Eurasia Motorsport got its 2016/17 Asian Le Mans Series campaign off to the perfect start Sunday (30 October, 2016) in the 4 Hours of Zhuhai with victory in both the LMP2 and LMP3 categories under the Jackie Chan DC Racing banner.
The Asian-based team supported both Jackie Chan DC Racing and Wineurasia teams and ended the day delighted to take commanding wins in both categories.
Ho-Pin Tung and Gustavo Menezes guided the #35 ORECA 03R Nissan LMP2 to victory from the front row of the grid, finishing 44-seconds clear of its main rival. However, it was far from an easy run to the chequered flag on lap 146.
“In LMP2 we decided to pit at almost every opportunity under the safety car, which ultimately proved to be the correct strategy,” stated Team Principal Mark Goddard. “It wasn’t an easy race at all as Ho-Pin ran over some debris, cutting his tyre which then blocked the radiator ducting.
“However we had some good fortune with a safety car which allowed us to pit, change tyres and clean out the radiators without it costing us much time. In the final 20-minutes we had to pit for a splash of fuel. We also had a penalty to serve as well for overtaking before the start line at one of the restarts, but the safety car strategy helped us and ensured we took the victory.”
The second Jackie Chan entry took top hours in the LMP3 class, and fourth overall, with James Winslow, David Cheng and Pu Jun Jin at the wheel of the #1 Ligier JSP3.
Over at Wineurasia, the day proved more difficult in the #99 Ligier with Richard Bradley, William Lok and Philippe Descombes all on driving duties; eventually finishing sixth in class.
“In LMP3 it all went to plan and the safety car stops gave us a good lead – and eventual win – in the Jackie Chan car,” Goddard explained. “The Wineurasia team had a tough time as William (Lok) had a couple of offs, ending up in the gravel twice, plus some accident damage that saw us having to repair the car in the pits, without the use of the air-jack, as that had been damaged as well. But still we won in both classes with the Jackie Chan DC cars, so overall a great weekend.”
The Asian Le Mans Series reconvenes at Fuji International Speedway for round two of the championship on 2-4 December, 2016.
