TWO WINS FOR SUGDEN IN CHINA

There was no disappointment for Tim at the Shanghai Grand Prix weekend as he took wins in his GruppeM racing GT3 car in each of the pair of Porsche Asia Carrera Cup Races that supported the F1 Grand Prix.    This takes Sugden’s total of wins in the series to 6 out of the 10 races and restores him to the championship lead with 3 races to go.

The normal field of the series was boosted by the entry of the 2006 champion, Hong Kong based Daryl O’Young in his Porsche Supercup car and his experience at the Shanghai circuit where Tim has never previously raced allowed him to take pole position for race 1.   Tim however led off the line from grid 2 and held the lead for the 2/3rds of the race before O’Young got past.   The two ran bumper to bumper until Tim got past again 2 corners from home to take the win by a few tenths.   This race was run just before the F1 qualifying session and race 2 of the weekend was on Sunday morning before the Grand Prix.

After his win Tim said:  “It was great fun and a fantastic race.  I knew I had to get this start right and it was the best this year.”

The grid for race 2 follows the order of finishing from race 1 so Tim was on pole with O’Young on grid 2 then Lee, Jones and  Kieta Sawa, Tim’s main rival in the championship table on grid 5.   As viewers of the Chinese Grand Prix will know the weather on Sunday was very changeable and although the race started dry there were heavy dark clouds and always the risk of rain.   Again Tim got a good start and led into the first corner, this time pulling steadily away from the rest on the greasy track.    By the end of the 12 lap race he had built up a 6 second winning margin with Jones second and O’Young third.

After the race Tim said: “The race wasn’t as easy as it looked.  The outside didn’t

have any grip.  After the start, I concentrated on pulling out a gap.  In that situation

it is better if it’s wet as you’re more careful not to make a mistake.”