Adhikari and Hortin Crowned Indie Champs as Llosa Wins

Ricardo Llosa and Jordan McKenna claimed their third victory of the season at the Zhuhai International Circuit while Best In The World duo of Asim Adhikari and Marlin Hortin were crowned Independent Trophy Champions after they finished sixteenth overall and ninth in class.

The two points that they would score In Class would be enough to seal the championship with two races to spare, even with main rivals Nathan Scott and Heizo Takekawa taking a twelve point result in class for finishing fourth overall. The Best In The World Lamborghini was outside the top ten in class and looking unlikely to score in the closing stages of the race, leaving the championship alive. They found themselves on the outside looking in after Hortin was penalized for speeding on the pit lane and had to take a drive through penalty. On the final lap of the race, two of their championship rivals who were ahead of them on track, the Onyx Saleen and the Tommy Douglas/Joel Melrose JLD Saleen both would retire from separate mechanical failures. The resulting car stoppages would give Adhikari and Hortin the two positions and points required to win the championship.

The other major beneficiaries from the pair of retirements, which saw the JLD Saleen retire from second in class, would be the Scuderia Belgio Ferrari and Gulf Racing Saleen S7-R. For both cars it would be their best results in class for the season, with both of them joining the Minarae Ferrari on the Independent’s Podium. Also scoring their best result in class for the season would be the second Kjellerup Saleen with Mattias Kjellerup and Steffen Belsø just off the Independent’s Podium.

Winning the race would be reigning champions Ricardo Llosa and Jordan McKenna through their strong pace on their out-laps after pit stops. While runner up finishers Stefan Kuntz and Aurelien Moll would pit a lap earlier on each pit sequence, the pace from the Union Saver Corvette would be too much to overcome even as the Belgian would mount the pressure on in the last ten minutes of the race. It would be their third victory of the season, putting them one ahead of the Kunts/Moll Lamborghini and the Rei/Wong Gerald Pereria Lister. Joining them on the podium would be the Denis van Walwijk/Lorenzo Crescenzi Ferrari 550 Maranello who ran out of time to close to the top two by the end of the race.

After a one-two result at the last round of the championship in Sepang, Malaysia, the Gerald Pereria Lister squad had a disastrous Sunday in China. After running comfortably in the top ten throughout the race, both cars would suffer mechanical failures eight laps apart from each other; leaving them no possibility of scoring points in the Manufacture’s Trophy. Also failing to score in the Manufacture’s Trophy would be the pole-sitting Pagani Zonda of Frank Zimmer and Mike Stern as they suffered yet another Engine failure.

Race Results – After 79 Laps

Infinite Improbability Drive of the Race – Roland Davidson and Antonio Bizzarri: Took advantage of hardships ahead and along with good pace throughout got rewarded in kind.

Reject of The Race – Gerald Pereria-Pan Asia Alliance: Probably the biggest swing in fortune the series has ever seen, or will ever see.