The audience of the 2017 FRD LMP3 Series was treated to an thrilling main race at the Shanghai International Circuit today. The No.17 PTRS crew of Yann Clariay and Andrew Waite managed to overcome a 20s deficit and took the win on the last corner of the last lap.
Pole starting Craft Bamboo No.95 driven by Mathias Beche got a clean start and kept the lead going into T1. Ma Qinghua in the No.33 jumped to 3rd place at the start but was instantly challenged by the No.17 PTRS car driven by Yann Clairay. The French driver tapped No.33 at T2 and eventually finished the overtake at T6.
Ma Qinghua in the No.33 got further attention from the Martin Cao's No.3 Eurasia and the sister car No.25 driven by Timothy Marcow. Both cars overtook the No.33 going into T1.The FS Sports No.1 car driven by Olivier Lombard was kept honest by the the No.91 Eurasia and the No.7 PTRS car. The battle went on for few laps. And eventually the No.91 overtook the No.1 car.
At the front the No.18 KCMG driver Josh Burdon closed in on race leader. The two cars had a comfortable lead over the rest of the field. However the No.95 car lost the lead to the No.18 and No.17 during the pitstop due to driver categorization penalty. Now the No.18 car under Pu Junji's hand had a sizeable lead.
The No. 33 S&D driver Leo Ye started his fight back by overtaking the No.1 and the No.20 car in one lap. But it would prove to be too little too late for the No.33 crew. Eventually he had to settle for 7th place. The No.1 FS Sport car pitted with front suspension issues and later on retired.
The climax of the race came from the committed Andrew Waite in the No.17 PTRS car. The New Zealand driver stepped into the car with a massive 20s deficit. But the relentless charge from Andrew ate the gap lap by lap. Heading into the final lap and the gap has been shorten to just 3s. Pu Jujin in the No.18 KCMG made a mistake in the braking zone of T14 which allowed Andrew to get the switch-back. Andrew Waite completed the overtake just before the final corner of the final lap to score a fantastic victory.
The No.95 Craft Bamboo driver Jamie Winslow showed strong pace in the second stint to finish on the podium.
he unexpected hot condition means the drivers really need to work hard especially in the fully-enclosed cockpit. So the Moet Champagne and the Fiji water after the race were real treats to the drivers.