15 Aug 2013 The calm before the storm - Circuit Hero Lap Time King Track Activity

After 9 years of development by Zhuhai International Circuit, the Pan Delta Super Racing Festival has grown to become one of the biggest and most influential motorsport event nationally. Circuit Hero, a grassroot race conceived by ZIC in 2006, has also become hugely popular among fans of modified vehicles. Over 70 drivers gathered to race in March's two Circuit Hero races. 

In order to allow more fans of modified vehicles to learn more about this platform and exchange information, ZIC organized the first "Circuit Hero Lap Time King" track day on 26 May and again on 11 August. The results from the two days are then add together to produce the 2013 Circuit Hero Lap Time King champion. The award ceremony will be held on 15 September during the Pan Delta Super Racing Festival awards dinner.

The track day divides the participants into 9 different groups by their vehicle's engine size and drive systems. The rule is very simple, the car that sets the fastest lap time is the winner. The activity attracted 57 cars to take part.

From 10:00am to 1:30pm, maybe due to the approaching Typhoon Utor, which sucks all the nearby clouds into its system, Zhuhai enjoys very hot and sunny weather, at mid-day, temperature is at 32 degree C with a slight wind, allowing the drivers to practice quite comfortably.

At 2:00pm, timed practice officially begins. The weather continues to be bright and sunny, the drivers must be starting to pay attention to the possibility of overheating their street machines, as it might take a heavy toll on them.

First on track are CH1(NA1.6), CH3(NA2.OB) and CH8 (Turbo D) groups. The fastest driver is no. 1 Zhong Bin, driving a Honda EK1.6, his lap time is 2:10.113.

In the CH3 class, no. 23 James Tang has set the fastest with a lap time of 2:00.557, but since he is an invited guest driver, his result does not count towards the rankings. Thus the official fastest driver is no. 27 Deng Gui-Feng, who recorded 2:04.525 in a Honda Civic.

There are only two cars in the CH8 class, they are Mini 1.6T and BMW 118i, which essentially use the same 1.6 litre turbo engine. In the end, no. 8 Wang Yuan's Mini 1.6T recorded a 2:11.157 to beat Yuan Jian-Hui's BMW 118i's 2:15.451.

Next up is the  CH2 (NA2.OA), CH5 (Turbo A) and CH7 (Turbo C) classes. No. 61 Wu Xiao-Qi's Golf made a mistake at turn 14, went off track and hit the barriers. The organizers showed a red flag to stop the session. After the debris is cleared the timed practice resumed. In the end the Honda Civic K20 driven by no. 15 Liang Jian-Qiang takes first place in CH2 class with a 2:00.321 lap.

 

In CH5 class, no. 67 Guo Jin-Jie's Mitsubishi 2.0T wins with a very fast 1:55.121 lap. This is a full 7 seconds faster than second in class, no. 62 Zhu Hua-Yu's lap time of 2:02.416.

In the CH7 class, the fastest driver is no. 72 Liang Tong-Yi in his Subaru ST19, with a time of 1:58.467. He is special in that he only needed one timed lap to record his time, clearly indicating that he is very familiar with the track and his car.

Finally we arrive at the fastest GT classes. No. 82 Pan Jian-Hua's Nissan GTR R35 proofs itself to be unbeatable, he records a stunning 1:49.769 to top the GTA class. Wang Yong, in the same class and drives a Porsche 911 Turbo, could only manage 1:54.948. In the GTB class, no. 95 Chen Bing-Xiong is the fastest in his BMW M3, his time is 1:55.568.

At the day draws to a close, the drivers said "Circuit Hero Lap Time King" is a good event that links up the track with the car tuning and modification fans, providing a platform for them to exchange information and experience high speed driving in a safe environment. The two "Circuit Hero Lap Time King" events of 2013 are now over we expect more enthusiasts to take part for next year.