2025 TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup Shanghai Day 2 Review

News & Announcements China Shanghai International Circuit May 19

***Shanghai Lifeng Shanghai Station presents another peak competition! ***

On May 18, the opening round of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup 2025 was held at the Shanghai International Circuit, starting the second round of the Shanghai Station.

Lifeng Racing won the first and second place in the Elite Group (MT Group), He Xiaole won another victory, and Lin Lifeng took the second place. Hu Hanzhong of LEVEL Motorsport won the third place.

Excellence Group (AT Group), 610 Man Kaishuo of Racing won the championship, Liu Zejin (Liuliu Ge) of Leo Racing won the runner-up again on the podium, and Lu Sixiang of Prime Racing won the third place.

Elite Group (MT Group): Attack and defense intertwined, fighting to the finish line

According to the draw results, the top six in the first round started in reverse order in the second round, laying the groundwork for exciting overtaking. The temperature in Shanghai on Sunday was slightly lower than on Saturday, which put higher demands on the drivers' tire management. Masahiko Iida of Team DIXCEL and Yu Rao of Huihe Racing, who started from the front row, had a fierce battle after the start. Zhao Tong, who started from the fifth place, took the first place after passing the T1-T3 combination corners, and Lin Lifeng of Lifeng Racing also rushed to the second place. After the two drivers stabilized in the first two places, they started to compete for the championship.

LEVEL Motorsport's Hu Hanzhong held the top three positions after the start. He Xiaole of Lifeng Racing, who started from the third row, rushed forward from the outside, caught up with Hu Hanzhong and passed him to third place.

The safety car was deployed due to an accident later in the race, and the distance between the players on the field was shortened, creating more suspense for the race. After the race restarted, Zhao Tong maintained the lead, and He Xiaole also surpassed his teammate to come second in the field, and quickly chased Zhao Tong to launch an attack. Hu Hanzhong also put pressure on Lin Lifeng, who was in third place at the time, for a seat on the podium.

The balanced performance of the racing car in the standard race makes it possible for professional drivers and powerful new stars to have a direct dialogue. After several rounds of confrontation, He Xiaole successfully promoted to the first place in the field, but failed to open up the gap. Zhao Tong immediately counterattacked and returned to the first place in the field. However, the championship drama was not over. He Xiaole chased Zhao Tong closely and launched a general attack for the championship in the last lap. Under the fierce offensive, Zhao Tong made a mistake in T14, and He Xiaole took the opportunity to come to the first place.

Finally, He Xiaole won two championships in Shanghai. Lin Lifeng and Hu Hanzhong also fought to the last minute of the game. Lin Lifeng finished second and Hu Hanzhong won third.

Excellence Group (AT Group): Rising Rookies, Passionate Attack

Liu Zejin (Brother Liu), a famous automotive media person from Leo Racing, successfully maintained the leading position in the group in the fierce battle at the start, followed closely by Man Kaishuo from 610 Racing, actively chasing forward. Ren Dazhuang from DTM Racing also entered the top three. Lu Sixiang from Prime Racing competed with many opponents in the back.

Man Kaishuo continued to advance and successfully promoted to the top, and maintained the leading position in the group until the finish line, winning the championship in his first race. Liu Zejin (Liuliu Ge) played steadily and brought back the runner-up trophy. Lv Sixiang entered the top three again and finished third in the group.

Offense and defense are in place, challenge the advancement

As the opening race of the 2025 season, the Shanghai station witnessed the debut of many new rules of the event. Drivers said that the upgrade of the event made the competition more exciting and created a stage for newcomers to learn and improve.

He Xiaole believes that the reverse start in the second round created more overtaking in the race, and the drivers' duel was fierce and restrained. "On Sunday, the top six started in reverse order. I climbed two positions after the start, and started to fight with my opponent in the second lap. In this race, everyone was very gentlemanly in the fight, leaving space for each other, making the race full of fun. This car has moderate power and adopts a rear-wheel drive layout, which has very delicate requirements for the driver's driving skills. Especially in the latter part of the race, you can't make mistakes and need to stay 100% focused. I believe this event can help many fans and novices improve their skills."

Man Kaishuo, who participated in the competition for the first time, has improved in all aspects after experiencing two rounds of finals. "I encountered challenges in the second round, but I overcame them and achieved good results. This is my first time participating in the competition, and all aspects of my driving skills have been improved. I look forward to continuing to improve technical details and making continuous progress."

TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup 2025 kicked off the new season with two exciting rounds at the Shanghai International Circuit. After the Shanghai race, the event will unlock a new track again on June 21-22, welcoming the second race of the season at the Ningbo International Circuit. Stay tuned.