Eurasia Motorsport’s Kyle Mitchell took an accomplished rookie class win and fourth overall in the first race at the new circuit in Chengdu, China. He also recorded the fastest lap of the race. Team mate, Akhil Khushlani, finished 4th in class, 8th overall after starting 13th on the grid.
Mitchell qualified seventh with Khushlani 13th after a troubled session in which both drivers struggled to get the best out their new tyres on the new Chinese circuit. However they proved once again that they can race better than they qualify. Neither driver made a particularly good start and finished the first lap in the same position as they started. However Mitchell was soon on the move, up to sixth place on lap three and fifth a lap later. By lap eight Mitchell was in fourth place leading his rookie championship rival, Ross Jamison, and glued to the tail of newcomer, Jack Lemvard. Mitchell and Jamison found a way past Lemvard, who was driving a wide car, but on lap 14 Mitchell ran wide out of the final turn and handed fourth place to Jamison. Lemvard was all over Jamison and this allowed Kyle back on their tail. In the process he recorded the race’s fastest lap and once back with them he wasted no time in slicing past Jamison and Lemvard to take an accomplished race win.
Akhil was caught behind slower cars for the first three laps but he then made steady progress, picking off his rivals one by one. Tenth on lap 5 became ninth on lap 10 and he overtook Imran Shaharom to take eighth place on the following lap.
“We were very happy with the performance of both drivers” remarked Martin Quick of Eurasia “and as they start fourth and eighth on the grid for the second race of the day we hope to achieve a podium finish this afternoon”.
Mitchell reported “I think I have worked out how to drive the car on the limit and I hope to be able to go even better in the next race”. Team Mate, Khushlani, remarked that “I am really looking forward to the second race. I know I can move up into the top six”
