Shanghai 8hrs 2024 Madness Day 1
On October 5th, the Shanghai 8-Hour Endurance Race officially kicked off its weekend event at the Shanghai International Circuit. Madness Racing Team successfully completed the final preparations for the 8-hour pre-race practice and shone brightly in the afternoon’s qualifying session. Drivers Kang Zhilong, Harry He, Stephen Hong, and Jason Chen, in top racing form, pushed hard during the session, securing pole position in the GTC category.
The first free practice session began at 9:00 a.m. on Saturday, with Madness Racing Team focusing on optimizing car adjustments and finding performance limits. Kang Zhilong, driving the #710 Lamborghini Huracan Super Trofeo EVO2, was the first to hit the track, setting an impressive lap time of 2:04.793 during his first sprint, placing him at the top of the GTC category. Harry He took over next, completing several stable flying laps and successfully finishing the first practice session.
Due to rainy weather conditions, the #710 car ran off the track early in the second practice session because of the slippery surface. Fortunately, the car was not damaged. After returning to the pit for adjustments, Stephen Hong took to the track to practice in wet conditions, completing several laps before Jason Chen took over towards the end of the second session for long-distance testing. The #710 team successfully completed both practice sessions, gathering valuable tuning data and track mileage, laying a solid foundation for the afternoon’s qualifying round.
Qualifying officially began at 14:50. Jason Chen was the first to take part in Q1. The complex weather conditions posed a significant challenge for many drivers, but Chen set his personal best lap of 2:24.582 on his fifth flying lap, placing second in the GTC category.
In the Q2 stage, Kang Zhilong took over the #710 car. Despite the wet and challenging track conditions, this skilled driver displayed impressive sprinting abilities, posting a lap time of 2:19.943, pushing the #710 team to the top of the GTC category.
Harry He then stepped into the car for Q3, continuing to push himself and improve his lap times throughout the session. He ultimately set his best lap time at 2:23.107, maintaining the #710 car’s lead in the GTC category and solidifying their position on the leaderboard.
Finally, Stephen Hong took to the track for the final qualifying session, pushing hard for pole position in the category. During the 15-minute session, Hong demonstrated outstanding wet-weather driving skills, further improving the team’s time to 2:19.514.
After calculating the final results, the Madness Racing Team’s #710 car finished with a combined time of 7:02.564, emerging at the top of the GTC category! Thanks to the exceptional driving skills and seamless teamwork of Stephen Hong, Jason Chen, Harry He, and Kang Zhilong, the team secured pole position in the GTC category.
Madness Racing Team made an impressive start to the Shanghai 8-Hour Endurance Race. With the perfect collaboration of Jason Chen, Harry He, Stephen Hong, and Kang Zhilong, the #710 team claimed the GTC category pole position. The entire team will face a tough endurance challenge on Sunday, and we look forward to their stellar performance in the main race!