The Chinese driver is now looking forward to returning to Shanghai with Jackie Chan DC Racing to see if they can repeat their 2018 performance in the four-hour race in Asia.

After finishing second from pole position in the 6 Hours of Fuji and lying third in the LMP2 class after two races, we caught up with Ho-Pin Tung ahead of the 4 Hours of Shanghai.

Q: What are the biggest challenges of the Shanghai International Circuit?

Ho-Pin Tung: “I’ve raced in Shanghai many, many times in different series as well and also in WEC, where we won last year. I think last year’s race really showed that one of the challenges is the weather conditions in November, which can be quite unpredictable.  There can be a lot of rain, but there can also be some quite pleasant temperatures as well.  So that is definitely one of the challenges for both drivers and teams.

“The surface of the track itself is relatively low grip and very hard on the front left tyre with the combinations of the first, second and third corners, and then the Parabolica followed by a long straight.  So, there are some good overtaking opportunities and always nice racing in Shanghai.”

Q: What is your favourite memory racing in the WEC at Shanghai?

Ho-Pin Tung: “My favourite memory of Shanghai is definitely our win there last year.  For some reason we never managed to get Shanghai right as a team, but last year we finally managed to break through and claim that home victory for our team, which was a really special moment.”

Q: How much does the support of the home fans help you?

Ho-Pin Tung: “Shanghai is the home race for our team.  It is so nice when you are there and you see the Jackie Chan DC Racing flags in the grandstands.  Last year, under the podium, there were so many fans as well.  We’ve seen ever growing fan support, with people staying longer during the race.  I think the fan base of endurance racing has been growing significantly for the past few years and I hope our success as a team has helped.”

Q: How competitive is LMP2 this year and who do you see as your main rival?

Ho-Pin Tung: “LMP2 this year is very competitive, especially since the introduction of the new generation LMP2 cars.  There are a lot of teams that can bid for a win this season. Of course, we have a bigger battle between the different tyre manufacturers, with us being on Goodyear and a lot of the other teams being on Michelin.  I think we will see some races one group have an advantage and at other races the other group being up there. At least five or six teams are able to fight very closely for a win at every single race; that is the charm of LMP2 racing as well.”

The 4 Hours of Shanghai is Round 3 of the 2019/20 FIA World Endurance Championship and will take place on Sunday 10 November.