Teamwork Motorsport sensationally broke its podium finishes duck in the concluding round of a turbulent maiden season in the SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) on the brand new Yancheng Street Circuit (1-2 November).
The Guangdong-based outfit recently conquered penalties and performance restrictions to achieve a top six finish in the penultimate round of 2014 at China’s premier motorsport venue, the Shanghai International Circuit (SIC), in a confidence-building display that demonstrated a genuine step in performance with its pair of Citroen C-Elysees.
The 2.8km Yancheng street track, which winds its way through the eastern coastal Jiangsu province, was unchartered territory for all concerned and provided a level playing field that gave the fledgling Teamwork Motorsport outfit and its drivers, Alex Hui and Sunny Wong, cause for optimism.
Both Teamwork contenders threatened the podium places from the outset, finding a balance and going third fastest behind the Honda contingent in both wet and dry free practice sessions.
However, they were prevented from maximising their potential in an eventful two-part qualifying session. Wong initially grappled with technical issues and setup problems but overcame his troubles in time for the weekend’s critical qualifier.
The field was divided into two and, as the first set completed their run, a sharp downpour saturated the track surface and caused a severe crash, delaying the start of qualifying for the second half of the grid, which included the Teamwork Motorsport Citroens.
The wet conditions took Teamwork out of the reckoning for pole position, but a bullish Wong went on to set the second fastest time in his group to go tenth overall, while a bearing failure resigned Hui to the back of the grid.
Sadly, a post-Shanghai engine change resulted in a five-place grid penalty for Wong, although a strong start by the Teamwork Motorsport duo saw them climb four positions from the tail end of the grid by Turn 4, where Hui became involved in race-ending contact.
A Safety Car intervention briefly neutralised the race and Wong continued on his way to demonstrate great speed, consistency and racecraft and concluded the ten-lap race in a highly respectable seventh position.
However, three disqualifications and a 30-second penalty for rivals would promote Wong to third in the final classification, achieving Teamwork Motorsport’s maiden podium finish since entering the CTCC at the start of a tumultuous 2014 season.
Hui said: “I’m delighted Teamwork Motorsport has ended the 2014 SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) season on the podium and it’s just reward for all the hard work, determination and belief that has been present since the very beginning of the project. It has been a tough battle to make the Citroen C-Elysee competitive, but we have been methodical and patient in our approach, wanting to do everything right. I feel we’ve achieved everything promised as a result and I believe Teamwork Motorsport will start the 2015 campaign on a strong footing.”