Sunday 30th July saw hordes of fans flocking to the Zhuhai International Circuit for Round 6 of the China GT Championship. Fans and drivers alike braved the heat during this crucial race which marks the halfway point in the competition. Despite the heat, the drivers were on top form and thrilled the fans with some quality racing.
Wang Liang and Martin Rump’s explosive performance in the last leg of the race left the competition stunned as they overtook several cars to claim first place for Kings. Bao Jinlong and Martin Ragginger of FAW T2M and Li Chao and Chris van der Drift for JRM JiaRui-Tengda respectively finished in second and third. In the GTC class, Chen Wei’an and Jiao Peng won another victory at their home track for TSRT Shanxi Tianshi Racing. Xu Wei and Ling Kang took second place for Xtreme Motorsports, while Shang Lei and Chris van der Drift finished in third for JRM Force China. Team Lotus swept the competition away in the GT4 class, with Sam Lok and Clement Li taking first and Anthony Chan and Ray Mak finishing in second place. Roelof Bruins and David McIntyre took the final spot on the podium for The Winning Team.
Earlier this weekend, there was a lively atmosphere at the China GT Championship Zhuhai R5 and R6 opening ceremony, as fans got the chance to get up close and personal with the stars of the track. The ceremony was held on the starting line of the track and featured a drive-by including all the competitors.
GT3
Round 6 of the GT3 race started with Andrew Kim and Weiron Tan in pole position, with Malaysian star pushing the #5 Bentley Continental GT3 to stay out in front. FAW T2M’s Bao Jinlong and Martin Ragginger’s #99 Porsche fell down the ranks as they were overtaken by Melvin Moh and Lim Keong Wee for Audi Hong Kong and Li Jiaqi and Maxime Jousse for JRM JiaRui-Tengda. Despite starting the race in last place, Marchy Lee in the golden Audi quickly dispatched the competition to make their way into fifth place.
After aggressively taking on Weiron Tan several times, Maxime Jousse managed to complete the manoeuvre to take the lead. However, after all the cars had completed driver change, Kim and Tan’s Bentley Continental GT3 were able to win back their lead. Just as it looked like they were about to begin their ascent to victory, an accident brought the Safety Car into play, leaving the cars bunched up and the fight for first place uncertain.
The battle for the top spot intensified to involve the first 5 cars after the race resumed. After the Pro drivers got behind the wheel, Martin Ragginger’s #99 third place car immediately started challenging Alex Au, who had already made their way into second place. Chris van der Drift for JRM JiaRui-Tengda and Martin Rump for Kings were also hot on their heels, with all three cars successfully overtaking the car in front on the same turn. This group of cars, headed by Martin Ragginger, quickly encroached on Andrew Kim’s lead. At the same time, van der Drift and Ragginger were also locked in a wheel-to-wheel battle for second.
While the battle between Chris van der Drift and Martin Ragginger was raging, Martin Rump suddenly leapt into the fray. Due to skilful manoeuvring by Rump, the #8 Audi R8 LMS suddenly shot forwards, overtaking the two Porsches in front of it. However, despite the excitement, the two Porsches reclaimed their original positions in the next lap.
Andrew Kim was finding it increasingly difficult to defend his position. In the last 4 minutes of the race, they were overtaken by 3 cars in quick succession, and had to concentrate on fighting off Alex Au. While the two Porsches struggled to fend each other off at the head of the field, Martin Rump seized the opportunity to take pole position, opening up the gap between themselves and the rest of the pack to finish in first. Martin Ragginger, Chris van der Drift, Andrew Kim, and Alex Au all followed them across the finish line in quick succession. Li Jiaqi and Maxime Jousse of JRM JiaRui-TengDa, Melvin Moh and Lim Keong Wee of Audi Hong Kong, and Morris Chen and Hiroki Yoshimoto of FAW T2M finished in sixth, seventh and eighth.
GT Asia Presented by China GT
1st: Li Chao and Chris van der Drift, JRM JiaRui-Tengda
2nd: Andrew Kim and Weiron Tan, Bentley Team Absolute
GTC
Pole-sitter D2’s Huang Hsi Chan in a #22 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo soon pulled away from rivals after a brilliant start, despite carrying significant success weight from the previous rounds. True Visions’ Suttiluck Buncharoen and JRM’s Pan Chao in the bright orange #777 Porsche took P2 and P3.
Mirroring the earlier GT3 race, the Safety Car came out shortly after the pit window closed and bunched up the field. The restart saw eventual podium finishes Chen Wei’an and Jiao Peng of TSRT Tianshi Racing taking the lead in the #888 Audi R8 LMS, and Xtreme Motorsports’ Xu Wei and Ling Kang and JRM Force China’s Shang Lei and Chris van der Drift following closely behind. The #888’s brilliant restart performance also helped to clench a team win for TSRT Tianshi Racing.
From fourth to ninth were: Liang Kaifeng and Pu Shu of TSRT Tianshi Racing, Sun Zheng and Sunny Wong of Spirit Z-Racing, Bian Hao and Will Bamber of JRM JiaRui-TengDa, Yuan Bo and Yan Kai of DMS, and Li Zhicong and Li Xuefeng of JRM Elite.
Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy China Presented by China GT
1st: Yuan Bo and Yan Kai, DMS
2nd: Li Zhicong and Li Xuefeng, JRM Elite
China GT Audi Challenge
1st: Chen Wei’an and Jiao Peng, TSRT Tianshi Racing
2nd: Liang Kaifeng and Pu Shu, TSRT Tianshi Racing
3rd: Sun Zheng and Sunny Wong, Spirit Z-Racing
GT4
Roelof Bruins and David McIntyre of The Winning Team led into the pit stop during McIntyre stint, but sadly lost out to Team Lotus after a technical issue with the car.
Sam Lok and Clement Li in the #36, and Anthony Chan and Ray Mak in the #28 took a Team Lotus 1-2 and the GT4 team victory, with Roelof Bruins and David McIntyre of The Winning Team in third. Finishing fourth to sixth are: Bill Lo and Chen Yinian of Xtreme Motorsports Eric Wong of Team Lotus, and Yang Zhiyi and Dong Liang of ZIA FEA.
China GT Lotus Challenge
1st: Sam Lok and Clement Li, Team Lotus
2nd: Anthony Chan and Ray Mak, Team Lotus
3rd: Eric Wong, Team Lotus
China GT now heads into a month-long summer break and will return to the tracks of the Shanghai International Circuit on 8-10 September. You can keep up to date with the latest updates on our website www.chinagt.net and follow the China GT Championship on social media. See you in September!
