24 Dec 2013 ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Race qualifying

ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Race's qualifying session is held at 1:50pm on 21 December at Zhuhai International Circuit. There is a total of 14 teams and 32 riders entered for this race.

The weather at Zhuhai International Circuit is fine with temperatures at 15 degrees C. Due to the low temperature, the superbikes' tyres may not enjoy optimum grip, but the cooler, denser air allows the engines to develop more horsepower. For the riders in thick, protective leather, this temperature is very enjoyable.

The race allows each team to utilize three riders. In qualifying, the best time set by any of the riders from the same team counts. In the race, each rider must have a similar or inferior bike that carries the same number as his teammates. When the rider pits after a stint, both riders and bikes are switched.

The fastest qualifier is last year's winner, no. 71 Dutch rider Dan Kruge and his teammate Geoffrey Ian Mark Giles. His fastest time is 1:37.902. Dan Kruger said, "I am 90% recovered from my crash in September. Today I am able to do 1:37s on my 1000cc bike, while other riders can only do 1:41s. But my teammate is an amateur on a 600cc bike. He can only do 1:47s, so it is difficult for us to win. Tomorrow I may have to ride for two out of the three hours to compensate. I think Yamaha (no. 9) may have the best chance to win."

Second fastest is also the fastest in class 2. No. 9 Huang Shi-Zhao and Li Zheng-Peng, their time is 1:41.000. Huang Shi-Zhao said, "We entered class 2 becasue we are using our 600cc bike. Dan is using a 1,000cc bike. Although both of us are professionals and have a small advantage over them in that sense, a lot of things can happen in an endurance race and the result is difficult to predict."

Third fastest is Hong Kong trio, no. 27 class 2 entry of Zhou Hao-Yun, Max Lau and Zhang Wei-An. Their time is 1:42.391. This trio certainly has the potential to win. Fourth fastest are another class 2 entry of Hu Zhao-Neng, Yuan Ji-Bo and Yu Chun-Hao with a time of 1:43,158.

No. 3 Li Peng-Yu/Alan Wong/Adrien Macera is only 8th on the grid. Li Peng-Yu said, "I am partnering two new riders this time, one is a Frenchman and the other an American-Chinese. They are not familiar with ZIC and cannot do quick laps yet. But they are good riders so I think tomorrow I won't have to run for too long. Since Dan is also racing with an amateur, I think we have a chance."

The ZIC Superbike 3 Hours Race will start at 8:40am on 22 December (Sunday).