In China, the word “Ma-la” means an extremely strong pepper or red chili pepper. And the home of Ma-la in China is Chengdu, in Sichuan Province. This was also the location of Chengdu International Circuit, the venue for the 3rd round of the Chinese Touring Car Championships (CTCC).
The 3.3km long circuit is located on the outskirts of Chengdu city, situated next to many car dealerships and as the cars passed down the home straight, many buoyant cheers could be heard, making it an ideal circuit for supporters. The layout is a technically challenging design with a mix of S-shaped corners, hairpins and chicanes. Furthermore because the surface conditions are rough and uneven, any rain would quickly create puddles all over the course making it even more challenging.
In the 2000cc class, the FRD Ford Focus team eagerly undertook testing from the Tuesday before the race, looking to avenge their results in the previous round. The team undertook thorough tests, covering every aspect of the car from gear ratios, suspensions to overall set up. TEIN offered support to the FRD team in the 2000cc class, as well as 3 other teams, totaling 10cars. In the 1600cc class, TEIN supported the previous rounds winner, the Beijing Hyundai team running the two i30 cars. Unfortunately last rounds winner was given a 100kg handicap and the second placed car a 70kg handicap, which lowered team morale during the tests.
As the final race day approached, weather forecasts were wrong and rain fell. The weather was fine for most of the testing period, however when it did rain, tests were often cancelled. Unfortunately for all the teams, the race got underway in wet condition.
In the 1600cc class, the VW Polo in pole position drove a near perfect race to win, while the Beijing Hyundai team suffered some trouble during the race, including a puncture and were not able to repeat their last performance. In the 2000cc class, it was Martin Cao, who won the last round but was later penalized, who drove a superb race. He started from pole position and never looked back to win the race! His team mates did not have his luck as 1 car finished in 5th position and the other was forced to retire. Surprisingly, the Honda Accord driven by Michael Ho, who didn’t qualify due to vehicle repairs, started from the back of the grid but amazingly finished in 2nd overall position!! This stunning drive shows everyone that no one can really predict what happens in the CTCC.
Look forward to more action here at Sichuan in July as the 4th round returns to Chengdu. |
