2025 CEC Dong Junbo/Yang Shuo win the overall championship in Pingtan Station with their GT4 cars

From September 12th to 14th, the 2025 Xiaomi China Endurance Championship concluded its third race of the year, Pingtan. In the two weekend races, LEVEL Motorsports' BMW M4 GT4, sporting the NGK fiery red livery, emerged as the clear winner. Thanks to the outstanding performance of Dong Junbo and Yang Shuo, the No. 14 car secured class victories in both rounds, including an overall victory in the sixth race, a remarkable cross-class comeback.

Confident and steadily improving in practice and qualifying

Dong Junbo, making his first appearance at the national endurance championship this season, visited the Ruyi Lake International City Street in Pingtan for the first time. For him, quickly adapting to the track and achieving consistent lap times was crucial. He and teammate Yang Shuo took turns driving the car during practice, both drivers steadily improving the car's lap times and quickly adapting to the challenging conditions of the winding streets.

Yang Shuo has extensive experience with this circuit. He previously participated in both the GT Cup and National Cup events during the CEC's first visit to Pingtan in the 2024 season, setting a new lap record for a GT3 car on this track. When asked before the race if he was confident of another attempt at a record, Yang Shuo modestly stated, "I set the record for this track last year. Although the track conditions have changed slightly this year, making it more challenging, we will still strive to break the class lap record."

As expected, Dong Junbo and Yang Shuo performed steadily in the heat of qualifying. LEVEL Motorsports swept both GT4 qualifying sessions and continuously improved their fastest lap times. Yang Shuo even set a lap time of 1:21.624 in the second qualifying session, just a hair's breadth away from the all-time CEC lap record for the GT4 class.

Round 1: Powering through the second half to dominate the GT4 class

Starting from the front row, #14 Dong Junbo/Yang Shuo were caught in a multi-car battle in the early stages, briefly dropping down the order. A red flag interruption gave the BMW M4 GT4 a chance to catch its breath, and the team quickly adjusted its strategy, placing Yang Shuo in second place.

After the pit stop, the No. 14 BMW M4 GT4 from LEVEL Motorsports displayed a strong pursuit momentum, overtaking five cars along the way to regain lost ground and ultimately reclaiming second place overall with just 10 minutes remaining. Both drivers crossed the finish line after a thrilling 90-minute battle, securing second place overall in the first round and dominating the GT4 class.

Round 2: Team Strategy Helps Dominate

Dong Junbo and Yang Shuo, leveraging their driver prowess and teamwork, pulled off a thrilling comeback victory in round six at Pingtan Circuit. The GT4 car emerged as a surprise winner, defeating the GT3 car to take both the overall and class victories. In this round, the #14 car was initially dominated by other cars. Drawing on the experience of the previous day, the team precisely adjusted their pit stop strategy when the safety car was deployed. This maneuver not only reduced pit stop time but also perfectly positioned them to occupy a position ahead of their GT3 rivals after they completed their pit stops.

However, defending against the GT3 cars on track proved challenging. Yang Shuo admitted after the race: "Under normal circumstances, there's a significant gap between us and the fastest GT3 cars, making victory extremely difficult." At the end of the race, a rival's pit stop allowed the #14 car to take the lead. Simultaneously, an on-track incident caused the Xiaomi SU7 Ultra's safety car to continue deploying, and the race ultimately ended with the safety car leading the field.

LEVEL Motorsports has achieved the epic feat of winning the GT Cup overall with a sub-premium class car! Yang Shuo said this perfectly illustrates the meaning of the endurance spirit. "The charm of endurance racing lies in the constant possibility of miracles. We capitalized on the safety car period, made a strategic change, and ultimately, with a bit of luck, won the championship."

After six rounds of the season, the No. 14 LEVEL Motorsports team dominates the GT4 class with a top-tier record of five wins and one runner-up. As a solid team in the national endurance race, this team with a rich history is steadily moving towards annual honors. We look forward to their continued success in Tianjin.