18 Mar 2017 Lead group enjoys fierce battle, Tianshi Racing dominates podium(Circuit Hero-One Race 1)

At 1:54 p.m. on 18 March, Pan Delta’s Circuit Hero-One race cars arrive on the circuit to begin their first race which is of longer distance.  Today’s wet weather means it is cooler in Zhuhai, the track was made wet by the morning rain but it has dried by now. The conditions are now ideal for the Circuit Hero-One racers.

According to the result of the qualifying session in the morning, the three Audi R8 LMS of Chen Wei-An, Chai Hui-Bang and Liu Peng will start from the front 3 grid positions. The field is led around the circuit by the safety car and starts with a  rolling start. At turn 1, #4 Chai Hui-Bang overtakes #99 Chen Wei-An for the lead. At the beginning of lap 2, #4 Chai Hui-Bang pulls a little clear and now has a 1.9 seconds lead. #88 Liu Peng is in third place.

On lap 3 the battle begins. #99 Chen Wei-An overtakes #4 Chai Hui-Bang and demonstrates his prowess by becoming the first driver of the race to lap inside 1:40. The front duo continues their fierce battle while #88 Liu Peng shadows them, 3.8 seconds behind.

On lap 5 the lead drivers begin to lap the backmarkers, #4 Chai Hui-Bang is slightly delayed by an Evo. On lap 6, Chen Wai-An and Chai Hui-Bang has an exciting fight, exchanging positions twice. #88 Liu Peng continues to lurk behind waiting for an opportunity. It is the best race of the day so far. The leading trio are over 30 seconds ahead of Pu Shu’s Porsche in fourth place.

On lap 12, #4 Chai Hui-Bang tries to pass #99 Liu Peng but spins off the circuit, giving up second place. Tianshi Racing now occupies the front two positions and now leads Chai Hui-Bang by 2 seconds. On the last lap, Chai Hui-Bang tries to regain lost ground but to no avail. He even spins off the circuit near the end of the race and is passed by #82 Pu Shu. Fortunately his car has not suffered any damage and he still finishes fourth. The final order shows Tianshi Racing dominating the top 3, with Chen Wai-An winning from pole position. #88 Liu Peng takes second spot while Porsche 997 driver Pu Shu finished third.

Race winner Chen Wai-An said he had a great battle with #4 Chai Hui-Bang. His car still has room for improvement and he hopes to win again tomorrow. As Tianshi Racing’s boss, Liu Peng is delighted the team has dominated the podium places and praised all the drivers. He thinks there is a good chance of winning again tomorrow. Third placed Pu Shu said his car lacks pace compared with the Audi R8 LMS so he is glad to finish third.