March 14, 2018

 

The Bulgarian gave Cenobite its first ever win in Formula Challenge, while championship leader Butcher led a remarkable Red Arrow 1-2 in Shanghai.
The threat of rain, which had been hanging over China all week, didn't materialise and the 28 drivers competed in a tight qualifying session. STAX Racing claimed a front-row lockout, with Chris Shepherd edging out team-mate Adrian Campfield by 0.118s. Behind them, the two Red Arrows of Chris Butcher and David Jundt made it another single-team row, with Australia race winner Osvaldo Angelone in fifth.

The two STAX drivers were not able to convert their qualifying positions in wins, however, as they were both burdened with grid penalties. This helped Butcher set his mark on the first race, leading his team-mate Jundt to the finish line by less than half a second. Mateusz Dabrowski completed the podium for WSL, while a mention has to be given to the GPVWC Academy's Konrad Zerebiec, who had been running in podium positions until electrical problems sidelined him.

There was partial redemption for the STAX duo in the reverse-grid race two, with Shepherd and Campfield finishing second and third. There was nothing they could do, however, to contain the performance of Ivan Leonov, who went to give Cenobite his first win with a gap of more than three seconds - a classy performance after a lacklustre opening race in Australia.

Chris Butcher opens a lead in the drivers' championship, with a 24-points gap on Angelone and a further four points on Campfield. In the teams' standings, Red Arrows enjoys a 10-points lead over STAX, the two teams comfortably ahead of third-placed McKinley Engineering.

Full results
Standings


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