CHINESE RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP (CRC 2015): FAW-VOLKSWAGEN RALLY TEAM – CRC CANDIDATES COMPETED IN SONGSHAN AND FAW-VOLKSWAGEN WON FIRST PRIZE
CRC A FULL 2015
CRC Candidates Competed in Songshan and FAW-Volkswagen Won First Prize.
1 October 2015
The fourth race of 2015 China Rally Championship (CRC) was held in Dengfeng, Henan between September 26th and September 28th. The FAW-Volkswagen team that performed outstandingly in Huairou continued with its good momentum and won a multitude of championships including first prize of the Confederations Cup, first prize of Manufacturers Cup and first prize of all drivers.
Chris Atkinson, FAW -Volkswagen team’s number one driver led all the way and took the crown. Chen De’an, the team superintendent, who was accidently injured in the last race, still entered his name for the competition and took the second place, which was a good interpretation of hard work and sportsmanship. Judging from the current overall results, the FAW-Volkswagen was a strong grand champion contender of this year.
New “Devil Track”
This CRC season was half completed and each team was highly motivated in the rest races for better results. Dengfeng track was located exactly at the foot of Shaolin temple and it was during the Mid-Autumn Festival when the event was held, which brought hint of a different kind of tension and passion to this event.
Located among mountains around Dengfeng, this track was designed specifically for this rally. The total length of this track was 306.29 km, including race track of 161.88 km. The race track consisted of the following sections multiply used super section of 2.36 km, Jinniuling Section of 14.14 km, Songhuang Section of 19.77 km and special Jinshi Section of 16.60 km, which was a combination of Jinniuling Section and super section.
The classic scene of rallies created by galloping racing cars, raised dusts and roaring engines on the gravel mountainous roads was the watching focus and thrilling charm of this event.
However, since the road section had relatively more sharp bends and undulating roads, presenting an extreme test to drivers’ physical ability and vehicle performance, many drivers believed, after site survey before the event, that Dengfeng track was even more challenging than Longyou race in Zhejiang, which was called “devil track”, and it also put forward a higher demand for pilots.
Despite the difficulty, more than 119 vehicles participated in Dengfeng event, unprecedented in the history of CRC, showing the attractiveness of this game. However, only 54 of them finished the race, a completion rate of merely 50%, indicating that the game was so difficult and brutal.
The Strongest won in Songshan Competition
The first day of the opening ceremony was followed by two stages of the game. Atkinson took the lead and ranked first with a performance of respectively 15 minutes 45 seconds and 2 minutes 9 seconds in SS1Jinshi Section and SS2 super section. Li Guojing, a veteran rider, ranked second in domestic drivers while Chen De`an defeated Han Han, his old rival.
The second day’s race included five race sections including Songhuang Section. Many rides failed that day due to dumpy sections and relatively high temperatures. FAW-VW’s Prodrive technical team made targeted arrangements to the seventh generation Golf racing cars, enabling them to calmly face the road conditions.
Atkinson demonstrated his consistent champion style, winning all stages of that day and extended the leading superiority to nearly one minute. What was even more hardly expected that his seventh generation Golf chariot demonstrated no obvious problems or damages, and the entire performance could be described as “fast and stable”.
In addition, what should be particularly noted was that Li Dawei and Cao Lifeng, drivers of fourth generation Golf, were respectively winners of Group S4 and Group S3, and their outstanding performance showcased FAW-VW’s strength in other groups.
In the decisive third day, Atkinson still was still overwhelmingly powerful, and with a total score of 2 hours 28 minutes 49.81 seconds, he won the overall champion of this tournament, 1 minute 47.99 seconds ahead of the second place. Chen De`an finally ranked fifth among all drivers and second among domestic ones. Li Guojing ranked eighth in among all drivers and fifth in domestic ones. Three riders of seventh generation chariots constituted the unbreakable “iron triangle” of the FAW-VW team, so that the team’s performance ranked in the forefront. Li Dawei and Cao Lifeng maintained their championships of GroupS4 and Group S3.
Perhaps, like Chen Dean said: “The most important is to have a dream and stick with an excellent team.” This kind of dedication and perseverance led the FAW-Volkswagen team all the way through the clutter. After Dengfeng race, the FAW-Volkswagen team would actively prepare for the Longyou race. CRC tournament this year had gradually reached its climax, and the FAW-Volkswagen team’s performance was worthy of our common expectations!
Cedric Journel / Dongwei Zhang
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