2025 CTCC Ningbo Station is preparing for the event

This weekend, the 2025 CTCC China Automobile Circuit Professional League will start the second race of the season at Ningbo International Circuit. The three major events of CTCC TCR China Championship, CTCC China Cup, and TCR Asia Series have gathered nearly 100 Chinese and foreign drivers to compete again at the junction of mountains and seas. On May 8, CTCC entered the test drive phase, and a group of racing masters drove onto the track in the rain, preparing for a new round of speed showdown.

Ningbo sets off a speed storm

As the second stop of the season, the CTCC Zhejiang Ningbo Station continued the luxurious lineup of the opening race in Shanghai Jiading. Lynk & Co, Hyundai Motor N brand, SAIC Volkswagen and other giants and many club teams all appeared, and top champion drivers and star players gathered again. At the same time, the event also attracted more new faces and new models to join.

Changeable weather adds to the highlights

Ningbo saw rain on Thursday, and the wetlands brought more challenges to the drivers' track driving. According to the weather forecast, Ningbo will be sunny on the weekend race day. The changeable weather tests the adaptability of drivers and teams, and brings more challenges to pre-race preparations.

The CTCC·TCR China Championship, CTCC China Cup, and TCR Asia Series completed two test runs on Thursday. Lynk & Co Jiekai Team swept the fastest laps in the TCR China Championship, with Zhu Dawei and Zhang Zhiqiang taking the top spot in the two test sessions. In the China Cup test, Gao Huayang/Aarif Lee of SAIC Volkswagen 333 Team and Yan Chuang of Fancy Zongheng Team took the top spot in the two test sessions. The battle is imminent, let's go to the test site of Ningbo Station and listen to the preparations of the major drivers.

Lynk & Co Jiekai Team Zhu Dawei

Today's first practice session was in a state where the wet track was gradually drying up, and we completed some dry adjustments with dry tires. Due to the rain in the second practice session, we all used rain tires. I remember the last rain race in Ningbo was in 2017. At that time, I felt that the track was seriously flooded. Now I feel that there is still obvious water on the straight road. The car will swing when driving over it. The overall grip is very different from that on dry land, so we need to pay special attention. We are still in the exploratory stage and need to use video playback to choose the driving route on rainy days. At present, our speed in the test drive is not bad, and there is still a lot of room for improvement. Friday will continue to be changeable weather, and we need to adapt to the rhythm of this station as soon as possible. Ningbo is our Lynk & Co home court. The team has made full preparations. I believe that through the practice on Thursday and Friday, we will quickly find the settings of the car, and will continue to adjust the competition strategy. I look forward to the team's good results in this station.

Zhang Zhendong, Shanghai Z.SPEED N Team

I tested the car in the wet today with rain tires, and I felt that the overall performance of our car was relatively balanced. On Friday, we will also use new tires in free practice to test the level of our car in the rainy battle in Ningbo. I have 40 kg of weight added in this station, and we have limited long-distance data accumulation for this new tire, so the team will adopt a relatively conservative strategy this weekend, looking forward to continuing the performance of the last game and expanding the lead in the standings.

SAIC Volkswagen 333 Racing Team Li Zhiting

Today's track was rainy, making the test drive challenging. I don't have much experience in rain races, and the race is expected to be a dry race, so today I mainly practiced car control under low grip, which is a valuable learning opportunity for me. Last year, I made my CTCC debut in Ningbo and have a special feeling for Ningbo International Circuit. In fact, looking back at my debut video, I feel that I didn't perform well enough, so I hope to make a leap forward in Ningbo again this year.

Lynk & Co Zongheng Racing Team Lai Yihui

This time I brought two newcomers to participate. They are both running Ningbo International Circuit for the first time. I have some experience in Ningbo competitions, so I look forward to helping my teammates this weekend and helping the team finish the race safely.

Mingxing wants to use the car OUR Racing Gao Yaou

Although the rain in the past two days will cause some trouble to our test plan, it also provides us with a good testing environment, allowing us to master some of the car's rain performance and tuning schemes, and prepare for future competitions. Of course, the dry tuning of the car is also still in the early stages. Next, we will make tactical deployments based on the actual changes in the weather. This station is the Asian debut of CUPRA Leon VZ TCR. We also hope to continue to unlock its competitiveness through the battle in CTCC and the new car galloping on top tracks across the country through continuous mileage and data accumulation, and finally complete a qualitative leap and launch an impact on the championship.

Norris Racing Chen Zhiwei

Rain brings many challenges to the test drive. This is my first time running on the Ningbo International Circuit. Today's test drive is mainly to familiarize myself with the track. This track is very exciting to run on, and I believe the competition in the race will be very fun. Coming to the second stop of the season, I look forward to keeping up with the pace of the masters and competing for the front position.

Zhuhai SS MRC Racing Deng Baowei

Today's test drive encountered rain, and it was difficult for us to fully release the speed of the car, but we still collected valuable data. After the last race, the communication between me and the team is now smoother, and we can understand each other's needs more clearly. The team has also formulated a race strategy based on the changeable weather this weekend, and the vehicle settings are also good. I look forward to an excellent performance this weekend.

Guiyang DTM Racing By FORCE Liu Hongzhi

Our test drive is going well, and the vehicle adjustment and the state of the whole team are very good. Ningbo International Circuit is very challenging, and I look forward to constantly breaking through myself and achieving better results.

Zhuzhou Jirenziyou Tianxiang Racing Team Zhong Yizhan

The rainy day brought challenges to our test drive. Today's rain was heavy and the track was slippery. It was difficult for us to give full play to the track. We were more familiar with the route. This is my first time running Ningbo International Circuit. The track has a compact layout and challenging combination bends. It is necessary to explore the best driving route. I look forward to finishing the race safely this weekend.

CTCC Ningbo Station will usher in the qualifying showdown of the TCR China Championship and TCR Asia Series on May 9 (Friday). Stay tuned!