29 cars confirmed for the 2016 CTCC season opener this weekend

The 2016 China Touring Car Championship gets underway this weekend at the Wantrack Circuit in Nanjing, China, with 29 cars entered across the championship’s two classes, with Kia, Honda, Haima, Ford and Volkswagen factory teams entered for the race.

Nanjing Wantrack International Circuit was built in 2014 and classified as FIA Grade 3 standard circuit. The F-shaped 1.348 mile circuit is made up of 12 corners with a hairpin for the third corner, and a range of “power drifting” turns between Turn 7 and Turn 11. As it’s the first debut for the Nanjing based racing circuit, the competing teams and drivers will face a new challenge in the opening of the 2016 CTCC season.

The CTCC Committee has released an entry list ahead of the weekend, with six factory teams and four independent teams competing in the two Super Cup Classes.

Super Cup 2.0T

Shanghai VW 333 Racing, the champion of the 2016 drivers’ and manufacturers’ championships in the 2.0 litre class, will introduce the brand-new Volkswagen Lamando, which is based on the international Jetta model, with Han Han, Wang Rue, Jiang Tengyi and Zhang Zhen Dong as the team’s driver line-up.

Chang’an Ford FRD Racing and BAIC Senova Racing will challenge the domination of the Volkswagen team in the 2.0 class, with Ford making the switch from the 1.6 class this year. The team have kept Andy Yan and Rainey He as its drivers, partnering the returnee Martin Cao Hong-Wei and the first foreign driver to take part in the CTCC, British driver Dan Wells, all driving the new Ford Focus 2.0T hatchback which replaces the saloon version of last year.

The BAIC Senova Racing team will likely enter four Senova D70s (which has been the official race car in the Chinese Racing Cup) with David Zhu and Juan Carlos Zhu as drivers with the other two to be still being confirmed.

Teamwork Motorsport will continue to compete in the Super Cup 2.0T class with a pair of OC/OE Spec Citroen C-Elysées, which will be driver by Sunny Wong and team owner Alex Hui. While Star Racing Team (formerly known as Wei Hao Racing) will enter two Mercedes-Benz C200s and Linky Racing an Audi S3.

Super Cup 1.6T

Kia Racing will also continue to be in the CTCC grid with brand new Kia K3S sedan after winning the manufacturers’ championship last year. The team have retained their entire drivers line-up of Jim Ka To from Hong Kong, and Jason Zhang Zhe Qiang, Leo Yi Hong Li and Larry Lin Le Feng from China.

As the closet rival of the Korean car maker, Dong Feng Honda Racing (DHRT) will enter the latest version of the Honda Civic, the FC model saloon, with Martin Xie Xin Zhe, Henry Ho Wai Kuen and Zou Shi Rui driving the brand new JAS Motorsport-developed cars.

Haima, the Chinese car-maker, will continue in the Super Cup 1.6T class with a factory-built M6. The team has confirmed Chen Xu and He Zi Xian as the leading drivers, adding Samuel Hsieh from Hong Kong as their third driver.

Beijing Ruixi Racing, which entered the Mazda Atenza 2.0 in the Super Cup 2.0T class last year, will switch to the 1.6 class with Macanese driver Kelvin Leong and Chinese driver Sun Zheng behind the wheel of the Atenzas, known as the Mazda 6 internationally

CTCC Nanjing Super Cup 1.6T Entry List

Driver (NAT) – Team – Car
Larry Lin Le Feng (CHN) – Kia Racing – Kia K3 Sedan 1.6T
Jim Ka To (HKG) – Kia Racing Kia K3 Sedan 1.6T
Leo Yi Hong Li (CHN) – Kia Racing Kia K3 Sedan 1.6T
Jason Zhang Zhe Qiang (CHN) -Kia Racing – Kia K3 Sedan 1.6T
Henry Ho Wai Kuen (MAC) – Dong Feng Honda Racing – Honda Civic FC 1.6T
Martin Xie Xin Zhe (CHN) – Dong Feng Honda Racing – Honda Civic FC 1.6T
Zou Si Rui (CHN) – Dong Feng Honda Racing – Honda Civic FC 1.6T
Chen Xu (CHN) – Haima Z1 Racing – Haima M6 1.6T
He Zi Xian (CHN) – Haima Z1 Racing – Haima M6 1.6T
Samuel Hsieh (HKG) – Haima Z1 Racing – Haima M6 1.6T
Kelvin Leong (MAC) – Ruixi MZ Racing – Mazda Atenza 2.0
Sun Zheng (CHN) – Ruixi MZ Racing – Mazda Atenza 2.0

CTCC Nanjing Super Cup 2.0T Entry List

Driver (NAT) – Team – Car
Andy Yan (HKG) – Chang’an Ford FRD Team – Ford Focus 2.0T
Rainey He (CHN) – Chang’an Ford FRD Team – Ford Focus 2.0T
Martin Cao Hong-Wei (CHN) – Chang’an Ford FRD Team – Ford Focus 2.0T
Dan Wells (GBR) – Chang’an Ford FRD Team – Ford Focus 2.0T
Jiang Tengyi (CHN) – Shanghai VW 333 Racing – VW Lamando 2.0T
Wang Yue (CHN) – Shanghai VW 333 Racing – VW Lamando 2.0T
Zhang Zhen Dong (CHN) – Shanghai VW 333 Racing – VW Lamando 2.0T
Han Han (CHN) Shanghai VW 333 Racing – VW Lamando 2.0T
David Zhu (CHN) – BAIC Senova Racing – Senova D70 2.0T
Juan Carlos Zhu (CHN) BAIC Senova Racing – Senova D70 2.0T
TBC – BAIC Senova Racing – Senova D70 2.0T
TBC – BAIC Senova Racing – Senova D70 2.0T
Sunny Wong (HKG) – Teamwork Motorsport – Citroen C- Elysée 2.0T
Alex Hui (HKG) – Teamwork Motorsport – Citroen C-Elysée 2.0T
Guo Hai Shen (CHN) – Star Racing Team – Mercedes Benz C200
TBC – Star Racing Team – Mercedes Benz C200
TBC – Linky Racing – Audi S3 2.0T