Taupō’s Conrad Clark, 16, has won all three races in the Chinese Formula 4 Championships debut at the new Shougang Circuit in Qinhuangdao, China.
The new circuit is on the site of the former Shougang Steel factory which closed its doors in 2018 before becoming the new multi-purpose automotive precinct. The FIA Grade 2 circuit winds through the former factory buildings on original roads with two-kilometres of new asphalt making a half street circuit, half parklands layout.
Clark’s weekend got off to a rocky start after incurring damage in the second practice session on Friday which forced him to miss the final practice session later in the day. Then a fuel flow issue cut his qualifying session short on Saturday morning. Despite this, Clark was able to record a lap time early in the session good enough to put him second fastest.
From the drop of the green flag on the opening race, Clark piled the pressure on the pole-sitting car, forcing him into a mistake at turn one and taking the lead of the race. It was all about maintaining the lead and keeping his nose clean for the remainder of the race.
Race two was a similar story, with Clark getting a good start and driving away to a nine-second win.
The final race of the weekend saw Clark start from the back of the field as it was a reverse grid race. Clark, ready for the challenge, managed to manoeuvre his way to the front of the field to go on to win the race by over ten seconds.
“I’m pretty stoked with the weekend!” said Clark.
“The track here is pretty cool, very unique in its location and layout. I’ve really enjoyed racing here.
“Once again I need to thank the BlackArts Racing team, they’ve done a stellar job all weekend, even when we had a few issues earlier in the weekend.”
The Taupō Nui-a-Tia College student extends his points lead by 21-points to 86-points over second place. Clark’s efforts also assisted BlackArts Racing in extending their lead in the team’s championship.
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