2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup Shanghai Opening Game Preparation Site

Swordsmanship at the race

***Directly witness the preparations for the opening match in Shanghai! ***

From May 16 to 18, the 2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup will kick off the new season at the Shanghai International Circuit, where the new lineup for the new season will gather for the first time. On Friday, the race entered the free practice session, and a group of drivers drove onto the track to prepare for the first battle of the year!

01

New lineup gathers for the race

In the 2025 season, the race once again attracted the participation of top drivers and powerful new stars. Many drivers gathered together this weekend to exchange and learn and challenge themselves on the F1 track.

Lifeng Racing sent two national championship champions, Lin Lifeng and He Xiaole, to compete in the opening match, with a luxurious lineup to challenge the highest honor of the Elite Group (MT Group). Last season's champion team 610 Racing formed a lineup consisting of two newcomers, Zhao Tong and Man Kaishuo, to attack in both the Elite Group (MT Group) and the Excellence Group (AT Group). DTM Racing challenged the Excellence Group (AT Group) with the new "old" partner Zhou Han and Ren Dazhuang. Prime Racing started a new journey in the Excellence Group (AT Group) with Lu Sixiang and Zhang Zhanhe. Yu Rao of Huihe Racing will continue to participate in the Elite Group (MT Group) showdown this season.

Many new faces appeared in the list of participants this season. Team DIXCEL was led by DJ Holdings Group President Masahiko Iida to compete in the opening race. The powerful team LEVEL Motorsport sent Hu Hanzhong, Chen Junfu and Lu Jianqi to participate in the competition. Lyon of Luminous Team will make its debut in the Shanghai race. Liu Ran of Leo Team will partner with Liu Zejin (Liuliu Ge), a famous automotive media person, to compete.

02

First race in Shanghai, hot preparation

Shanghai Jiading ushered in showers on Friday, and the major drivers completed two free practice sessions under complex road conditions. This station is the first time the event has visited the Shanghai International Circuit. As the venue for the F1 Chinese Grand Prix, the Shanghai International Circuit is a speed palace in the hearts of countless drivers. The main track of this track is 5.451 kilometers long and is shaped like the Chinese character "上". It contains 16 corners. The long straights and high-speed corners challenge the performance of the car and the skills of the driver.

In the first free practice session, Lin Lifeng of Lifeng Racing won the Elite Group (MT Group) and the fastest in the whole field, and Lyon, the rising star of Luminous Team, won the first place in the Excellence Group (AT Group) and broke into the top three in the whole field.

In the second free practice session, Hu Hanzhong of LEVEL Motorsport won the Elite Group (MT Group) and the first place in the field, and Man Kaishuo of 610 Racing ranked first in the Excellence Group (AT Group).

The event has added a total of 2 hours of open practice at each station this season to help drivers get familiar with the track and improve their skills. After Thursday's open practice and Friday's free practice, drivers said they had a deeper understanding of the vehicle's characteristics and enjoyed a lot of driving pleasure on the F1 track. Now, please follow us to the Shanghai race site to listen to the drivers' preparations.

Lifeng Racing Lin Lifeng

This is our second year of participating. The new season has ushered in new tire and brake suppliers. We need to take time to adapt to these changes, explore the limits of the new tires and brakes, and maximize their potential. At present, preparations are moving in a good direction. This car is very fun to race on this track. We will continue to aim for the highest honor in the new season and look forward to our drivers getting more points in this station.

Team DIXCEL Iida Masahiko

This is my first time participating in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup. This event IP is very well-known worldwide, and we pay special attention to the Chinese market, so we decided to participate in this season. It rained in Shanghai on Friday, and I practiced with a conservative strategy and enjoyed it. This station is full of masters, I hope to be on the podium, and I also look forward to enhancing the communication between Chinese and Japanese drivers.

LEVEL Motorsport Lu Jianqi

I performed well in the open practice, but the car encountered some minor problems on Friday and failed to fully demonstrate its strength. This car has a front-rear drive layout. It is very flexible in the low-speed corners of the last race and the high-speed corners of T7-T8. The racing tires can also maintain a good lap time performance. The performance level of the vehicles in the unified race is uniform and the competition is fierce. Qualifying will be the key to this race.

DTM Racing Zhou Han

I have participated in the endurance race in the last race, which is my favorite track. This car performs very well here. This event provides a very good growth opportunity for drivers. I will continue to practice and improve in the competition, and hope to challenge myself in the second year of the campaign.

Prime Racing Zhang Zhanhe

I have always been a drift driver, and this is my first time to contact track racing. I used practice to adapt to the rhythm of racing and circuit racing. This year's cross-border competition is mainly for learning. This car is a rear-wheel drive car, which is very easy to drive. I believe it will deepen my understanding of drift routes and car control. I look forward to finishing the first race safely.

610 Racing Man Kaishuo

The Shanghai International Circuit is very challenging, and I am very happy that I can complete my debut on the F1 track. We have accumulated a lot of data through test driving, and I have also deepened my understanding of the track. I won the first place in the group in the second free practice, and my performance was not bad. I look forward to the performance of the weekend race.

Leo Racing Team Liu Zejin (Liuliu Ge)

During practice, I mainly conducted adaptive test runs. This car is easy to drive and its characteristics can be mastered quickly. The Shanghai International Circuit can be said to be the best track in China. There are many line options, and we can give full play to the performance of the car. I am very much looking forward to the race this weekend. I especially enjoy the attack and defense in the car, and hope to play my specialty in the race.

Luminous Team Lyon

I am a JDM fan, especially Toyota, and my favorite track is Shangsai, so I really enjoy this race. We prepared a special paint job for the race, and photos of team fans were posted on the car body. This is my first time to participate in this event, and driving a rear-wheel drive car is a challenge. I am currently learning to control the car through practice, and I look forward to learning from masters in the race and making progress together.

The 2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup will have qualifying and the first round finals on May 17 (Saturday), and the second round finals on May 18 (Sunday). We look forward to the drivers bringing us a wonderful showdown in the opening game of the new season!

2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup

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