Zhuhai International Circuit
Zhuhai International Circuit
Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) (珠海國際賽車場) is located at Jin Ding town in Zhuhai City, Guangdong Province, China.
Motorsport embarked in Zhuhai when it hosted a race on its street circuit in 1993, racing continued until one thousand nine hundred ninety six when the motor racing circuit was constructed and became China’s very first permanent motor race track [1] with Formula One in mind.
The circuit is designed by Australian company Kinhill Engineers Pty Ltd, the same group which created the Formula One circuit in Adelaide. The project manager for the project was Michael McDonough. [Two]
The very first international race held at the circuit was the BPR Global GT Series. The circuit soon became the hotbed of local motorsports with teams from Hong Kong and Macau setting up their bases inwards the circuit garages.
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The original circuit contained sixteen corners. But corners 7, eight and nine were eliminated after a track switch request from FIM and made into one corner.
The circuit is Four.Three kilometres (Two.67 mi) long and has fourteen turns. Nine of them are right turns and five are left turns and the circuit runs clockwise only. The shorter straight is five hundred metres (0.31 mi) long. The longest straight is the commence/finish straight which is nine hundred metres (0.56 mi) long and fourteen metres broad at its widest. [1] Alexandre Imperatori, A1 Team Switzerland’s rookie driver, suggested that there are lots of overtaking places in the circuit because of the combination of straights, hard braking areas for hairpins, taut corners, followed by and accelerating for long straights. [Trio] The most successful driver on the circuit is the best one who can manage their brake wear. [Four] Zhuhai International Circuit is an FIA Grade II certified circuit.
The fastest qualifying lap ever at the circuit was set by a Lola-Zytek A1 Grand Prix car on the fourth round on December 16, two thousand seven during the 2007-08 A1 Grand Prix season. It was driven by Michael Ammermüller and managed a lap of 1:23.203. However, this is not considered the lap record since lap records are taken from racing laps and not qualifying.
The fastest unofficial lap ever at the circuit was set by a two thousand seven Panoz DP01 Champ Car on November 30, 2006. It was driven by Roberto Moreno, it managed a lap of 1:23.612 during a demonstration run.
The fastest GT1 lap time is set by Porsche nine hundred eleven GT1 with Porsche AG team in one thousand nine hundred ninety six BPR Global GT Series Round eleven Zhuhai 4hrs. The time was 1:30.401. [Five]
The fastest lap ever on a Motorcycle was set at Pan Delta 1000cc Superbike race was taken by splitlath team. Winning all six races, Splitlath rider Mark Aitchison smashing ZIC Superbike lap record 1:33.725 on an EBR RS 1190
Fastest GT3 lap of 1:34.461 is set by Ferrari four hundred fifty eight Italia GT3 in Asian Le stud’s Series two thousand thirteen round Trio, 3hr Zhuhai. [6]
Zhuhai International Circuit Co Ltd is also a prominent motorsport event organizer and promoter in China. It has organized and promoted the FIA GT Championship in China and in 2007, it has also signed a contract with China Motorcycle Sports Association to promote the inaugural China Superbike Championship.
Zhuhai International Circuit is the promoter of the China Superbike Championship, established in two thousand seven and sanctioned by the China Motorcycle Sports Association, CMSA.
ZIC also organizes the Circuit Hero and Circuit Hero GT race series, which permits citizens of the People’s Republic of China to participate.
The Hong Kong Touring Car Championship and the Macau Touring Car Championship both run the majority of their races at ZIC since they began.
The Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) was held at the circuit from October 20, two thousand six to October 22, 2006, when a record 33,000 people turned up to observe the races.
AFOS has been held at the circuit many times since its inception in 1994.
The Asian Formula Three Championship is also hosted by the circuit annually.
In addition, the FIM Asia Road Racing Championship race at ZIC in December annually.
ZIC was included in the provisional one thousand nine hundred ninety nine F1 calendar. But the circuit subsequently lost its place in the calendar after failing to meet the international standards set by the FIA. [7] [8] F1 subsequently races in Shanghai International Circuit.
In May 2004, the Stamina World Championship Zhuhai six Hours race was held at the circuit. This was the very first time an international motorcycle race was held at the circuit. [9] The race was won by GMT ninety four Racing. [Ten]
In 1997, ZIC welcomed the fresh FIA GT Championship. In 1999, the circuit held the FIA GT Championship again, after that the circuit went quiet on the international scene for five years.
