China GT makes a return at Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) this weekend for rounds #5 and #6. What are the teams saying ahead of the races?

KINGS

I wasn't quite happy with my own performance last time we were here even though we had a team victory. Therefore I will be partnering with Zhang Zhiqiang and hopefully we will perform better this time around.

-      Driver: Xu Jia

Competing in the Audi R8 LMS is going to be challenging, as my partner Xu Jia told me. I have done extensive preparation for this race, and picked the brains of other experienced drivers for tips.

-      Driver: Zhang Zhiqiang

Our mechanics at Kings have set up the car nicely for the weekend. The changing weather has added to our workload but it is a good opportunity for us to gather crucial data. I just came back from Audi R8 LMS Cup in Korea so I will need to make adjustment and focus on the races ahead. Our car is carrying a lot of success weight so this will be challenging, but I’m confident we will put on a good performance.

-      Driver: Martin Rump

Audi Hong Kong

There is a tiny bit of change to our lineup as Melvin Moh will be partnering with Lim Keong Wee this time. The preparation has gone well; we hope to continue to draw on our experience with ZIC and keep up the performance for this weekend.

-      Driver: Marchy Lee

FAW T2M

We have set up the car based on last races’ data so hopefully we’ll achieve better results for the upcoming weekend. The weather seems to be a bit less capricious this weekend so we are trying to gather as much data as we can in dry conditions.

-      Driver: Morris Chen

Bentley Team Absolute

We did quite well last time here in Zhuhai as qualifying results demonstrated. I expect to take another step forward in terms of performance and race results. Adderly and Vutthikorn showed that they can be a constant threat for podium positions while Andrew and Weiron have great potential and we look forward to see them fulfill it this weekend.”

-      Team Director: Fabien Fior

Hope it's dry. Aiming for the win.

-      Driver: Adderly Fong

JRM

It’s been a busy few weeks, and having just come from the PCCA race in Malaysia last weekend I am a bit tired. However, I have a good feeling about the car and we have made some adjustment to the differential and suspension. We are gearing up for a win this weekend.

-      Driver: Li Chao

We are able to pace ourselves a bit more this weekend and try to extract the best performance out of the car. The weather here presents quite a challenge and took us by surprise last time. I hope that we will do better adapting to the changing weather this time and get on the podium.

-      Driver: Chris van der Drift

Both my co-driver and I managed to set a faster pace during practice today so we are hoping to put that performance into qualifying and get a good position for the race. Naturally our goal is to score victory this weekend.

-      Driver: Will Bamber

We didn't make too much change to our line up this weekend, fielding 6 GTC cars and 2 GT3 cars. Our focus today is to set up the car for this weekend, and we are hoping to see some blue sky. I feel that we’re quite competitive so got our eyes on the prize.

-      Team Manager: Li Dayuan

TSRT Tianshi Racing

It’s been back-to-back for us, having raced China GT’s second Event here, then Audi R8 LMS in Korea, and we are back here again. This is our home turf so we are quite confident. We had some issues with the electronics system in our GTC car last time, but we have fixed it and are fielding more entries in this category.  We will also adjust our strategy and driver lineup. This weekend should be good!

-      Team Manager: Lin Shuming

We are fielding one car in GT3 and two in GTC this time. We had some incidents and some issues with cars last time so sadly missed out on podium. I hope our luck will turn this time.

-      Driver: Chen Wei’an

Spirit Z-Racing

Our crew members Kimi Qin and Xie Ruilin sadly couldn't make it to Zhuahi this weekend. I will be partnering with Wang Risheng in their stead. I will be behind the wheels of an Aud R8 LMS in GTC Class, which will have less power than the Nissan GT-R NISMO GT3. The BOP this time has reduced the performance of our car; however, we are working on some new setups and will try and score some points.  

-      Driver: Sun Zheng

D2

We are working on the car based on last races’ data, but will need to focus on the car’s balance after the new BOP setting. We don't have much advantage on straights so we will have to make up for it elsewhere. Personally, I am doing some training to get into shape before this weekend. I want to keep up the lead in GTC class and achieve podium this time.

-      Driver: Huang Hsi Chan

Xtreme Motorsport

We took the car apart after the last race and today is the first time we tested it after putting them all back together. It’s going well so far; we had a good run last time and got pole but BOP changes this time is going to present a bit of a challenge. We are just going to do our best in qualifying and the race.

-      Driver: Ling Kang

I encountered some issues with parts but thanks to our team manager they made it in time for the race. This shows the importance of team work and attention to details.  

-      Driver: Chen Yinian

True Visions

I’ve gained some experience here early this month and explored some new options when it comes to racing on this track. We did some work on the car’s rear today after practice and I hope to get on the podium this weekend.

-      Driver: Suttiluck BUNCHAROEN

Top Speed

Our two cars are going through some final optimisation and are ready to go. It looks like a clear two days ahead of us, so we are hoping to get some decent result as we tend to perform quite well in dry conditions. It’s the second time around for our gentleman driver Li Yuexun, so we hope to see some lap time improvement for him. Chen Junhua is more experienced and will be better adapt to the track. We will also make strategic changes based on the regulations change.

-      Team Manager: Gao Lei

DMS

We are going all in this weekend: we have entered two Porsche 911 GT3 Cup cars into the GTC race, and our lineup includes a very experienced Yuan Bo. We have also put in extensive media effort and acquired new race suits. We are aiming for a podium finish this weekend.

-      Driver: Xie Xinzhe

The Winning Team

Preparation has gone well and we managed to work through the damages we sustained in the last race. This time our car weight is 1602kg so it is going to be challenging for us. Our goal for this weekend? We are called the Winning Team for a reason.

-      Team Manager: Feng Chong

ZIA FEA

We had a good performance during the last Event and we hope to continue this streak and get on the podium.

-      Team Manager: Zeng Weifang

Team Lotus

We are entering three Lotus Evora cars this time and compete in China GT for the rest of the season. We are familiar with the track here at ZIC and believe that we have the upper hand with strategy and driving. We are also getting a handle on the Pirelli tyres so hopefully we’ll get on the podium this weekend.

-      Driver: Eric Wong