Jason Zhang wins for Kia at home in South Korea in the 1.6T race (updated)
Jason Zhang initally led a 1-2 for Kia Racing in the second race of the weekend of the China Touring Car Championship ahead of team-mate Leo Yi Hong Li, until Leo was given a penalty for a jump start, meaning the Dongfeng Hondas completed the podium. Zhang’s win means he closes the points gap to Honda’s Martin Xie in the process
The win for the first for Zhang of the 2016 season. Zhang’s team-mate Leo Yi Hong Li started from pole, but was passed by the two Dongfeng Honda Civics of Martin Xie and Zou Si Rui at the start.
Leo Yi managed to get back ahead of the two Hondas before the end of the lap, but it was Zhang who showed pace, and managed to carve his way past all three before the end of lap two to assume the lead.
Jim Ka To then overtook Xie on the third lap, briefly putting Kia in all top three spots, but Xie and the other Honda of Race 1 winner Henry Ho moved back ahead of Jim’s Kia K3 a lap later, with Ho then passing Xie for the final podium spot on lap five, where they’d hold position until the finish.
Following the race, pole-sitter Leo Yi was penalised for a false start and dropped back to fifth.
Xie still leads the Super Cup 1.6T drivers’ championship on 130 points, but is now just eight ahead of Kia’s Jason Zhang, with Henry Ho 45 points behind heading to the next race at the Guangdong International Circuit on August 28th.
