Teamwork Motorsport is set to make a resplendent return to the SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC), which is about to embark on back-to-back rounds at Beijing’s Goldenport Park Circuit (4-5 October) and the Shanghai International Circuit (11-12 October).
The Guangdong-based outfit has had a tough CTCC initiation with its new-for-2014 Citroen C Elysees, as the early part of its maiden season was blighted and its running curtailed by teething problems and mechanical issues, as well as extreme weather conditions.
Unable to clock up many testing miles and complete useful setup work, a decision was taken to temporarily step back from the flourishing China Touring Car Championship and instead focus on fettling and refining its new-for-2014 Citroens as part of an intensive test and development programme.
There is an air of quiet confidence within the Teamwork Motorsport camp that its thorough approach and engineering excellence will paid dividends when it re-enters the fray, as the CTCC prepares for outings in Beijing and Shanghai on two consecutive weekends as part of the illustrious support race package for the headlining FIA World Touring Car Championship (WTCC).
Drivers Alex Hui and Sunny Wong feel happier in the car and will utilise the remaining rounds of the season and the “Teamwork spirit” to continue learning in preparation for a full-time assault on the burgeoning ‘tin-top’ championship in 2015.
“The Teamwork Motorsport Citroen C Elysee has lots of potential, but our development in the early rounds was limited by engine reliability issues,” said Alex Hui. “We have made good use of summer time to make some valuable fixes on the engine and it seems we made good progress in terms of reliability, although we would like to have more testing if time allowed.
“We have also done some good development and testing on the chassis side, both me and Sunny (Wong) feels much more comfortable in the car heading to Beijing. We haven’t fixed a real target, as the main goal is for both the team and drivers to learn more over the course of the season in preparation for 2015, but there is no reason why we can’t finish this year on a high, given some luck!”
Hui continued: “I have previously raced in Beijing, so I can say I know the Goldenport Park Circuit reasonable well. This will be Sunny’s first time in Beijing, but given the data sharing and the ‘Teamwork spirit’, I believe Sunny will get on top of his performance very quickly. The Shanghai International Circuit is another track that is proven to suit our car due to its low-drag demands and we hope Beijing provides a solid baseline for us to fight even harder in Shanghai.”