Photo: Dongfeng Kia Racing Team

Alex Fontana untouchable in first Tianma race

There was no stopping Kia driver Alex Fontana in the first CTCC race of the weekend at Tianma, winning the race close to six seconds ahead of championship leader and Dongfeng Kia Racing Team team-mate Leo Yi.

Newly crowned BTCC champion Colin Turkington started from pole position but got a poor getaway and dropped down to fourth position.

Turkington spent the first ten laps behind his SAIC VW333 Racing team-mate Rodolfo Avila but was able to get past and start a chase of Yi in second place.

But the Northern Irishman never got close enough and handed third back to Avila on the last lap to finish the race in fourth position.

Jason Zhang, who is placed second in the championship, finished fifth for Dongfeng Kia Racing Team with Adam Morgan crossing the line in sixth position as the best placed BAIC Senova Racing Team driver.

Reigning champion David Zhu made strong progress in the race to finish seventh from eleventh on the grid in his Senova D50, making his way past the Changan Ford FRD Team duo of Josh Burdon and Rainey He in the closing stages of the race.

André Couto, who was drafted in for Kia for this race, started 12th and finished tenth.

The second race of the weekend is scheduled for 13:18 local time (07:18 CEST) tomorrow.