERS

Xtreme Motorsport’s Chen Yinian steamed into first place among the GT4 Am drivers after finishing second in both rounds of the competition. Tian Xu and Yang Mengqiao both put in impressive performances for ChinaEquity AMR, with both of them sharing overall second after the two rounds. David McIntyre and Dong Liang of The Winning Team are currently joint fourth in the overall GT4 standings.

In the overall standings for the GT4 class, Roelof Bruins tops the list, with Glen Wood and Chen Yinian eagerly awaiting his downfall in joint second place. Tian Xu and Yang Mengqiao share fourth, David McIntyre and Dong Liang come in sixth, Yang Zhiyi and Sheng Yanwen are tied for eighth, and Zhang Dongqi and Yin Jinge are at the bottom of the pack in tenth.

Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy China Presented by China GT

At the end of the Beijing race weekend, Pan Chao and Andrew Tang of JRM JiaRui-TengDa are first in the rankings for the Porsche GT Cup Trophy, with JRM Elite’s Li Xuefeng and Tian Liying falling behind in third. Zheng Hui and Min Heng, also of JRM Elite, lie in fifth, while Xiao Min and Zhang Dasheng claim seventh for JRM JiaRui-TengDa.

China GT Audi Challenge

After the first race weekend, Kimi Qin of Spirit Z-Racing is in the lead in the battle for the China GT Audi Challenge, with JRM’s Bian Hao and Will Bamber hot on his heels in joint second. Top Speed’s Chen Junhua and Li Yuexun both finish fourth.

GT Asia Cup Presented by China GT

Currently, Bentley Team Absolute’s Adderly Fong and Vutthikorn Inthrapuvasak stand side by side in first place in the running for the GT Asia Cup. Li Chao and Chris van der Drift hold joint third for JRM JiaRui-TengDa, while Bentley Team Absolute’s Andrew Kim and Weiron Tan share fifth place.

All eyes turn to the next leg of the 2017 season of the China GT Championship. Can the current leaders maintain their places at the top? How will they defend their positions? Bring on the next race!