Chinese drivers David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung at the start of the Shanghai 3 Hours 03.10.2014: ASIAN LE MANS SERIES Round 3 – 3 HOURS OF SHANGHAI, CHINA – 11th October 2014

ASIAN LE MANS SERIES
Round 3 – 3 HOURS OF SHANGHAI, CHINA – 11th October 2014

The Chinese pairing David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung will race in front of their home crowd in the Shanghai 3 Hours, the third round of the 2014 Asian Le Mans Series. They will be at the wheel of the no. 1 Morgan- Judd LM P2 entered by OAK Racing Team Total in which they won the first two races, and their aim will be pass the mid-season mark having consolidated their lead in the overall classification.

 
David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung shared the no.1 Morgan-Judd LM P2 on Michelin tyres with Keiko Ihara in their victorious outing in the Fuji 3 Hours. The 100% Chinese duo will now race in the Shanghai 3 Hours in front of their home crowd.

The OAK Racing Team Total backed by its local partners Total Lubricants China, Michelin China, Tyre Plus and Orsun as well as the Sarthe and Le Mans Development is determined to shine in this race, which the team considers as its national event!

Although the International Shanghai circuit was not on the 2013 Asian Le Mans Series calendar both Ho-Pin Tung and David Cheng know it well. In fact, the latter made his debut for OAK Racing here last year in the FIA WEC. This event marks the halfway mark of the season, and it could have a decisive influence on what happens afterwards.

A win for the OAK Racing Team Total with the Morgan-Judd LM P2 from the Onroak Automotive workshops would put the team in a comfortable position in view of the last two events on the Buriram circuit in Thailand and Sepang in Malaysia.

The first two rounds of the season proved that despite small fields the races are hotly-contested and full of on-track action from start to finish. The OAK Racing Team Total will have to fight off a serious rival in the form of the Eurasia Motorsport squad.

The Shanghai 3 Hours will give David Cheng and Ho-Pin Tung a great opportunity to prepare for their participation in the FIA World Endurance Championship. At the end of the month they will take part in the Shanghai 6 Hours in a Morgan-Judd LM P2 entered by OAK Racing which they will share with American driver, Mark Patterson.

David Cheng : “I'm really looking forward to my home race this year in Shanghai. Having been here last year and driven the Morgan LM P2 here for the WEC, I feel quite confident about the upcoming weekend.

Carrying the momentum from the first two wins also helps as well. But this is quite an important weekend as a win in front of all our partners would be nice, and we also have the chance to effectively wrap up the championship.”         
 

Ho-Pin Tung : “After two victories out of two races we are looking to continue our winning momentum in the Asian Le Mans Series. It will be the first visit of the Asian Le Mans Series to the Shanghai International Circuit but I have raced there a lot before in other series.

It will be a special event for us as we will race in front of our home crowd, and I can’t wait to get on track with our Morgan-Judd LM P2 car. »

Pascal Devemy, General Manager of Total Lubricants China : “This year the Asian Le Mans Series will stop in Shanghai for the first time. More than a just simple race, this is a fantastic weekend of motorsport, with no fewer than 12 races on the program. And obviously, a key moment for TOTAL Lubricants, present in China for the last 30 years, and very active in the promotion of motor racing in the country.

In 2014, we are celebrating the 50 years of relationships between France and China. Three Chinese, Ho-Ping Tung, David Cheng and Qinhhua Ma, will drive cars entered by two French teams (OAK Racing in the Asian Le Mans Series and Citroën in the World Touring Car Championship) with a single denominator: TOTAL.

We have a long history in Motorsport, but in China this is a new page, as the country is just waking up to world-class racing. In endurance, the season’s results are like our cooperation with OAK Racing: excellent.

 So far in 2014, two victories in two races, plus 7th place in Le Mans in LMP2 with a full Chinese driver line-up for the first time in the 91-years history of 24 Hours. In the capital of the automotive industry, Shanghai, the home of Total Lubricants China, we are eager to achieve another success, which would be a new milestone towards the objective of a second title in a row in December this year.”

Rémy Brouard, in charge of OAK Racing Team Total programme: “It’s a particularly important event for the OAK Racing Team Total. We’ll do our utmost to shine in front of our partners Total Lubricants China, TyrePlus and Orsun and their guests.

Optimising a two-driver line-up is easier to do in three-hour races, and we’re hoping to score our third victory on the bounce, in particular as it’s in front of the Chinese public.”

Jacques Nicolet, President of Onroak Automotive: “It’s important for us to be present in the Asian Le Mans Series in particular next weekend. The OAK Racing Team Total programme is mainly backed by Chinese partners, and we hope to share another success with them in this event with our Morgan-Judd LM P2.

Onroak Automotive is present with the OAK Racing Team Total and also with Craft Bamboo Racing, which has entered a Ligier JS 53 EVO, our CN sports prototype.

We hope that the performances of our sports prototypes will be noticed in Asia and persuade other teams to put their trust in us. It’s a market that’s expanding and our aim is to take part in its boom through the Asian Le Mans Series.”

Anne Bernard –  photos DPPI