29 Jul 2017 Celebrity race team vs Le Mans winner - FRD LMP3 series opening race

At 5:10pm on 29 July, FRD LMP3 series race cars are driven on the Shanghai International Circuit, getting ready for the 50 minutes opening race. The sky is now clear and the track is in good condition. It will be good for the drivers to perform to their best.

According to the race regulations, today's opening race uses the team's second best lap time as the basis for the starting grid. This is to get the teams to be more committed in qualifying and it also rewards the teams that perform with consistency. This will also improve the competitiveness of the race and the race itself as a spectacle.

Pole position starter is #95 Craft Bamboo Racing James Winslow. His time is 2:09.774. Second on the grid is #7 PTRS He Xiao-Le with a time of 2:10.748. Thid is also PTRS, the #17 car driven by Andrew Waite. Fourth is FS Sports #1 car driven by Andy Yan. PTRS and FS Sports are associated with supersta celebrities Jimmy Lin and Aaron Kwok, the battle between them will be interesting.

Under the guidance of the safety car, all cars begin the formation lap. Relative to the circuit of the previous round, Shanghai International Circuit is wider, less bumpy and on a higher level of safety with larger sand traps. This is beneficial to the LMP cars performance. The race uses a rolling start, as all the race car comes out of the last corner in good formation, the lights change from red to green and the race begins. #95 guards the inside line but the two cars behind are not intimidated, they attack down the inside and the top 3 enter turn 1 together. But #95 has the inside line and leads out of the corner. #3 emerges in third place amid the chaos. At the end of lap 1, #95 continues to lead, #7 is second and #3 is third. As #95 tries to breakaway, it locks up at turn 6. That might affect its tyres later in the race.

On lap 3, #33 S&D Motorsport driver Natan Bihel enters the corner too quickly and he spins to the left side barrier. There is slight contact. The rest of the field are not affected. #33 returns to the circuit and he is now off the pace and drops to last place. His car is surely damaged and has to return to the pits for repairs.

In the first half of the race #95 holds down first place, #7 in second and #1 overtakes #3 for third place. But soon, the race enters the pit lane open window for driver changes. All the teams now face the strategic decision of when to pit their cars. #95 enters the pit lane first and the other cars follow him. This is the moment when the teams effciency is tested. The advantage gained by the driver could be lost due to a small mistake by the team crew. All the teams manage to change their drivers within the regulated time period and return to the track. #95 continues to lead while #17 has yet to do so and runs an extra lap. Can #17 jump the leader at the pit stop?

After the driver change, #95 is now driven by Mathias Beche. #7 has Simon Evans at the wheel, running right behind him. #1 car is piloted by Olivier Lombard and it has made the jump to become the race leader. With 20 minutes to go, #95 Mathias Beche gets to less than a second behind #1. The two cars begin fighting for the lead. Olivier Lombard holds his line firmly and never gives an inch, preventing #95 from passing. Soon there is only 10 minutes remaining, #1 ran across the grass to maintain speed and hold #95 off. #1 is fighting hard despite its speed disadvantage. The difference between the two cars is obvious. In the last 10 minutes, the tyres on #1 is no longer able to support his defensive tactics. #95 cuts to the inside line and cuts in. Then it simply drives away in the lead.

At the chequered flag, #95 Craft Bamboo Racing James Winslow and Mathias Beche cross the line to take victory. #1 FS Sports Olivier Lombard and Andy Yan finish in second place. #7 PTRS He Xiao-Le and Simon Evans finish in thrid place.

After the race #95 Craft Bamboo Racing driver Mathias Beche said, "Today we are the winners and we are very satisfied. In front of me #1 blocked everywhere, I had to find the right opportunity, after a long time of trying, finally I made the pass. I am very satisfied today." James Winslow said, "I am very happy to win. Our success is the result of good team work. Mathias and I are good driving partners, too. That's the key to our victory."

Today LMP3 race cars performed beautifully on Shanghai International Circuit. Tomorrow they will face the longer main race and the weather forescast says rain is possible. FRD LMP3 series is showing its colours as a top notch international race series. Let's see what more excitement will come tomorrow!