Jason Zhang leads Kia 1-2 in Guangdong Race 1

Jason Zhang took a lights-to-flag victory ahead of team-mate Leo Yi Hong Li in the first race of the China Touring Car Championship weekend at the Guangdong International Circuit, with the Ford Focus of Andy Yan completing the podium.

Zhang launched into the lead from pole position while Leo Yi was quickly up to second position in his Kia K3 2.0T, with Yan up to third in the Ford.

Zheng Zhen Dong was the top-placed of the SAIC Volkswagen 333 Racing Lamandos during the early phase of the race, but his race ended on lap five when his car slowed to a crawl, with team-mate Rodolfo Avila now up to fourth after having worked his way past reigning champion David Zhu’s BAIC Senova D50.

Martin Xie in the #55 Kia and the Ford of Martin Cao enjoyed a long battle for fifth, but the two were split on lap eight by Darryl O’Young, who was carving his way through the field after starting 13th, and ended up as the best-placed of the Senovas in sixth.

Team-mate Juan Carlos Zhu was eighth, with the Ford of Rainey He and the Volkswagen of Cai Yue completing the top ten.

The reversed grid second race takes place tomorrow at 13:18 CST (07:18 CET).