2017 Sinopec China Touring Car Championship kicked off in Zhuhai International Circuit on May 14th. After a thrilling race weekend with two races,  in the Super Cup category, SVW 333 Racing  Team’ s driver Wang Rui won the first race, while He Zixian won the second race with a Haima M6. In the China Cup category, FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing’s Gao Huayang finished first in the first race, while GAC-Totoya Team’s Zhang Hanbiao the second race.

Super Cup: Hard Battles among Five Manufacture Teams

There are five Manufacture Teams in the Super Cup category, reaching a new record in terms of the number of car brands involved in CTCC. After two challenging battles, the regulars Changan Ford Racing Team and SVW 333 Racing brought trophies back home, while BAIC Shenbao Racing and Haima Qiangdongli Racing, two teams backed by Chinese car brands also brought trophies back home. The exciting competition has proved the progress that Super Cup has achieved. The participation of car manufactures has indicated that motorsport is definitely a great opportunity for brand promotion, and it also proved the value of CTCC as Chinese motorsport's leading brand.

The first race winner Wang Rui thought that CTCC represents the top level competition between the top drivers.

Former BTCC driver Daniel Lloyd felt joyful when racing in CTCC. He said, “Compared with the motorsport atmosphere in UK, the manufacturers here in China are more supportive. The new Ford Focus' performance is amazing. Car dealers always help organize the orientation tour for local fans to watch a live race, which is very encouraging. In the Super Cup, five brands fight for the champion in the best touring car race event of Asia.”

China Cup: Intense Competition Between Two Well-Matched Teams

The race in China Cup is as fierce as expected. In the first race, FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing’s Gao Huayang overtook his teammate, the pole sitter Cui Yue, in the first lap. Later, the race was stopped by an accident, making Gao finished first with his first win in Zhuhai. As a result, FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing won the first Manufacture Trophy of the season. The second race was even breathtaking, since all the cars seemed quite close to each other. In the end, GAC-Totoya Team won the Manufacture Trophy with Zhang Hanbiao  and Liu Yang’s significant performances, who finished 1st and 2nd respectively.

Two manufacture winners in two races, and 0.5 point gap between the championship leader GAC-Totoya Team and the second sitter FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing, have strongly demonstrated the peer pressure in the race. It is believed that the fierce competition between GAC-Totoya Team and the new comer FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing won’t stop.

The huge success that FAW Totoya Vios FS Racing has achieved in their very first race has showcased that China Cup has become a decent start for those who aims at making a difference in Chinese motorsport. On the other hand, more private teams have decided to take part in CTCC, including teams like Club Latte Xingzhilu Racing and EYEE Fengchao Racing. With more entries, the competition will be more intense and the commercial value will be higher, helping China Cup attract more spectators.

Cooperative Races: A Step Leading to The Future

Three popular events TCR Asia, GT Masters and Polo Cup also joined the CTCC race weekend in Zhuhai. According to the information released by the organizer Lisheng Racing, this is just a start. In the future, there will be more collaborations among the national race events, like China Touring Car Championship and China Karting Championship which are hosted by Lisheng Racing, as well as FIA F4 which is hosted by MITIME Motorsport.  In that case, a comprehensive racing ladders will be established to help with drivers’ development. It is estimated that the strong connections between different races will not only make a great race weekend for the fans, but also create some communication opportunities for the drivers. The organizer Lashing hopes to break  the barriers between various Chinese motor sports through this initiative, to help the professional drivers to plan their own career path more directly, and to cultivate China's outstanding teams and drivers more quickly.

In the two races of TCR Asia held on Sunday, R Engineering’s A.Kaathir and Elegant Racing Team’s K.Eric dominated two races respectively. In the second round of GT Masters, TSRT’s Huang Chuhan finished 1st of GT3 Class, driving car 888, while his teammate Chen Weian and Jiao Peng won the GTC Class, driving car 999. Linky Racing’s Sun Anning won the two rounds of Polo Cup.

Next event of CTCC will take place in Guangdong International Circuit in Zhaoqing on June 4.