AUGUST 13 2024 – RACE REPORT ZHEJIANG
Richard LI put on his best performance of the 2024 TCR China Challenge at Zhejiang, taking a dominant pole position and victory in the second race, while Teamwork Motorsport’s privateer drivers Paul POON and YAN Chuang enjoyed some incredibly tough races mixing it the manufacturer teams in the TCR China Championship races.
Qualifying
In qualifying, LI stole the show, placing his Lynk & Co 03 TCR on pole position by over 1.6 seconds clear of his nearest rival, showcasing his skill as well as the performance the team had been able to extract from the car, the only Lynk & Co on the grid in the TCR China Challenge.
In the TCR China Championship, battling against a near-20 car field of mostly factory supported teams and drivers, YAN Chuang made a welcome return and qualified in 17th in his Lynk & Co, while Macau maestro Paul POON was the best-placed of the wild cards in 15th overall in his Audi RS 3 LMS, just 1.8 seconds away from the ultimate pace.
Race 5
LI had an issue at the start of the race and failed to get away, dropping to eighth place on the opening lap. LI began to recompose himself and started working his way up the order, up to seventh on lap three before grabbing second with a great move at the final corner on lap four.
Another lap, another pass and LI was all the way up to fifth on lap five, but from there he began to lose pace and was forced to relinquish the positions he’d brilliantly gained, and had to settle for eighth in the final order.
In the TCR China Championship race, YAN Chuang put on a sensational performance in his Lynk & Co, passing eight cars and was running well inside the top ten until an incident on the penultimate lap cost him two positions and he fell to 11th in the final classification.
POON meanwhile had a steady run in his Audi, with the Hong Kong driver looking for experience after a difficult weekend last time out at Shanghai, and brought his Audi RS 3 home in 16th.
Race 6
The TCR China Challenge race on Sunday was one of the most exciting of the category’s short history, with Richard LI going from eighth to first to claim his first career victory and also the lead in the drivers’ standings.
LI this time catapulted off the line and was up to fourth place by the end of the opening lap, before grabbing third with a move on one of the Hyundais on lap five at Turn 8.
A sensational battle then began to build at the front, with LI fighting to move up the order whilst also defend his potential podium position.
LI was finally able to pass another of the Hyundais on lap seven and chased down the leading Honda, taking the lead on lap nine – and going on to build over a six second lead in three laps before a safety car was called for debris.
At the restart, LI was able to pull away again and build another six-second lead before the safety car was needed after a rival’s car caught fire with two laps to go, and the race finished behind the safety car with LI taking a well-deserved first victory for the team.
In the TCR China Championship race, it was a more difficult one for YAN Chuang, who had to retire on lap five, while Paul POON had a steady run in his Audi, crossing the line just behind fellow Hong Kong racer and team-mate Sunny WONG to finish in 13th position.
The performances of the team and drivers over the entire weekend were exceptional, with some fantastic pace and overtaking on display, and the team’s also delighted that Richard LI has been able to take his first race win with the team in only his first year of TCR competition, and take an incredible 11-point lead in the drivers’ standings.
