 |
 |
| Copyright © NISMO |
Beijing's Golden Port Circuit (2.39 km/lap) was the scene of Round 5 of the 2006 China Circuit Championship, held on Sunday, September 17th. Competing in the 1600cc class, the NISSAN Tiida entry of Guo Hai Sheng (Dongfeng NISSAN Ghia team) started from Pole Position and finished first. With the points earned for the victory, he's leading the championship for drivers. His teammate, He Xiao Le, started second, but retired after an accident on the first lap where he spun and crashed with another car. The Dongfeng NISSAN Ghia team came away from the day's racing with 9 points, thus keeping their lead in the team's standings.
Even though it was the middle of September, the weather on race day at Beijing's Golden Port Circuit was midsummer's-like, with temperatures of 30 degrees Celsius and not a cloud in the sky. The track temperature, measured just prior to the start of the 1600cc class race, was 39 degrees. Built four years ago, the narrow circuit features two hairpin corners, as well as mid-and high-speed corners, and is considered a technical track.
 |
|
| Copyright © NISMO |
In the Qualifying session, NISSAN Tiidas took Pole Position and 2nd place, locking out the front row for the race. As the race got underway, the #19 Tiida of Guo Hai Sheng immediately built up a gap after getting into the lead at the first corner. Meanwhile, the #20 Tiida of He Xiao Le competed hard with the third and fourth-placed cars. Just after the first corner, a long downhill sweeper, He overshot his braking point, running too quickly into the corner, and spinning off. Another car followed him into the gravel at the same spot, coming to rest against the NISSAN. Neither car was able to re-start, resulting in retirement.
As the cars came around for the end of the first lap, it was Guo at the wheel of the #19 NISSAN Tiida in the lead. One lap later he pitted, citing some irregularity with the tyres. His stop was speedy, and he quickly returned to the track. After that, he put in a brilliant performance, lapping over 1.0 seconds quicker than the other cars while driving carefully, and taking no risks. He won by over 44 seconds to the 2nd-placed car as he crossed the line at the end of 34 laps. With his win in Round 2 at Zhuhai, this second victory puts him in a lead in the driver's standings. After coming 2nd last time out in Shanghai, though scoreless this weekend, teammate He Xiao Le remains third in the driver's standings, just two points behind 2nd place.
Guo Hai Sheng commented after the race
"Getting Pole felt great. In the race, I thought the opening lap would be most important, so I really kept my head down and concentrated on myself. I had no trouble at the start, so that was good. On the second lap, I felt something strange with the tyres. I wanted to make sure what it was so decided to return to the pits. I think that was the right thing to have done. After that, I didn't need to take any risks so I drove carefully to the flag."
The next race in the China Circuit Championship is Round 6 (the final round) at Beijing's Golden Port Circuit on October 29th. Drivers and teams will be looking to wrap up the championship at the event.
