Round 3 of the China Rally Championship (CRC) was held in Changbaishan, on the far eastern edge of China. TYPE Gr.N equipped Lancer Evo.IX driver David Higgins, who has back to back wins from the start of last season, was unable to drive this round due to scheduling issues. Instead top Japanese driver F.Nutahara and TEIN’s own president H.Ichino were called in!
Changbaishan is a rougher course than the last round in Mohe, but the cars travel at an average speed of 120-130km/h. After the opening ceremony, F.Nutahara had a great start by setting the top time in the Super SS. The atmosphere and expectations were high for the rally tomorrow!
On day 1 F.Nutahara lost 3 minutes due to a puncture in SS2 and in SS4 he lost a further 20 seconds due to fuel problems. But the rally had only just begun! Even though he suffered some set backs, he was able to fight back up the order and finish the day in 4th position.
TEIN staff were hoping to turn things around in day 2 but due to vehicle trouble, F.Nutahara's rally ended. But this was not the end for the Wan Yu team, as the TYPE Gr.N equipped driver, Fan Fan, finished the rally in 6th overall position. It was a great feat for him as he was the second Chinese driver to finish.
TEIN teams are all are looking for victory, so please look forward to the next exciting round, in Longyou. |
