Teamwork Motorsport’s return to the SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) proved to be a bittersweet experience, as the fledgling team’s jubilation at qualifying first and third was followed by bemusement at Beijing’s Goldenport Park Circuit on Saturday (4 October).
The Guangdong-based outfit’s decision to take a step back from the CTCC, regroup and meticulously prepare its new-for-2014 Citroen C Elysees and drivers, immediately paid dividends upon its return to the flourishing tin-top championship, as Sunny Wong and Alex Hui dramatically sealed pole position and third place respectively in qualifying in Beijing.
But the jubilation was short-lived when an unexpected scrutineering infringement saw Teamwork Motorsport struck from the timesheets and relegated to the back of the grid for tomorrow’s (Sunday 5 October) race.
There was pure frustration over the imposition; a late change in the dimensions of the turbo restrictor, announced at 21.00 the day before the event commenced, could not be implemented in the timeframe available to the team.
However, the decision didn’t detract from the satisfaction felt within the Teamwork Motorsport camp, as the independent outfit’s months of engine development and development had clearly yielded genuine performance gains.
Preparations had included drafting in FIA World Touring Car star and former World Champion Rob Huff to coach Teamwork’s drivers and ensure the team would be in the best possible shape on its CTCC return.
Team boss and driver, Alex Hui, was more than philosophical at the decision to exclude the team, saying: “We were in an impossible situation, with the technical change being impossible to undertake. But the car had fantastic balance, the engine performed really well and Sunny (Wong) drove a great lap to grab a well-deserved pole position. Tomorrow, we will start from the back of the grid and enjoy our racing, knowing that any result we achieve will be taken away by the officials. However, we will come back in Shanghai with the new restrictor, albeit untested, and hope to show our level of performance can be maintained.”
Sunny Wong was typically happy, despite the results of the post-race scrutineering check: “I drove a good lap; I am very pleased with that and I am satisfied with both my own performance and that of the team. I am looking forward to a fun race tomorrow and will enjoy myself whatever the final outcome.”