Skip to main content

Alex Yoong Wins Audi R8 LMS Cup Race 1


SHANGHAI, April 29 (Bernama) -- Former Malaysian Formula One driver Alex Yoong led from the start to win Race 1 of the inaugural Audi R8 LMS Cup held at the Shanghai International Circuit here Sunday.

Starting second on the grid, amidst a light drizzle which needed wet tyres to be brought in and changed minutes before the start, he zoomed into the lead, right after the green light, though Marchy Lee of Hongkong came mesmerisingly close to threatening his lead on a number of occasions.

Digging deep into his vast experience as a former F1 driver, Alex Yoong held off the Hong Kong racer's advances to hold his racing line and clinch the 17-lap race with a total time of 36 minutes 12.942 seconds, en route to setting the fastest time of 2:01.723s on lap 4 of the race held over a 4.603km distance.

"My start was excellent and overtook Marchy Lee on the first turn. From then on, the race strategy was to hold on to the lead, not make any mistake and not push the car too early, because there was a need to preserve the tyres.

"Marchy was certainly quicker in the mid-sector so I had to make up in the back straight with speed. The decision to switch to wet tyres worked well," Alex Yoong told reporters in a post-race press conference.

The Audi R8 LMS Cup is the first ever 'One-Make' racing championship from Audi and had an intriguing line-up of high-profile professionals and exciting talent for the inaugural season, including highly acclaimed Hong Kong actor-singer Aaron Kwok who finished Race 1 in 11th spot.

After its debut in Shanghai, the series will travel to Zhuhai, move on to Ordos in Inner Mongolia and return to Zhuhai before culminating into the grand finale in Shanghai to end the season.

At the end of the season, three titles will be up for grabs this season, namely the Audi R8 LMS Cup overall title, an Amateur Category and a Team award, based on points accumulated throughout the series.

Leading Race 1 Results:

1. Alex Yoong (MAS) 36:12.942s

2. Marchy Lee (HKG) 36:14.402s

3. Jeffrey Lee (TPE) 36:25.468s

4. Adderly Fong (HKG) 36:27.809s

5. Sun Zheng (CHN) 36:35.768s

6. Eric Kwong (HKG) 36:47.158s

7. Hua Xia Wei (CHN) 37:03.732s

8. Mak Hing Tak (HKG) 37:41.262s

9. Byron Tong (HKG) 37:45.767s

10. Zhang Ran (CHN) 38:02.901s.

From Jaiarajo Letchumanan
-- BERNAMA

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Ex-coach's jail sentence cut to a year

PUTRAJAYA: The Court of Appeal yesterday sentenced former athletics coach C. Ramanathan to 12 months' jail for molesting two junior athletes 19 years ago. A three-man bench led by Datuk Mohd Hishamudin Mohd Yunus unanimously dismissed Ramanathan's appeal against conviction, but varied the jail sentence of four years to a year, which was to run concurrently. Following yesterday's ruling, Ramanathan, 75, a former teacher, walked out a free man as he had served 10 months in Kajang Prison. Convicts get one-third remission for good behaviour while in prison. However, he will lose his pension. Hishamudin, who sat with Datuk Abdul Wahab Patail and Datuk Linton Albert, said the court found no merit to overturn the conviction. "However, in reducing the sentence, we considered Ramanathan's age and the long years the appeal has taken." Deputy public prosecutor Awang Armadajaya Awang Mahmud submitted that then High Court judge Tan Sri Abdull Hamid E...
2 comments
Read more

Govt Always Gives Emphasis To Sporting Culture, Says PM

KUALA TERENGGANU, May 29 (Bernama) -- Datuk Seri Abdullah Ahmad Badaw i said the government always gives emphasis on cultivating a strong sporting culture in achieving excellence at the international level. As such, the Prime Minister said, it was important to scout for young talents in sports. "I observe that the Malaysia Games (Sukma) has become one of the important platforms to do so. "In this arena, the potentials and skills of the youngsters can be identified for development so that they can achieve greater success in sports," he said in his message in the souvenir book of the 12th Sukma from May 31 until June 9. Abdullah said he was aware that competition in sports was very keen and challenging but this did not mean that Malaysian athletes were incapable of competing at the international level. "The fact is that we have all the characteristics required to be excellent. We must inculcate a strong fighting spirit so that we don't easily surrender,...
1 comment
Read more

Indonesia Choose Komodo Dragon As SEA Games Mascot

KUALA LUMPUR, April 26 (Bernama) -- Host for the 26th SEA Games, Indonesia has chosen the Komodo dragon as mascot for the 2011 Games which will be held in Jakarta and Palembang from Nov 11 to 25. The Indonesia SEA Games Organizing Committee (Inasoc), was qouted by Jakarta Post as saying that a pair of Komodo dragons, a male (Modo) and a female (Modi), were chosen in recognition of the Republic's conservation efforts to protect the dwindling number of the rare lizard. Modo and Modi were unveiled last night at a function in Jakarta, to mark the 200-day countdown before the games open on Nov 11 in Palembang. The Komodo dragons, the largest lizard in the world, only live on the Indonesian islands of Komodo in Flores, East Nusa Tenggara. On Jan 15, Inasoc unveiled its logo, a Garuda eagle, to symbolize the power and grandeur of Indonesia. Indonesia dominated the Games between 1977, when it first competed, and 1997, failing to top the medal charts only twice in that p...
1 comment
Read more