Ma Qing Hua snatches last-gasp home victory in Zhuzhou Race 2
Ma Qing Hua snatched a breathtaking home victory in the second joint Kumho FIA TCR World Tour and TCR China race at Zhuzhou, passing the pole-sitter Néstor Girolami on the final lap of an incident-packed race, which has shaken up the championship significantly, with Esteban Guerrieri closing on Norbert Michelisz in the standings.
Girolami held the lead from the pole into T1, while a slow start from Marco Butti on the outside of the front row allowed Ma straight up to second place. Into T4, the leading TCR China driver Martin Xie Xin Zhe and Yann Ehrlacher made contact while fighting for P4, with Xie then pitting to retire with broken suspension. Thed Björk was caught in a melee and forced wide, dropping outside of the top ten. On lap 2, Butti allowed his teammate Guerrieri through up to third, before the race was suspended behind the safety car due to an incident for Hu Heng’s Audi.
The race resumed on lap 9 when John Filippi pulled into the pits and retired from P9, promoting team-mate Rob Huff and the title contenders Michelisz and Björk. Santiago Urrutia overtook a struggling Mikel Azcona for sixth on lap 11 and began closing on Butti and Ehrlacher. In the following lap Butti was passed by both Ehrlacher and Urrutia, with the Uruguayan muscling his way through with some contact. In lap 13, Huff overtook Azcona who immediately dropped behind Michelisz to defend his back.
On the final lap, things came to a head as Ma dived down the inside of Girolami at T4; they made contact, with Ma emerging into the lead after some scraps and winning by less than four tenths. The drama didn’t end there as Guerrieri’s Honda slowed on the final lap, allowing both Ehrlacher and Urrutia through to finish third and fourth.
In TCR China, Xie’s retirement left Martin Cao Hong Wei in the lead for much of the race, but David Zhu Dai Wei was able to pass him after he lost ground following contact at the start. The championship leader Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang recovered to finish fifth after stalling at the start and so maintained a one-point lead over Cao going to the season finale at Macau.
In the TCR World Tour standings, Michelisz holds on to a ten-point lead over Guerrieri, who moved back up to second, while Björk slipped to third, 19 points back. However, seven drivers are in mathematical contention for the title heading for the Macau Guia Race on November 14/17.
Zhuzhou – Race 2
- Ma Qing Hua (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing, Lynk & Co 03 FL), 18 laps
- Néstor Girolami (BRC Hyundai Squadra Corse, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.378
- Yann Ehrlacher (Lynk & Co Cyan Racing, Lynk & Co 03 FL), 4.184
Championship points – TCR World Tour
- N. Michelisz, 274 pts; 2. E. Guerrieri, 264; 3. T. Björk, 255
Championship points – TCR China
- J. Zhang Z.Q., 346 pts; 2. M. Cao H.W., 345; 3. M. Xie X.Z. 275
Picture: WSC/Jun Qian Motorsport
