Andy Yan is another step closer to be the CTCC Champion
Date: 15-16 October 2011
Location: Guangdong International Circui(GDIC)
Round: 7/8
Changan Ford Racing Team driver Andy Yan and Jiang Tengyi finished 2-3 in the CTCC Super Production NA group. With this result, Andy Yan is another step closer to getting the 2011 Driver Championship.
Qualifying: Uphill battle with the weight penalty
GDIC is a circuit that demands good acceleration, higher top speed and heavy braking and all these factors are the enemies of a heavy car. After the Tianma race, the weight issue again became a major concern for the Changan Ford Racing Team. Andy Yan’s 1,270 kg is about 140kg heavier than Han Han’s Polo and Lo Ka Jun’s KIA Forte.
As expected, the super light weight Polos took over the top of the qualifying time sheet. The only NA car that could crack the top three was Lo Ka Jun’s KIA Forte. Changan Ford Racing Team Drivers; Jiang Tengyi and Rainey He tried and could manage to get 5th and 6th on the grid for Sunday’s race. Andy Yan, who is leading the driver points table and is in a position to win the title this race, struggled with his heavy car, could only score a time allowing him to start 10th.
Race: Strategy - minimize the damage of losing a battle but win the war later
Right after the red lights went off, an accident involving three cars happened immediately right in front of Andy Yan. Andy Yan managed to avoid the accident and took the opportunity to move closer with the front pack. But with a 1,270+ kg car, he really had very little chance to battle with the much lighter VW Polos in front of him. After 21 laps of competition, he crossed the finish line taking 2nd position of the NA Group behind Team KIA’s Lo Ka Jun.
Trying to support Andy, Rainey He and Jiang Tengyi stayed behind him allowing Andy Yan to run with the front pack. With only five laps to go, Rainey had to park his car due to high water temperature. Teammate Jiang Tengyi immediately took Rainey’s position and he crossed the finish line as the second runner-up of the NA Group.
With 127 points, Andy Yan is leading the driver championship by 16 points and stands an excellent chance to win the title in the final round in Shanghai Tianma Circuit on November 6th.
Andy Yan
“This circuit is not a good one for heavy cars so I knew I had very little chance to fight with Ka Jun and especially the Polos. So once I know I am not challenged by another NA car in the race, we decided to play safe and bring the car home and collect the points.”
John Ling
Team Manager
“I am super happy about the result knowing the weight difference between the cars is going to be the major factor deciding the outcome of this race. Looking forward to the last race in Tianma.”
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2011 CTCC Changan Ford Racing Team Race Result
