Teamwork Motorsport claimed a third one-two-three of the season in the Hong King Touring Car Championship (HTCC), as its SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) drivers narrowly missed out on a podium finish at the Shanghai Tianma Circuit (20-21 June).
It was the first time Teamwork Motorsport had run its Citroen C-Elysées on the Tianma track and, while the muddy and wet conditions made gathering data difficult, it wasn’t enough to stop Samuel Hsieh from snatching pole position during Saturday’s (20 June) qualifying.
Sunny Wong was able to position his Citroën in fourth, but that would be third when Hsieh was relegated to the back of the grid for his part in a collision last time out at the Shanghai International Circuit.
The headlining CTCC race on Sunday (21 June) started in drizzly conditions, although drivers bravely took to the track on slick tyres and, while Hsieh tried to work his way back up through the field, overtaking opportunities were at a premium on the slippery and narrow Tianma Circuit.
Loose bodywork ultimately forced Hsieh into the pits and he did well to cross the line in sixth position, while Wong climbed as high as second as the field reached Turn 1 for the first time, only to lose pace and track position to the works Volkswagens as the rain intensified, narrowly missing out on a podium in fourth position.
Teamwork Motorsport’s experienced HTCC drivers, Paul Poon and Samson Fung, were no stranger to Tianma and their experience surely helped them optimise the setups of their Suncity Peugeot RCZs.
In qualifying, Fung and Poon easily set the first and second fastest times respectively, as Andrew Lo, who had never competed at the Shanghai circuit before, struggled to match his teammates and positioned himself one row behind in fourth.
At the start of the weekend’s opening race, Lo bolted off the line and teammates Fung and Poon were quick to see this in their rear-view mirrors, opening the door for their teammate and engaging in their own battle for second position.
With Lo extending his advantage out front, Fung tried a move for the runner-up spot on lap five and the slightest of touches sent Poon into a spin, although he was able to quickly straighten his car and continue racing without losing too much ground as red flags brought the race to a halt.
At the restart, Lo dropped behind his teammates, before contact damaged his geometry sensors and ultimately led to his demise, Poon leading Fung to the chequered flag to round out a Teamwork Motorsport one-two.
With grid positions for the second race determined by the race one results, Poon lined-up on pole position with Fung alongside him on the front row.
The duo once again locked horns and traded positions as Lo recovered from the back of the grid after his earlier DNF, charging up the leaderboard and joining his teammates in the fight for the race win.
Lo was able to overtake his fellow Teamwork Motorsport drivers in one fell swoop to claim his first career victory, with Poon and Fung close behind in second and third to record a third Teamwork Motorsport one-two-three of the season and significantly increase their chances of competing in the end-of-season Macau GP.
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