Zhang Zhen Dong alone against the Lynk & Co armada
Zhang Zhen Dong in his Z.Speed Hyundai Elantra was the only competitor facing the five-car Lynk & Co armada in the third event of TCR China at Zhejiang.
In Saturday’s Race 1, Zhang Z.D. lost the lead to Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang when the bonnet of his car got loose. Eventually he salvaged the second place after a red flag had permitted his team to fix the damage. Zhang Z.D. struck back in Race 2, resisting huge pressure from J. Zhang and David Zhu Dai Wei and beating them by inches on the line.
The three drivers are now covered by 28 points in the standings, with Zhang Z.D. 24 points ahead of J. Zhang and Zhu only four further points adrift.
In TCR China Challenge, Audi drivers Sean Chang Chien Shang and Liu Zi Chen continued sharing race wins and the count is now three all. In the standings, Chang leads Liu by six points.
Race 1 – J. Zhang had been fastest in qualifying, beating Zhang Z.D. by 25 thousandths, but he was demoted to P6 on the grid due to an engine change which promoted Zhang Z.D. and Zhu to first and second. Zhu stalled the engine at the start, while Zhang Z.D. rejected an attack from Paul Poon Tak Chun and kept the lead. J. Zhang and Poon swapped places a couple of times, with Zhang emerging in second position. The safety car was deployed in lap 5, to recover Zhao Di’s Audi after a collision with Tang Zi Hao. At the restart, Zhang Z.D. kept on leading, but in lap 10 the bonnet of his Hyundai got loose, and he lost the lead to J. Zhang. Behind them, Richard Li Guang Hua passed Wu Yi Fan for fifth, while Zhu recovered to seventh. In lap 13, the race was red-flagged following a pile up that eliminated Fredrick Lee Fu Kwans’s Honda, Lin Zhi Shan’s Audi and Gao Ya Ou’s CUPRA.
Racing resumed with six laps to go, Zhang Z.D.’s bonnet had been fixed, but J. Zhang held on to the lead, while Zhu passed Li and Wu Yi Fan advancing to fifth; later he moved up to P3 as Sunny Wong Yat Shing and Poon let him through. On the last-but-one lap, the safety car reappeared after an incident between two Challenge competitors and circulated until the end, with J. Zhang first from Zhang Z.D. and Zhu.
Race 2 – André Couto and Wu Yi Fan shared the front row of the reversed grid, they both started well but came together at T1; Couto’s Honda stopped on track with a broken suspension, while Wu dropped to P7. The safety car was deployed to recover Couto’s car and racing resumed in lap 7, with the leader Li immediately passed by Zhang Z.D. and J. Zhang. Before the end of the lap, Zhu passed Li for P3.
For the rest of the race, Zhang Z.D. played stubborn defence while J. Zhang never stopped looking for a gap. In lap 18, J. Zhang made his move, but Zhang Z.D. shut the door. They clashed and the Hyundai driver retained the lead eventually beating his rival by 0.360 seconds, with Zhu in third place, two tenths behind his teammate.
Challenge – Sun Ju Ran had posted the fastest lap in qualifying but was dropped by five places for an incident in the previous event. Sean Chang inherited the pole for the Challenge in P24 overall. Throughout the race, Chang was chased by Liu Zi Chen but kept him at bay and won by 0.180 seconds. Behind them, Euan Chang Ho Ting and Sun collided while fighting for P3; Chang retired while Tang Zi Hao benefited from the incident to take third. The second race was enlivened by the battle for the lead between Liu and Sun, until the latter spun in lap 3. During the final laps, Liu resisted to S. Chang’s return and won by 1.1 seconds.
The next event will be on 5/7 September, either in Daqing or Ordos.
Race 1
- Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang (Lynk & Co Teamwork, Lynk & Co 03), 20 laps
- Zhang Zhen Dong (Z.Speed N, Hyundai Elantra N), 0.747
- David Zhu Dai Wei (Lynk & Co Teamwork, Lynk & Co 03), 1.881
Race 2
- Zhang Zhen Dong (Z.Speed N, Hyundai Elantra N), 20 laps
- Jason Zhang Zhi Qiang (Lynk & Co Teamwork, Lynk & Co 03), 0.360
- David Zhu Dai Wei (Lynk & Co Teamwork, Lynk & Co 03), 0.562
Championship points
- Zhang Z.D., 244 pts; 2. J Zhang Z.Q., 220; 3. D. Zhu D.W., 216
Challenge points
- S. Chang C.S., 212 pts; 2. Liu Z.C., 206; 3. E. Chan H.T., 129
Picture: TCR China
