17 Sep 2016 Circuit Hero-One Race 1: Guo Guo-Xin wins from pole position

On Saturday 17 September 2016, Pan Delta s Circuit Hero-One Race 1 commences at 14:10. Mercedes SLS AMG, Audi R8, Porsche 911, Mitsubishi Evo, Seat Leon etc are gathered for a big battle, giving the spectators great excitement.

The Mercedes SLS AMG has been dominant since its entry into the Pan Delta arena. Its performance in this race is also a key focus. The car achieved pole position in the morning qualifying session, Guo Guo-Xin is keen to make a quick break in the race. But despite his fast getaway, at T3 he made a mistake, allowing teammate Huang Xi-Zhan to take the lead. Before the end of the lap though, Huang Xi-Zhan drops back to fourth place. Guo Guo-Xin is unstoppable once he is back in the lead and soon moves away from the chasing pack. At the same time, Liu Peng, also driving an Audi R8, runs in second place and Tommy Chan runs in third place in his Porsche 911. The four cars forms a lead quartet.

On lap 3, the situation on track is steadying. Huang Xi-Zhan passes Tommy Chan at turn 1 and begins to battle with Liu Peng. On lap 4, Liu Peng tries to breakaway but unfortunately makes a mistake and spins. Huang Xi-Zhan is now up to second place and 1st in class.

Leader Guo Guo-Xin begins to lap backmarkers on lap 5. He does so while extending his lead. Third placed Tommy Chan begins to make some inroads into Huang Xi-Zhan’s lead, looking for an opportunity to pass. By now the front trio are in a league of their own, so the overall top 3 is more or less determined already. Liu Peng fights back to fourth but with a big gap between himself and the front 3, there is no real possibility of him catching them.

On lap 11, Guo Guo-Xin is 13 seconds ahead of Huang Xi-Zhan. Tommy Chan is another 3 seconds behind. Huang Xi-Zhan is performing steadily so it will be hard for Tommy Chan to get pass him. The remaining four laps are completed without any incidents. Guo Guo-Xin takes an easy win while Huang Xi-Zhan and Tommy Chan finished second and third.

Guo Guo-Xin said he did not feel too much pressure in the race even though he was passed by his teammate early on. But once he was back in the lead everything went smoothly. His points tally is enough for him to win the series title and this should be his fourth. Second place overall and GT class winner Huang Xi-Zhan said his race car suffered a problem and after he rebooted it he was down in fourth place. He late braked Tommy Chan to get to second and there was also a brief fight with Liu Peng. He thinks Liu is very good and he improves every time. Tommy Chan, third overall and second in GT class, said he went for consistency. As the track was very hot and the tyre wear was high, he could not be aggressive. He hopes to be able to attack in the second race.