Ma Qing Hua wins TCR Asia opener as MG drivers take each other out
Ma Qing Hua won the opening TCR Asia series opener, that was held together with TCR China, at Shanghai International Raceway while MG XPOWER drivers Martin Cao and Rodolfo Ávila took each other out in spectacular fashion.
Teamworks Motorsport driver Hua started from pole position and held the lead throughout the race, despite hard pressure initially from Lynk & Co team-mate Jason Zhang.
MG driver Zhang Zhen Dong was eliminated early on after receiving suspension damage in a clash with Huffsport TM driver Yang Xi during the opening laps, calling the safety car into action.
And as the field restarted the race on lap five, it all went wrong for MG drivers Cao and Ávila.
Cao turned right across the front of Ávila, resulting in them both crashing into the barriers and retiring from the race, bringing the red flags out.
Both drivers escaped unharmed while their MGs were badly damaged.
The race restarted without any new incidents and Hua headed a Lynk & Co 1-2-3 with Zhang in second and Sunny Wong in third.
Wan Cheng Zheng finished fourth for 326 MMK Racing Team, with Audi colleague Yang Xiao Wei in fifth for Z.Speed.
Xi rounded off the top six for Huffsport TM, eleven seconds from race winner Hua.
The second race of the weekend starts at 13:28 local time/07:28 CEST tomorrow, with Xi starting from the reversed grid pole position.
