16 Sep 2012 Circuit Hero II: Our heroes

At 2:10pm on 16 Sept 2012, Pan Delta Super Racing Festival's Circuit Hero II race is set to begin. This race was born and cultivated in Zhuhai, the thousands of fans' support has made this 48 cars race a pride of the Pan Delta event.

Unlike other races, Circuit Hero II's long entry list means that the cars line up all the way back to turn 14. With the amateur drivers, it does take a long time to get all the cars settled into their own grid positions. But the Pan Delta officials are helpful and do not mind having to guide each driver. The grandstand is buzzing because the spectators know that with so many cars in the race, there is going to be plenty of action.

Guangdong veteran driver Gary Sham is on pole position in his Honda DC5. Second is Hong Bing-Xue. On the second row, Circuit Hero I winner Wei Chao-Yin and famous local driver He Wei-Hang. The leading quartet's lap times range from 1:51 to 1:54. Gary Sham is clearly ahead but the other three are closely matched.

At the start of the formation lap, it takes one minute just for the entire field to funnel through turn 1. The long snake of cars return to the grid and are ready to start.

The red lights are off, the race begins. The 48 cars make great noises that resonates all around the circuit. The spectators are so excited they are all standing up, some are looking for their friends or family members. #16 Hong Bing-Xue makes a good start and leads the race, #33 Li De-Rong also gets away cleanly and runs near the front, just behind Gary Sham. The worried big crash at turn 1 has not materialized. Although Baldy He Wei-Hang seems to have suffered a mechanical problem as he retires from the race not long after the start.

Gary Sham continues to lead while Li De-Rong is follow by Hong Bing-Xue. Li defends very well, not giving an inch to Hong. The gap between them is just 0.3 second.

On lap 4, Gary Sham is already lapping backmarkers. As there are many entries, they spread out easily and soon occupy the whole circuit. This is good practice for amateur drivers, they can learn about lapping slower cars and being lapped by faster cars. At turn 4, #18 Hong Yong-Xin's car suddenly begins to smoke and he stops by the side of the track. At turn 10, a black car runs on to the grass but it does not get stuck and re-joins the track.

On lap 6, Hong Bing-Xue is finding it hard to make a move. He seems to have settled for third place. But Wei Chao-Yin behind him is not so content, he makes a good move and takes third place.

On the final lap, Gary Sham holds an insurmountable 20 seconds lead. Li De-Rong is second while Wei Chao-Yin gets another podium finish after his Circuit Hero I win. Gary Sham also claims the Red Bull Fastest Lap Award with a 1:52.293 lap.