Eurasia Motorsport concluded a trying weekend in the Formula Masters China Series (FMCS) at China’s premier Shanghai International Circuit with strong points finishes for Aidan Read during mixed weather conditions (5-7 June).
With the cars having been in transit since the season opener at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit in April, Eurasia Motorsport’s four driver took to the Shanghai International Circuit for the first time during Friday (5 June) morning’s free practice session to fettle the setup on their machines.
Australia’s Read led the Eurasia charge by setting the fourth fastest time (1m50.197s), ahead of Sean Hudspeth in ninth and Hua Miao and Kim Jeong Tae in 12th and 13th respectively.
During qualifying later that day, Read once again set the best time within the Eurasia camp to qualify fourth for Saturday’s (6 June) Round 4, with Hudspeth, Jeong Tae and Hua Miao down the field in tenth, 12th and 13th.
Lining-up on the second row of the grid for the weekend’s opening race, Read lost places on the opening tour and became entangled in a tight duel with Yuan Bo. The pair continued to tussle for fourth position lap-after-lap, before Yuan slipped his way past the young Australian, only to make a mistake further into the race, demoting him back to eighth.
With a Safety Car interruption neutralising the field due to an incident involving Arrows Racing’s Matthew Swanepoel and Star Racing Academy driver Sean Zheng Shangguan, Read was poised to snatch fourth place from Nicolas Rowe, but was unable to make a move stick and would cross the line in fifth position with teammate Hudspeth close behind in sixth.
Having started from tenth on the starting grid, Hudspeth made an immediate impact on the ten-lap race to scythe his way through the field to bring his car home just three tenths behind teammate Read in sixth position.
Miao, who was leading the Best Chinese Driver Trophy after the opening round in Malaysia, jostled for position with teammate, and FMCS newcomer, Jeong Tae in the final stages of the race, before greeting the chequered flag in 11th position.
Round 5 was postponed till the following day (7 June) due to high winds, where Read lined-up sixth and would narrowly miss out on a third podium of the season after crossing the line fourth, with Hudspeth eighth, Jeong Tae tenth and Hua Miao 11th.
The weekend’s final race was held in damp conditions, where all drivers opted to fit wet compound tyres. Having started fifth, Read was quick to negotiate his way through the field and was running in third position, before slipping back to his original starting position.
Read continued to show a great turn of speed in the tricky conditions and would cross the line less than a second behind fourth placed driver, Matthew Swanepoel.
First time driving in wet conditions, Jeong Tae stalled at the start and dropped to the rear of the field. With a lot of work to do, the Korean driver showed great resolve in dispatching several of his rivals to bring his car home a respectable sixth, ahead of teammates Hudspeth and Hua Miao in ninth and 11th.
