TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup 2025 Ningbo Station Day 1

The Ningbo race begins

On June 21, the battle of the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup 2025 Ningbo race officially kicked off at the Ningbo International Circuit. In the first round, the racing elites fought against the heat and staged a surging movement of speed.

In the fierce battle of the elite group (MT), Lifeng Racing won the championship and runner-up. Wang Hao won the victory in the high temperature battle, and Lin Lifeng won the runner-up. Lv Yan of the Leo Racing Team won the third place.

DTM Racing won the first and second place in the Excellence Group (AT). Wang Haosen won the championship with a stable performance, and Ren Dazhuang won the second place. Lu Sixiang of Prime Racing was on the podium of the group for three consecutive rounds.

Qualifying: Lap Speed Battle, Wang Hao Tops

After a thorough warm-up in the open practice session, the drivers were in great form on the first race day. They competed to refresh the fastest lap speed in the qualifying stage. The top position changed hands many times, and a fierce lap speed duel took place.

After the qualifying session started, Yu Rao of Huihe Racing, Fei Jun of GEEKE Jike Team, and Lin Lifeng of Lifeng Racing successively took the first place in the first stage. Later, Wang Hao of Lifeng Racing topped the list with 2:05.856, but Hu Hanzhong of LEVEL Motorsports quickly took the top spot with 2:05.364. Wang Hao then fought back with 2:04.935 and returned to the top. Wang Hao's leading position was unshakable in the remaining races. In the end, Wang Hao won the pole position, Hu Hanzhong won the other seat in the front row, and Yu Rao won the third place in the whole race.

In the Excellence Group (AT), Fei Jun and Shi Wei (Tiedou) of SHE Power Racing had a multi-round lap time wrestling. Shi Wei (Tiedou) was better and won the pole position in the group with 2:06.128. Fei Jun won the second place in the Excellence Group (AT), and Lu Sixiang of Prime Racing won the third place in the group.

Elite Group (MT): Wang Hao wins from pole position

The temperature in Ningbo on Saturday was close to 33 degrees Celsius, and the first round of the finals started in high temperatures. Yu Rao, who started from the second row, started quickly and successfully took the lead after the start. Wang Hao, who started from pole position, followed closely behind, and the two sides broke out into an offensive and defensive duel. Hu Hanzhong moved forward with the third place in the whole field.

Wang Hao overtook the first place in the second lap, and Hu Hanzhong also slipped close to Yu Rao who slipped to the second place, and the three cars formed a leading camp. Wang Hao led steadily and gradually established a leading advantage. Yu Rao and Hu Hanzhong continued to fight fiercely, and Lin Lifeng also caught up from behind.

Then the race caused the safety car to be deployed due to an accident, and the distance between the cars was compressed, adding suspense to the race. The race was restarted with 7 laps left, and Wang Hao held on to the first place after the restart. Yu Rao and Hu Hanzhong had another fierce duel, and the two sides had contact in the fierce battle. Lin Lifeng and Lu Yan took advantage of the situation to enter the top three of the field. This accident also triggered the deployment of the safety car again.

Wang Hao held on to the first place after the second restart of the race, and Lin Lifeng and Lu Yan behind him also started a fierce battle. In the end, Wang Hao crossed the finish line first and won the championship of this round. Lin Lifeng held on to his position in the fierce battle and won the runner-up. Lu Yan won the third place.

Wang Hao said after the race: "My overall performance today was pretty good, and I had good luck. My start was not very good, and I was overtaken by my opponent after the start. Then I focused on my personal driving, found the right opportunity to overtake to the first place, and then gradually opened up the gap. The two safety car deployments in this round also brought more challenges to the race. I am very happy to bring back the championship safely."

Excellent Group (AT): Wang Haosen won the championship steadily

In the duel of the Excellent Group (AT), Shi Wei (Tiedou), who started from the pole position of the group, successfully maintained the first place in the group after the start. Ren Dazhuang and Wang Haosen entered the top three of the group with excellent starts. Shi Wei once opened up a clear lead in the group, but then encountered an unexpected situation and stopped his pace in advance, and Wang Haosen jumped to the leading position of the group. Lv Sixiang later returned to the top three of the group.

Wang Haosen played steadily all the way, and maintained the first place after two safety car deployments, and finally won the championship of the Excellent Group (AT). Ren Dazhuang achieved a breakthrough, stepped onto the podium for the first time, and brought back the runner-up in the group. Lu Sixiang once again finished third in his group.

Wang Haosen was satisfied with his results after the race: "I can say that I was 'appointed' this weekend. I didn't know I was going to compete until the qualifying round. I didn't have an absolute lap time advantage in this round. I mainly got a good position through defense. In addition, there were frequent problems on the field in this round. The two deployments of the safety car also helped me to a certain extent. I am very happy to win the group championship.

After the exciting final of the first round, the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing China GR86 Cup 2025 Ningbo Station will have another round on June 22 (Sunday) in front of GR fans at TOYOTA GAZOO Racing PARK. Let's go to the summer racing feast together!