Teamwork Motorsport achieved a pivotal breakthrough at the TCR China Championship Round 2 at Ningbo International Speedpark. Paul POON secured a triumphant victory in the Am class during Saturday Race 1, while Richard LI adeptly accumulated valuable points throughout the race weekend.
Qualifying
Paul POON delivered a flawless and exceptional flying lap performance during the qualifying session. He successfully advanced to Q2 and secured the Pole Position in the Am class with a lap time of 1:55.308. Richard LI also made remarkable progress, positioning his No. 66 Lynk & Co 03 TCR fifth overall on the grid.
Race 1
As the quintet of red lights extinguished, Race 1 started with all 22 cars hurtling towards Turn 1. POON executed a satisfactory launch and maintained his position in fourth place. He showcased his impressive speed, holding steady in fourth place and leading the Am class. POON triumphantly took the chequered flag in fifth overall and secured the Am class victory.
Meanwhile, LI encountered difficulties at the race’s inception as his car was hit from behind, causing it to spin around and relegating him to the midfield. A multi-car incident at the start led to a Safety Car deployment, which allowed LI to catch up.
When the race resumed, LI fought back vigorously, improving his position to eighth overall by Lap 13. He continued to press on relentlessly and overtook two cars in the closing stages of Race 1, managing to make the comeback to finish the race in sixth place overall.
Race 2
Severe challenges for Teamwork Motorsport drivers at the start of Race 2, POON’s Lynk & Co 03 TCR was badly damaged at the start, which forced the experienced driver to retire at the early stages. LI lost one position as he was roughly blocked by the other cars.
Subsequently, LI swiftly recalibrated his strategy, opting to conserve his tires in order to maintain a competitive long-distance pace. Following the Safety Car period, LI incrementally enhanced his lap time and reascended to sixth place in the middle phase of the race.
LI managed to gained two more positions and crossed the finish line in fourth place, which renovated his best overall finish in the TCR China Championship.
Teamwork Motorsport exhibited decent performance at the race weekend in the second round of the season. After Ningbo, the team moved up to second place in the Clubs’ Cup Championship Standing. All members will spare no efforts to challenge for better results in the Zhejiang event take place from June 27th to 29th.
