2019 China GT Championship, Qinhuangdao Station: XTREME Racing Team Bore Off Double Crowns

Source: 灿辉国际   ・  views: 743

From August 10th to August 11th, round 7 and round 8 of the China GT Championship was held in Qinghuangdao Shougang Motorsport Valley. The XTREME racing team has borne off two champions in the GTC group and two runners-up in the GT4 AM group during the two-day competition.

The XTREME racing team has played in the GTC group as well as the GT4 group competition, together with its No. 68 car group which consists of Liu Kai and Lu Sihao in the Radical RXC Turbo, No. 86 car group of Ling Kang and Lu Sihao in the KTM X-BOW GT4 car, and No. 87 car group of Wei Tianyi and Liu Kai in the KTM X-BOW GT4 car.

GTC Group: Start With Perfection and End With Two Victories

In Round 7 Final of the GT3/GTC group, the No. 68 car group, which consists of Liu Kai and Lu Sihao in the Radical RXC Turbo car, started in the fifth position of the qualifying with high speed at the beginning and had taken the lead for a time. It is worth mentioning that thanks to the BoP racing club, although the Radical RXC Turbo does not have the superiority under dry conditions, its rapid adjustment and adaptability can be fully displayed in rainy and half-wet track, and the drivers have rapidly found the right pace due to perfect dynamic stability control of the car body, thus setting new lap record!

Soon the No. 68 car group had been taking advantages of the circuits and finally passed the cars ahead. Later in the race, No. 68 car widened the gap with other racers and eventually won the championship in the GTC group and the AM-AM group with fourth place in the round.

The second leg final of the GT3/GTC group raced in a rainstorm and the racing club continued to start the competition with a safety car. Starting at the back of the grid, No. 68 car, made of Liu Kai and Lu Sihao in the RXC Turbo, performed very well at the start of the race. With the help of the track in the rain, it overtook those cars ahead all the way and for a time even competed with the GT3 ahead. And after the end of the pit lane was open when all the car groups had entered the pit lane, No. 68 car driven by Liu Kai became more vigorous, continuing to gallop, and in a very short time it became the frontrunner and had maintained the advantage till the end, ending up with a first position in the GTC group, which is the second championship they have won in the group in Qinhuangdao Station.

Group GT4: Go Ahead and Cross The Border

During the final leg of Round 7 in the GT4 group, starting at the position of fifth in the grid, No. 86 car was driven by Ling Kang in the first leg, while No. 87 car by Wei Tianyi. Due to the wet track caused by previous rainstorm, the race started with a safety car. In the first half of the race, Ling Kang attempted to overtake cars ahead of him many times in narrow tracks, showing his rich experience of GT racing and courage. After the first lap, the No. 86 car stuck in the fierce competition with the No. 49 car at the position of fifth and sixth, and there was a time when the two cars nearly collided. Fortunately, both cars were under control in the end. And when the pit stops were about to close, Ling Kang had already speeded to the second place, setting the best lap record. The No. 86 car was handed over to Lu Sihao in the pit stop when it was 27 minutes away from the race, who put out a burst of speed and won the fifth place, gaining precious points for their team.

The final leg of Round 2 in the GT4 group begun in the morning of August 11th. No. 86 car group, made of Ling Kang and Lu Sihao in the KTM X-BOW GT4 car, started in the pole position, while No. 87 car group, made of Wei Tianyi and Liu Kai in the KTM X-BOW GT4 car, in the fifth position. A safety car was again used to start the race since the track was still wet and after 3 laps the race begun when the safety car was back to the pit stop.

On the other hand, No. 87 car adopt a conservative strategy in the all-rain battle, with its driver Wei Tianyi steadily making progress, constantly narrowing the gap with his opponents, and managing to give the car to his teammate before closure of the pit stops. Liu Kai, once on track, continued to show his speed regardless of difficulties caused by the half-wet track to both the car and the driver, and kept his pace in the second half of the circuit, of which the track was complicated, taking the second place of the AA.

Lu Sihao, who was taking the lead, faced the attack of cars both ahead and behind soon after the first stage begun. Due to the wet track, the No. 86 car lost control at several corners, thus losing some places. As a result, Lu Sihao went back to the pit stop as soon as he can and turn over the car to his teammate Ling Kang while the safety car was back on track because of accidents on course. After safety car left the course, Ling Kang regained his speed and caught up with the cars ahead. However, No. 86 car failed to dodge the crash caused by No. 5 and No. 618, resulting in rear-end shunts, which caused damage to the front of the No. 86 car, forcing the car to quit the competition.

The No. 87 car, however, kept on its previous steady driving style, even when it faced complex conditions on the track and shouldered arduous task of holding the position in the wet and slippery ground, it still kept trying different routes and actively defended the cars behind. Finally, Wei Tianyi and Liu Kai, with their tacit cooperation and perseverance, won the fourth place as well as runner-up of AA group in a safe manner.

The success of the Qinhuangdao race cannot be separated from the hard work behind the team and the support from its fans. Next stop, which will be held on September 6th to 8th in China GT Tianjin Station, we will continue to work hard! Please look forward to that.