David Zhu secures TCR China title as Zhang and Li split Zhejiang wins
David Zhu has secured his second consecutive TCR China title after finishing third in the opening race of the season finale at the Zhejiang Circuit, while Jason Zhang and Richard Li Guang Hua claimed the final two victories of the year.
Lynk & Co Teamwork driver Zhu entered the weekend with a commanding championship lead and sealed the title with a third-place finish in a rain-soaked opening race, despite title rival Zhang charging through the field to take victory.
Richard Li Guang Hua had claimed pole position in a wet qualifying session interrupted by two red flags, beating Zhu and Frederick Lee.
Zhang was second fastest in Q1 but was prevented from taking part in Q2 after causing a red flag, leaving him 12th on the grid for the opening race.
The race started behind the safety car in heavy rain, with Li maintaining his lead ahead of Zhu, Lee and Sunny Wong Yat Shing.
Zhang made rapid progress through the field, climbing to fifth by the end of lap three before passing Lee and Wong to move into third position.
A safety car intervention followed when Elvis Han Dong Yun went into the gravel at Turn 13, with racing resuming on lap eleven.
Zhang immediately passed Zhu for second and closed in on race leader Li, making his move around the outside on lap 14.
The pair made contact but continued, with Zhang emerging in the lead to secure his fourth victory of the season.
Li finished second, 2.487 seconds behind, while Zhu completed the podium to secure the championship with one race remaining.
The reversed-grid second race saw Man Siu Ming and Yang Zheng start from the front row, with the pair maintaining their positions at the start.
Zhu and Zhang quickly worked their way through the field, while Yang moved into the lead on lap three ahead of Zhang and Zhu shortly before another safety car intervention.
Following the restart on lap ten, Zhu passed Zhang for second and began putting pressure on Yang, who successfully defended his position.
Meanwhile, Li was making rapid progress through the field after opting for slick tyres on the drying circuit.
Having started tenth, Li passed Liang Qi, Zhang and Zhu before catching Yang and taking the lead on lap 15.
Li held on to claim victory by 4.281 seconds over Yang, while newly crowned champion Zhu completed the podium in third.
The results rounded off a dominant season for Lynk & Co machinery, which claimed ten victories from the twelve races and filled the top four positions in the drivers’ championship.
Zhu finished the season on 6175 points, 890 clear of runner-up Zhang, with Wong completing the championship top three on 4660 points.
