Teamwork Motorsport posed a threat to the factory teams in the opening round of the 2016 China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) at the Nanjing Circuit (21-22 May).
Alex Hui possessed good speed and was a top five contender throughout free practice, while teammate Sunny Wong struggled due to malfunctioning power steering.
Qualifying, held in wet conditions, saw Alex Hui split the factory Fords with the fourth fastest time and, although Wong was unable to find a rhythm early on, he was able to complete a lap good enough for sixth on the grid before the chequered flag.
Conditions remained wet for the start of race one, which started behind the Safety Car. Both Teamwork Motorsport Citroen C-Elysees chased the pace-setting Fords in fifth and sixth places, and Alex Hui and Wong traded places before the latter lost out to a rival Volkswagen.
The move marked the beginning of an intense battle for fifth between Alex Hui and VW, but the Teamwork driver stood his ground and was aided by a retaliatory passing move by Wong, who shadowed his teammate home in sixth.
Round 2 started in wet, but drying conditions, with the top eight finishers from race one reversed. Sadly, a water leak forced Wong to pit on the formation lap and he lost a couple of laps while Teamwork Motorsport’s mechanics cured the problem, but Alex Hui took off and was driving well in among the factory Fords.
He maintained third, even after sustaining damage in a three-car collision involving Alex Hui and two of his Ford rivals at the Turn 2 hairpin, when a strike from behind caused him to spin and resulted in front-end damage that necessitated a pit stop.
Alex Hui emerged from the pits a lap down, but raced on to a seventh place finish, immediately ahead of teammate Wong in eighth.
Teamwork Motorsport Team Principal, Paul Hui, said: “This weekend we have shown speed that matches the factory teams. We also identified a need for further improvements and that means the battle will be both on and off the track from now on. Reliability and early preparation will differentiate the winners and losers and I don’t see any reason why we can’t win some races if we execute every bit perfectly.”
The China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) visits the Zhuhai International Circuit in two weeks’ time (4-5 June).