Chang Chien Shang and Liu Zi Chen share wins again at Ningbo
The second joint event of TCR Asia and TCR China Challenge at Ningbo saw Audi drivers Chang Chien Shang of RevX Racing and Liu Zi Chen of 326 Racing Team sharing race wins as they had done in the season opener at Shanghai.
Chang won Saturday Race 1 from the pole while Liu retired, then Liu responded in Sunday’s Race 2 with Chang a non-finisher. In the TCR China Challenge standings, Chang leads Liu by four points.
In the TCR Asia Cup, the winners were Sun Yu Ran and Tang Zi Hao who finished the two races in second overall. Benny Santoso is the points leader, 21 points ahead of Sun.
Race 1 – Chang had claimed his second pole, inflicting nine tenths to Liu who made a better start but went wide at T2 allowing Chang into the lead. Liu then went wide again in lap 5, dopped at the back and retired.
Chang built a comfortable lead over Yang Hao Jie that vanished when the safety car was deployed in lap 8 to recover Jiang Nan’s Hyundai that had stopped on fire. Racing resumed in lap 10 and Chang pulled away again; behind him, Yang defended the second place from Sun Ju Ran and Euan Chan Ho Ting who had recovered after stalling at the start from P3 on the grid. In lap 14, Yang made a mistake which enabled Sun and Chan to finish second and third. However, Chan was handed a 5-second penalty for jump start and so Yang inherited P3.
Race 2 – Liu Chao and Tommy Ku Siu Lam shared the front row of the reversed grid; Ku led Liu at the start while a pile up behind them involved Race 1 winner Chang, Sun, Euan Chan and Yang. The safety car was deployed and racing resumed in lap 5, with Liu Zi Chen passing Liu Chao and Ku to take the lead. Behind him, Tang Zi Hao and Santoso advanced to P2 and P3, while Liu Chao and Euan Chan made contact fighting for P4. In lap 13, the battle for P6 between Tommy Ku and Liu Chao ended with a collision; Ku crashed, and the safety car intervened again. The green flag was waved for a last lap, with Liu Zi Chen who was able to keep Tang at bay and win the race, while Santoso completed the podium.
Race 1
- Chang Chien Shang (RevX Racing, Audi RS 3 LMS), 16 laps
- Sun Ju Ran (Spark Racing, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 3.961
- Yang Hao Jie (Z.Speed Community, Hyundai Elantra N), 8.564
Race 2
- Liu Zi Chen (326 Racing Team, Audi RS 3 LMS), 16 laps
- Tang Zi Hao (Z.Speed Community, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.839
- Benny Santoso (Z.Speed Community, Hyundai Elantra N), 1.607
Championship points
- Chang C.S., 130 pts; 2. Liu Z.C., 126; 3. E. Chan H.T., 99
Picture: TCR China
