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June 5, 2013, 6:35 a.m.
6/5/2013
By Mike Garrison
LiveRC.com
PROTOform Race Report:
The first ever PROTOform Cup in China took place at the Shanghai Junti International Speedway in Shanghai, China on weekend of May 25-26. The 2-day race consisted of 1 controlled practice, 4 rounds of qualify and 3 rounds of finals which attracted over 60 participants from 5 major Chinese cities, Hong Kong as well as top racers from Thailand. Three classes of racing were held: – 10.5T Touring Car Open (boost/turbo), 13.5T Touring Car Sports (non-boost) for beginners, and an all-fun 17.5T F1 Open Foam. All drivers were allowed one set of control tires throughout the whole race and only drivers that had qualified for the A-main were allowed to purchase one new set of tires for the final.
The battle in the 10.5T TC Open class started even before the qualifying began as times between drivers were hundredth of seconds apart. The local Shanghai favorite and current track record holder, Fang-Zhou “Rocket” Zhang was the one that everyone kept their eyes since free practice. Other drivers such as Wang Hai-Feng, the previous TITC non-boost stock class winner, K. Sutthprawat, the new TITC F1 class winner, and other local drivers were out putting out blazing fast pace on the track, all wish their controlled practice result can ensure a spot in the faster qualifying group. The PROTOform LTC-R lightweight was the clear choice for ALL drivers for this large, fast and technical track.
After a hot and intensive first day of controlled practice racing and 3 rounds of qualify, it was Zhang that came in on the top spot of the standings with Wang Hai-Feng in a close second, and others only seconds down. With one round of qualifying on Sunday morning, the TQ was still an open game for all top 5 drivers; as well as borderline drivers in the 11th to 15th positions hoping to push themselves into the A-main final.
On Sunday, it was forecast to rain in the early evening. With heavy moisture casted on the track overnight, it was obvious there would be no major changes in the standing. After the final round of qualify, Zhang was the TQ for 10.5T TC Open class. Thailand’s K. Sutthprawat placed in 8th position and A. Chumnumtanapaisan was in 10th position with only one day of practice.
For the final – while tire strategy was critical, all ten A-main drivers went all out in all three finals. All racing plans that the drivers had in their mind were shattered after 30 seconds into the first final. In the first two rounds of the final, Zhang (LTC-R) drove hard & flawlessly by winning both A1 and A2. Zhang had sealed a win for the race and the rest of the drivers were left to battle for remaining podium spots. In the third final, Zhang had used up the best traction on his tires leaving Wang Hai-Feng and the other local driver Dong Shi-Zhen fighting. In the end, Wang (LTC-R) came in first, finishing 2nd overall, and Dong (LTC-R) in close second, finishing 3rd overall. Signs of relief were clearly shown on all of the A-main drivers faces as they crossed the finish line and ended two days of exciting race.
In the end, everyone enjoyed the PROTOform Cup and vowed to return to the race and battle it out again next year!
2013 PROTOform Cup – Touring Car 10.5 Top 3- Fang-Zhou “Rocket” Zhang / CHI / PROTOform LTC-R
- Wang Hai-Feng / CHI / PROTOform LTC-R
- Dong Shi-Zhen / CHI / PROTOform LTC-R
PROTOform would like to send a big thanks to Chris Liu from Hope Le Trading HK Co. Ltd. 香港合利行 for organizing this race and providing this race report.
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