Once again, Shi and Choi share race wins in TCR Taipei
In the second event of TCR Chinese Taipei at Lihpao Racing Park, Choi Jeong Weon and Shi Shiwei repeated the same results as in the season opener, taking one victory apiece.
In both races, they ran in close formation, with Choi’s Hyundai Elantra chased by Shi’s Honda Civic. In Race 1, Shi managed to pass his Korean rival during the final stages, while in Race 2, Choi was able to keep him at bay until the end.
As far as the title fight is concerned, Choi leads Shi in the standings by two points.
Race 1 – Choi had beaten Shi to the pole by nearly seven tenths and at the start the pair pulled away from the rest of the field, with Wei Shibin a distant third. In lap 3, Wei lost two places to Wang Jianmin and Chen Junqiao; two laps later Chen overtook Wang for P3. Up front, Choi was under great pressure from Shi, with the gap between them fluctuating between three and five tenths. Shi’s efforts were finally rewarded when he managed to overtake Choi with two laps to go.
Chen finished third overall and won the C Class, while the fourth-placed Wang was victorious in the B Class.
Race 2 – Shi and Choi shared the front row once again, but in reversed order, with Shi on pole. At the start, Wei Shibin’s Honda Civic FK7 and Wang Jianmin’s Audi Gen 1 that were on the second row came together and crashed into the pit wall causing the race to be red-flagged. After the wrecked Honda was removed, a new start was given with Wang joining from the pit lane in his repaired Audi. Once again, Choi made a better start and led from Shi. Throughout most of the race they played the same script, with the Hyundai followed by the Honda at a striking distance. However, during the last three laps, Choi managed to stretch his margin over one second and crossed the finishing line 1.5 seconds ahead of Shi. Chen was a distant third and won the C Class, while Wang crawled to the end in his stricken Audi, finishing three laps behind, the only survival in the B Class but was excluded for the incident at the start.
TCR Taiwan will race again in Lihpao on 29/31 August.
Race 1
- Shi Shiwei (Fist Team AAI, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 13 laps
- Choi Jeong Weon (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 2.403
- Joe Chen Junqiao (Team Pit58, Honda Civic Type R FK7), 50.224
Race 2
- Choi Jeong Weon (KMSA Motorsport, Hyundai Elantra N), 11 laps
- Shi Shiwei (Fist Team AAI, Honda Civic Type R FL5), 1.556
- Joe Chen Junqiao (Team Pit58, Honda Civic Type R FK7), 50.748
Championship points
- Choi J.W., 48 pts; 2. Shi S., 46; 3. Yang M., 11
Picture: STS Taiwan