In November 2004, the circuit was fully renovated and once again the FIA GT Championship was staged. On fourteen November 2004, the two Maserati MC12s of AF Corse scored a 1-2 at the track.
The FIA GT Championship was staged from October 21, two thousand five to October 23, two thousand five and the GPLK Corvette C5-R won the race. The GruppeM Porsches won GT2. The Hong Kong Le Stud’s Team and the Malaysian Proton R3 Amprex team also took part.
The FIA GT Championship race has been postponed to twenty five March two thousand seven from October 2006, in order to keep clear of the Shanghai F1 Grand Prix in early October and the Macau Grand Prix in the middle of November. The race was won by All-Inkl.com racing’s Lamborghini Murciélago R-GT, driven by Christophe Bouchut and Stefan Mucke. GT2 class was won by AF Corse’s Ferrari F430 GT2, with Dirk Müller and Toni Vilander at the wheel.
Zhuhai International Circuit staged the fourth round of the 2007-08 A1 Grand Prix season on December 16, 2007. The Sprint race was won by Michael Ammermüller of Team Germany and the Feature race was won by Narain Karthikeyan of Team India. On October 13, 2009, Executive Deputy General Manager of Zhuhai International Circuit, Stewart Sunburn said he welcome A1 Grand Prix come back to the circuit on November 15, 2009. [11] However, the series has more races were cancelled, with an announcement made on five November two thousand nine stating that the races in China and Malaysia was not taking part. [12]
On ten June 2010, the ACO announced that the Chinese round of the two thousand ten Le Stud’s Intercontinental Cup – The one thousand km of Zhuhai, will be held at Zhuhai International Circuit on seven November. [13]
On thirteen November 2011, the ACO organized the two thousand eleven 6 Hours of Zhuhai at Zhuhai International Circuit as the finale of the two thousand eleven Intercontinental Le Guy’s Cup season.
In 2004, the GT Association, the organizer of Super GT, announced on twenty three May that an All-Star race in China, scheduled for four to six October at ZIC. [14] But on five August 2004, JGTC announced that the race was cancelled, for reasons related to the Chinese organizer. [15]
A multi year deal was announced in two thousand six that brought one of the American racing series to China. On thirty November 2006, Roberto Moreno made history as he took the two thousand seven DP01 Champ Car on track at the Zhuhai Circuit, marked the very first time and also the last time a Champ Car had run in China. [16]
Then the series had problems with its promoter, which lodged in a court in the US, and substituted them with a fresh promoter. The fresh promoter did not have enough time to organize the race on the original May date and so the race was provisionally moved to October 2007. When the series failed to get F.I.A. approval for the October date the two thousand seven race was cancelled. The series was looking to race in Zhuhai for the two thousand eight season until the unification with Indy Racing League but most of the speculation had died down.
On two October 2003, Dragon Hill Corporation Ltd, part of LBS Bina Group, exercised its option to buy Lamdeal Investment Ltd, which is involved in managing Zhuhai International Circuit Ltd (ZICL), for US$1. LBS managing director, Datuk Lim Hock San said LBS believed in the potential of the ZIC circuit land, adding the acquisition “has come at an adequate time. Upon completion of the exercise of the option, Dragon Hill will hold 100% of the entire issued and paid-up share capital of Lamdeal and Lamdeal will own 60% of ZICL,” he said. [17]
Since 2005, the circuit has become a hive of track activities, with a large number of auto-related launches and events held at the circuit, as the battle for car sales in China warmth up. Auto dealers and manufacturers attempt to lure more customers by permitting them to drive loosely on the track and pampering them off it.
A kart circuit was added to the ZIC facility in 2004.
In 2011, Sunny Racing Club was established and have since acquired a reputation for close and competitive racing at low-cost. The club uses a one make Sunnny Kart chassis and 2-stroke 100cc Yamaha engine.
GTR2 has the circuit simulated based on the two thousand four FIA GT Championship season. The circuit has also been simulated on the racing simulator Project CARS.
The ZIC has a bus stop which is served by routes Three, 3A, Ten, 10A, 66, sixty eight and sixty nine of the Zhuhai bus network.
It is also served by the Guangzhou–Zhuhai Intercity Mass Rapid Transit, as Tangjiawan Station is within walking distance of the circuit’s west grandstand.
