The 2006 China Circuit Championship (CCC) kicked off March 12 at the Shanghai International Circuit. In the opening round, Team 778's Sunny posted an impressive 1-2 finish in the 2,000cc class. The 1,600cc class also attracted attention, with the Dongfeng Nissan Ghiasports Team's Tiida making its debut.
In the race, Team 778's three Sunny cars, which in qualifying had secured excellent positions on the starting grid, taking the first, second, and fourth positions, held the top three spots after the first corner. Locked in battle with the Sunny cars were Changan Ford's Focus and Hualong's Peugeot 307. The Lu brothers, behind the wheels of two Sunnys, were determined to deny their rivals any opportunities and stubbornly maintained their 1-2 positions throughout the race. Jia Jun Lu stood atop the podium at the end of the opening round, while brother Jia Hui Lu finished in second place. This is the third season for Team 778, and the team has built on its excellent track record the last two years. The 1-2 win in the opening round again underlined the power of the Sunny.
In the 1,600cc class race that followed, the Tiida garnered a good detail of attention in its debut track performance, recording the fastest lap time of 2:32.579. A multiple car crash, however, brought out the safety car on the fourth lap. With a rule that cars in the 1,600cc class race must make one pit stop, Team 333's Han Han who pitted on Lap 1, and the Beijing Haidian Drive School Team's Chao Wang who pitted on Lap 3, gained an advantage through the safety car lap. Given the sudden nature of the accident, Tiida driver Hai Sheng Guo, who had been holding the top position, missed an opportunity to make a pit stop, eventually pitting and changing tires on Lap 8. By that time, however, he had lost the lead he initially enjoyed. Due to the unforeseen events, the two Tiida cars of the Ghiasports Team, on which many had expressed high hopes, ultimately finished in fifth and seventh spots, respectively.
Yet, the Tiida did amply demonstrate its power, setting new records for fastest lap.
This year, the Ford Focus and Kia Cerato are among the new models making their CCC debut, further adding to the excitement of the championship..
