Chang and Liu win TCR Asia and TCR China Challenge opening races
Audi drivers Chang Chien Shang and Liu Zi Chen shared race wins at Shanghai in the TCR Asia season opener that was also valid for the TCR China Challenge.
RevX Racing’s Chang took a lights-to-flag win in Saturday’s Race 1, while on Sunday, 326 Racing Team’s Liu took advantage from the mistakes of his competitors in a wet Race 2.
With the points for the pole and third in Race 2, Chang has taken the lead in the standings of the TCR China Challenge, one point clear of Liu. In TCR Asia, Benny Santoso tops the points, with Zhao Di and Yang Hao Jie five and six points behind.
Race 1 – Chang had set the pole beating by three tenths William Cheung Wang Chi, Euan Chan Ho Ting and Liu Zi Chen. Chang led from the start and kept Liu at bay throughout the race that finished behind the safety car after Tang Zi Hao’s Hyundai had spun off. Behind the leading pair there was a thrilling fight for P3 that saw Euan Chan and William Cheung overtaking Santoso just before the safety car was deployed.
The race had been previously neutralized twice, when the Honda FK7 of Tommy Ku Siu Lam stopped on track and then again for recovering Jiang Nan’s Hyundai Elantra after a collision with Sun Ju Ran’s Honda FL5.
Race 2 – At the front of the reversed grid were Zhou Hao Wen and Filipino driver Reignbert Diwa; on a wet track the race started behind the safety car. When the green flag was waved, Diwa went wide at the last turn, even before the starting line, causing commotion and Jiang spun onto the gravel. At the front, Santoso and Sun clashed, which helped Liu to take the lead before the safety car was deployed to recover Jiang’s car.
At the restart in lap 4, Liu was chased by Santoso and Euan Chan, but Santoso struggled to stay on the track and began to drop, while Chan and Sun battled for P2, swapping places several times. Liu benefitted from their fight and took a comfortable win ahead of Chan and Chang Chien Shang who had passed Sun on lap 9.
TCR Asia will resume at Sepang on 7/8 June, while TCR China Challenge’s next event will be at Zhejiang in two weeks.
Race 1
- Chang Chien Shang (RevX Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 13 laps
- Liu Zi Chen (326 Racing Team, Audi RS 3 LMS), 0.848
- Euan Chan Ho Ting (Team TRC, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.692
Race 2
- Liu Zi Chen (326 Racing Team, Audi RS 3 LMS), 11 laps
- Euan Chan Ho Ting (Team TRC, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 15.996
- Chang Chien Shang (RevX Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 16.297
Championship points – TCR Asia
- B. Santoso, 71 pts; 2. Zhao D., 66; 3. Yang H.J., 65
Championship points – TCR China Challenge
- Chang C.S., 80 pts; 2. Liu Z.C., 79; 3. E. Chan H.T., 70
Picture: TCR Asia
