On 13th May, the 2017 China GT Championship kicked off at the Beijing Goldenport Motor Park. After the success of the 2016 season, the 2017 season has already stepped things up a gear. The record-breaking 2017 season marks a new chapter in China GT history, with 32 cars participating in the opening race and the introduction of the new GT4 class.
At 12 pm, the opening ceremony of the 2017 China GT Championship was held on the main straight at the Goldenport Motor Park. In attendance were: Mr Zhan Guojun, Chairman of the Federation of Automobile Sports of the People’s Republic of China (CAMF); Mr. He Jiandong, Deputy Secretary General of CAMF and General Manager of Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Development Limited; Ms. Lu Mingyao, Deputy General Manager of Beijing Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Development Limited; Mr. Wang Guan, Secretary of Circuit Commission of CAMF and Race Director of China GT Championship; Mr Li Chunsan, Vice Chairman and Secretary General of Beijing Motor Sports Association,; Mr. Ding Yinghu, Secretary of Yibin Regional Party, Sichuan Province; Mr. Patrick Pan of Pirelli - China GT’s Official Tyre Sponsor; Ms. Rebecca Li, Pirelli motorsport marketing and PR APAC; Harris, General Manager of China GT Official Fuel Partner, R+ Racing; Mr. Sun Wei,General Manager of China GT Official Logistics Partner, P.G. Logistics; Mr. Yu Yang, General Manager for the Beijing/Tianjin/Hebei Region at Maotai Group; Mr. Yang Baisong, General Manager of Harbin Jiang Xiang Yuan Co., Ltd.; Mr. Bernd Goeres, Director of Audi Sport Customer Racing Asia; Mr. Martin Kuehl, Head of Corporate Communications, Audi China; Mr. Alexandre Gibot, Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific; Mr. David McIntyre, Managing Director of McLaren, China; Ms. Xu Wen, Communications and Public Relations Manager of Qoros Auto Co., Ltd.; Mr. Han Bing, Executive Chairman of China GT Official Water Supplier, Aqua Nova Water; Mr. Cao Bin, CCTV Sports Channel and Deputy Director of CCTV Sports and Entertainment Co., Ltd.; Jim Ye, Chairman of Goldenport Holdings; Steven Ye, Chairman, Goldenport Co., Ltd.; Mr. Michael Miao, Vice President of Goldenport Enterprises; Mr. Fu Peng, Secretary of the Board of Goldenport Enterprises; Mr. Yao Jianping, Vice President of Goldenport Enterprises and Managing Director of CRCC; Mr. Zhou Caihong, Vice President of Goldenport Enterprises; and Mr. Chen Zhong, General Manager of China GT Management Co., Ltd.
After the press conference, the GT3 class, representing the highest level of the GT competition, got the second round off to a flying start, while an intense battle unfolded in the GTC class shortly after. The mood remained tense throughout the race as the drivers kept changing positions until the fall of the chequered flag. Finally, it was Xu Jia representing the Kings Racing that took the top spot after his victory in the first round. Chris van der Drift and Li Chao of JRM Jiarui-Tengda snatched second place, with Morris Chen and Hiroki Yoshimoto finishing third for FAW T2M.
GT3 safety car: Mercedes-AMG GT
GTC and GT4 safety car: McLaren 570S
Bentley Team Absolute’s Adderly Fong and Vutthikorn Inthrapuvasak came fourth in their class at the wheel of the number 88 Bentley Continental GT3, while Ragginger and Bao Jinlong took fifth in the 99 Porsche 911 GT3 R. The Audi Hong Kong team of Melvin Moh/Lim Keong Wee, Andrew Kim and Weiron Tan of Bentley Team Absolute, JRM Jiatui-Tengda’s Maxime Jousse/Li Jiaqi, Spirit Z-Racing’s Sun Zheng/Wang Risheng, André Couto/Yuey Tan of Spirit Z-Racing, Wang Liang/Han Huilin of Kings, and Naoki Yokomizo/Xu Wei of Kings placing sixth to twelfth.
GT3 Class
On the morning of the GTC and GT4 races, Kimi Qin of Spirit Z-Racing claimed the top spot in the GTC class, with Xu Wei and Ling Kang representing Xtreme Motorsports battling their way to second, and Bian Hao and Will Bamber claiming third for JRM. JRM Jiarui-Tengda’s Andrew Tang/Pan Chao, True Visions’ Suttiluck Buncharoen, JRM Elite’s Zheng Hui/Min Heng and JRM Elite’s Li Xuefeng/Tian Lijing respectively came in fourth to sixth place.
GTC Class
In the newly-established GT4 class, McLaren came out on top, with Roelof Bruins and David McIntyre coming in victorious for The Winning Team, while Glen Wood and Chen Yinian for Xtreme Motorsports and Tian Xu and Yang Mengaiao for ChinaEquity AMR took second and third.
GT4 Class
The race to win the Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy China is also on. During the second round of the Beijing weekend, the pairing of Pan Chao and Andrew Tang stole the top spot and received the Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy China. Zheng Hui/Min Heng and Li Xuefeng/Tian Liying took second and third for JRM Elite, while JRM Jiarui-Tengda came out on top overall in this round.
Porsche GT3 Cup Trophy China presented by China GT
In the fight for victory in the China GT Audi Challenge in the GT4 and GTC classes, Kimi Qin came out on top for Spirit Z-Racing. Bian Hao and Will Bamber came in second for JRM.
China GT Audi Challenge
The battle for the GT Asia Cup has also been happening at the same time as the China GT competition. In this round, the winning teams were: Chris van der Drift and Li Chao for JRM Jiarui-Tengda, Adderley Fong and Vutthikorn for Bentley Team Absolute and the Audi Hong Kong team of Melvin Moh and Lim Keong Wee.
GT Asia Cup Presented by China GT
This weekend has proven not only to be about the racing, but has also been a platform for business activities. In the gap between races, BMW DE took to the tracks with a BMW M. Special attractions and events were also held outside of the stadium by Qoros, allowing spectators to view exhibits and learn more about the cars.
Suddenly, the two rounds of the first race weekend of the 2017 China GT Championship are over, leaving us to anticipate the second race weekend in July. Who’s going to have a really hot race this summer? Let’s wait and see!
China GT Official Tyre Sponsor: Pirelli
China GT Official Celebration Drink Supplier: Maotai
China GT Official Fuel Partner: R+ Racing
China GT Official Logistics Partner: P.G.Logistics
China GT Official Water Supplier: Aqua Nova Water
