2025 CTCC Shanghai Station, 326 Racing Team took the China Cup Challenge Class Championship with two cars on stage

From September 19th to 21st, the 2025 CTCC China Circuit Professional Circuit Shanghai race officially kicked off at the Shanghai International Circuit. The 326 Racing Team's four Audi RS3 LMS TCR cars engaged in numerous offensive and defensive battles throughout the race weekend. Ultimately, Liu Zichen, driving the No. 11 Audi, secured a podium finish in the Challenge Class in both rounds. The No. 81 car, participating in the China Cup, took the overall victory in Round 2 of the CTCC China Cup!

No. 81 CTCC Sports Cup TCR Group

Liu Ning/Zhao Shiyan/Yang An/Wu Yifan

Audi RS3 LMS TCR GEN2

The drivers representing the 326 Racing Team in the CTCC China Cup actively participated in pre-race practice, which was reflected in Saturday's qualifying session. Due to the large number of entries, this race adopted a group qualifying format. The 326 Racing Team took the field in Q1 and finished third overall with a time of 2:13.579, securing pole position for the TCR class!

In the first race on Saturday afternoon, Liu Ning took the starting position. Rain began to fall over the track shortly after the race began. With the tires still below operating temperature, the slick tires' heating problem became increasingly severe. Liu Ning was forced to brake early at several corners to avoid losing control. Afterward, the No. 81 car cruised to sixth place in the TCR class.

As the pit window opened, an incident occurred on the track, leading to the deployment of the safety car. The team decided to recall the car and make a driver change. Zhao Shiyan entered the cockpit for the second half of the race, and after leaving the pits, he jumped to fourth place overall.

Towards the end of the race, the rain intensified, and cars in higher categories were rapidly overtaking each other on the track. Driving in the heavy rain became extremely difficult. On the last lap, at Turn 13, the Audi ran off the track, causing a fuel system failure. Ultimately, the Audi finished seventh overall in the TCR class.

For Sunday's second race, the 326 Racing Team chose Yang An to drive solo. Starting 26th, he overtook several other cars and moved up to 10th before the pit stop. He then took advantage of the safety car and pit stop window to surge to the front of the field, engaging in a fierce battle with his rivals.

Before the red flag, Yang An successfully overtook his opponent in the third section of the track to take the overall lead. Ultimately, the race was terminated early due to the red flag, and Yang An secured the overall victory in the CTCC China Cup!

No. 51 TCR China Championship: Wu Yifan

Audi RS3 LMS TCR GEN2

After Wu Yifan suffered a brake system failure during qualifying, the team conducted a comprehensive inspection of the car on Friday night to ensure its operational condition and prepare for the first race on Saturday.

After the start of the first race, Wu Yifan reacted quickly and cut the line, attempting to attack the car in front. She stayed on the inside line at Turn 3 to avoid being overtaken by the car behind her, and after one lap, she was in sixth place overall. The newly adjusted BOP (Balance of Performance) rules for this race subsequently impacted the Audi's performance.

With the deployment of the safety car, the field narrowed further, and the two leading cars collided. Wu Yifan skillfully avoided the collision and moved up to fourth place, launching a fierce attack on the car ahead.

On lap nine, with a low straight-line speed advantage, Wu Yifan attempted to defend against two rival cars by braking late at Turn 14. However, thermal degradation of the brakes and a sudden change in feel caused him to run off the track. Upon returning to the track, he lost two spots and dropped to sixth. He maintained a relatively stable lap time for the remainder of the race and regained the lead in sixth place.

In Sunday's second race, Wu Yifan reacted quickly from the start and continued to advance, following her teammate's lead. She immediately moved into fourth place, engaging in direct competition with her opponent. However, due to insufficient acceleration at Turn 7, she was squeezed inside by her opponent, resulting in a loss of position.

Wu Yifan adjusted his mindset and, after the safety car restart, used tricks like absorbing the slipstream to try to catch up with the car in front and overtake. He made another attempt on the final lap, but missed the braking point at Turn 14, where several cars were lined up side by side, and ran off the track. While avoiding a major accident, he did lose several places and ultimately finished 14th overall.

No. 52 TCR China Championship: Lai Jingwen

Audi RS3 LMS TCR GEN2

In Saturday's first race, Lai Jingwen reacted quickly after the start, quickly overtaking the car ahead that had made a false start, and continued to advance in 11th place overall. The safety car was then deployed to clear the damaged car from the track.

After the safety car exited, Lai Jingwen's car's windshield was covered in oil sprayed from the opponent's car, completely obstructing his vision and preventing him from continuing the race. He returned to the pits, where the team cleaned the windshield and returned to the track. The absence of a safety car in the second half of the race also prevented him from further improving his position, and he finished in 22nd place overall.

In Sunday's second race, Lai Jingwen experienced a stall at the start. After restarting, he chased from behind and used the safety car period to pull ahead. In the final two laps of the race, Lai Jingwen felt unwell due to a cold and had to return to the pits early, ending his second race.

No.11 TCR China Challenge: Liu Zichen

Audi RS3 LMS TCR GEN2

As a TCR China Challenge driver, Liu Zichen demonstrated outstanding speed during the Shanghai race weekend. After the start of the first round, Liu Zichen was at the front of the field, trailing teammate Wu Yifan.

After the safety car exited, Liu Zichen faced a fierce attack from the cars behind him. The difference between the different tire compounds became apparent in the second half of the race. Liu Zichen handled the situation calmly, avoiding excessive tire use, and crossed the finish line in 11th place overall, winning the TCR China Challenge class.

In the second race, Liu Zichen started from the front row and reacted more quickly at the start, leading the field before Turn 1. Unfortunately, the opponent's power advantage before Turn 11 prevented Liu Zichen from defending, and he unfortunately surrendered the lead. On the main straight, the Audi's speed disadvantage was once again evident, and he was overtaken by his opponent.

Afterwards, Liu Zichen had a minor collision with his opponent's car at Turn 10. After rejoining the track around the gravel area on the outside, he lost a significant number of places and suffered some mechanical issues with his car. Unfortunately, he finished fourth in the TCR China Challenge class. After the race, his opponent's car was penalized with a 10-second time penalty, allowing Liu Zichen to move up to third place in the Challenge class and claim the trophy.

The 326 Racing Team has now completed its CTCC China Circuit Professional Racing League Shanghai leg. The team will take a short break and fully prepare for the Shanghai 8 Hours Endurance Race, which will be held at the Shanghai Circuit during National Day. Stay tuned!

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