Audi enjoyed a successful Pan Delta Super Racing Festival at the Zhuhai International Circuit this weekend, with overall and class podium finishes for both the Audi R8 LMS and the Audi RS 3 LMS.
Zun Motorsport Crew’s Lin Yiming continued his impressive rise with two overall third place finishes in the Circuit Hero series in his Audi R8 LMS GT3. Audi Sport Team TSRT’s David Chen continued his remarkable GTC title defence by taking his unbroken tally of class wins to four, the Audi Sport Asia driver at the wheel of a first-generation Audi R8 LMS. Champ X TA Motorsport’s Filipe Souza, meanwhile, took his Audi RS 3 LMS to second place in the Circuit Hero One race on Sunday despite a late-race tyre issue.
“Congratulations to all our Audi drivers and teams on a superb effort this weekend,” said Martin Kuehl, Director of Audi Sport customer racing Asia. “The competition in both Circuit Hero and Circuit Hero One has been intense yet the teams have come away with three overall podiums and three class wins.”
Saturday saw Lin finish third in the opening 10-lap Circuit Hero race, first in the Supercar Challenge, while series newcomer Marco Lee made an impression by taking the final Super Challenge podium place on his debut. Chen, meanwhile, took his unbroken tally of GTC wins to three, crossing the line fourth overall.
Sunday’s Circuit Hero saw the top eight finishers in race one reversed on the grid, putting Lee on pole and Chen P5 alongside Lin. A truly inspired drive from Lin, who was hounded throughout the 15-laps by a fierce challenge from behind, saw him skillfully defend to claim his second overall podium of the weekend and second place in the Supercar Challenge class. Chen crossed the line fifth to take his fourth successive GTC win, while sixth place for Lee earned him the final Supercar Challenge podium place.
In the Circuit Hero One series, Champ X TA Motorsport’s Filipe Souza was the undoubted star of the show. Having put the Audi RS 3 LMS on pole position for Sunday’s 15-lap race, the Macau driver led the field away and masterfully controlled the race until, just two laps from the flag, a slow puncture dashed his chances of victory. Inevitably losing the lead, Souza fought on, crossing the line in second despite a now-blown tyre.
