18 Apr 2021 Non-stop battle: Lin Zhi-Fei and Yang Kai-Yun takes races 1 and 2 victories respectively
First club race of the year
Young and old riders battles add intrigue to the race
On 17-18 April, 2021 Zhuhai Motorsports Association Club Race’s first event is held at Zhuhai International Circuit. The opening race of the year attracted a good number of experienced riders as well as many new teams with new riders. The battle between old and new riders is sure to make better races. The competition for podium places will be even more fierce.
ZIC Superbike Race will hold two races on 18 April. Participating superbikes include BMW H4, Yamaha R6, Kawasaki ZX6R and Ducati Panigale. In the end, Yinji Racing #17 Lin Zhi-Fei and Sai Meng Racing #20 Yang Kai-Yun took one win apiece.
Race 1
In the qualifying session on 17 April, Sai Meng Racing #20 Yang Kai-Yun performed very well and took pole position. Race 1 is held in the morning of 18 April. The race is 10 laps long with 20 riders taking part. At 9:43, the race begins. Pole position starter Yang Kai-Yun is unable to hold onto his lead and drops down to 5th place. #17 Lin Zhi-Fei and #19 Chen Hong-Yan move up to first and second places respectively. #911 and #602 infringe the starting procedure and are given drive-through penalties. On lap 2, #19 Chen Hong-Yan stops at T3 due to a mechanical problem and has to retire from the race. #17 Lin Zhi-Fei continues to lead, a rider falls off at T11 gravel area, the race officials show the yellow flag and the race continues.
At half distance, #17 Lin Zhi-Fei continues to extend his lead, #20 Yang Kai-Yun also begins to find his rhythm and is back in third position. He is closing in on second position man #12 Huang Yan-Jia.
On the last lap, #20 Yang Kai-Yun tries but fails to overtake #12 Huang Yan-Jia, the race finishes without another change in order. The top 3 are #17 Lin Zhi-Fei, #12 Huang Yan-Jia and #20 Yang Kai-Yun.
In the various classes, Open class top 3 are Shi Zhao Racing #12 Huang Yan-Jia, Sai Meng Racing #20 Yang Kai-Yun, Shi Zhao Racing #77 Zheng Qi. CL1 class top 2 are Yinji Racing #17 Lin Zhi-Fei and Yinji Racing #27 Zhou Feng-Long. CL2 class top 3 are Shi Zhao Racing #36 Jiang Zhuo-Ran, Shi Zhao Racing #7 Zhong Ming-Da and Ace Motor #90 Pei Ya-Lun. CL3 class top 3 are Jim777y GT Racing #99 Zhan Jun-Hao, Shi Zhao Racing #22 Mu Rong Zhi-Zhao and Gao Hui Racing #676 Feng Run-Jing.
After the race, race 1 winner #17 Lin Zhi-Fei said: “The first club race of the year, I was a little nervous at the start, later I adjusted myself, maintained my rhythm and took the win. For race 2 I am just going to remain calm, have a good performance and try to take another win.”
Race 2
At 13:16, ZIC Superbike Race 2 commences. The riders line up on the grid according to the fastest lap time they managed in race 1. The top 4 are #17 Lin Zhi-Fei, #20 Yang Kai-Yun, #20 Huang Yan-Jia and #27 Zhou Feng-Long respectively. At the start, #17 Lin Zhi-Fei gets away well and stays in front.
After one lap, #20 Yang Kai-Yun and #12 Huang Yan-Jia make their moves on the main straight and are up to 1st and 2nd places respectively. They then begin to move away from the rest of the field. On lap 2, #17 Lin Zhi-Fei goes into the pit lane and retires from the race because of a mechanical problem.
At half distance, the top 3 overall are #20 Yang Kai-Yun, #12 Huang Yan-Jia and #19 Chen Hong-Yan, the gap among them are small and the battle is very fierce.
As the race enters lap 8, #19 clashes with #12 as they exit T1, #19 falls off the track. The race officials show the red flag to stop the race. The race is ended. In the end, the top 3 overall are #20 Yang Kai-Yun, #12 Huang Yan-Jia and Jim777y GT Racing #19 Chen Hong-Yan.
In the various classes, Open class top 3 are Sai Meng Racing #20 Yang Kai-Yun, Shi-Zhao Racing #12 Huang Yan-Jia, Shi Zhao Racing #77 Zheng Qi. CL1 class top 3 are Jim777y GT Racing #19 Chen Hong-Yan, Yinji Racing #27 Zhou Feng-Long and Yinji Racing #17 Lin Zhi-Fei. CL2 class top 3 are Shi Zhao Racing #36 Jiang Zhuo-Ran, #911 Jia Rui and #7 Zhong Ming-Da. CL3 class top 3 are Jim777y GT Racing #99 Zhan Jun-Hao, Shi Zhao Racing #22 Mu Rong Zhi-Zhao and Xiangsu Racing #11 Jiang Bo.
After the race, race 2 winner Yang Kai-Yun said, “This is the first time I have competed officially this year. I was a little nervous, the bike also had a bit of set-up issues, therefore I had poor starts in both races. I will continue to work hard in the future, enhancing and improving my skills. Taking the race 2 win is a relief. I will take part in the remaining races of the year, hopefully I will win again!”