Teamwork Motorsport in the final stages of preparation ahead of a busy season competing in China and Hong Kong’s premier ‘tin-top’ championships, the SINOPEC LUBRICANTS China Touring Car Championship (CTCC) and Hong Kong Touring Car Championship (HTCC).
Established in 1999, Teamwork Motorsport has established itself as a major force within the Asian motorsport scene and is set to embark on a second campaign in the CTCC with Sunny Wong and Samuel Hsieh, following a trying maiden season in 2014.
Wong will once again pilot one of Teamwork’s Citroen C-Elysees, as he bids for race wins after recording a third place finish on the brand new Yancheng Street Circuit in 2014’s concluding round, to break the Guangdong-based outfit’s podium finishes duck.
Testing the Citroen at the beginning of the year, Wong is confident that he and the team can challenge for race victories from the off, saying: “We had our first taste of the car in January and there was certainly a noticeable difference compared to where we left off in 2014. It feels stronger in terms of engine performance, and, with a new aero package expected to arrive in April, we predict a huge improvement, from what we saw and learned from last season.
“Samuel is a very analytical, fast and consistent driver. I raced alongside him in the HTCC a few years ago, where we shared data and improved together, so racing alongside him is very encouraging. Your teammate is the first rival you want to beat, as he is the only driver racing the same car as yours, but points for the team always come first. During a race, if Samuel is behind me, but is faster, I won’t block him, and vice versa.”
After several years competing in the HTCC, Hsieh graduates to the higher-powered and more demanding CTCC for 2015 alongside ex-HTCC teammate, Wong, filling the seat vacated by Alex Hui for the first half of the season.
Starting his racing career in 2009, Hsieh recorded several race victories in tough championships across Asia and will be hoping his strong relationship with Wong will help propel Teamwork Motorsport to the top of the leaderboard.
Increasing its foothold in the Asian racing scene, Teamwork Motorsport will also contest this season’s HTCC with experienced trio, Paul Poon, Samson Fung and Andrew Lo, who will all pilot brand new Peugeot RCZs with title sponsorship from Suncity Group – one of Macau’s leading gambling and entertainment companies.
Having missed the opening HTCC round due the ongoing build of the recently collected RCZs, Teamwork Motorsport expects the cars to be ready for the second instalment at the Guangdong International Circuit (GIC).
As part of competing in the HTCC, Teamwork Motorsport can qualify to compete in November’s Macau GP with Poon and Fung, who between them have recorded five race victories on the famous street circuit.
2015 SINOPEC LUBRICANTS Chinese Touring Car Championship (CTCC) Calendar:
Round 1 – Guangdong International Circuit (14-17 May)
Round 2 – Shanghai International Circuit (4-7 June)
Round 3 – Shanghai Tianma Circuit (18-21 June)
Round 4 – Korea International Circuit (16-19 July)
Round 5 – Zhuhai International Circuit (13-16 August)
Round 6 – Shanghai International Circuit (24-27 September)
Round 7 – Yancheng Street Circuit (15-18 October)
Round 8 – Chengdu/Beijing Circuit (5-8 November)
2015 Hong Kong Touring Car Championship (HTCC) Calendar:
Round 1 & 2 – Guangdong International Circuit (21-22 March)
Round 3 & 4 – Guangdong International Circuit (11-12 April)
Round 5 & 6 – Guangdong International Circuit (2-3 May)
Round 7 & 8 – Shanghai International Circuit (4-7 June)
Round 9 & 10 – Shanghai Tianma Circuit (18-21 June)