Blackjack Racing driver Li Zhi Cong celebrated a spectacular double victory during the thrilling F4 Chinese Challenge race weekend, part of the 4th China Automobile and Motorcycle Sports Festival, at the FIA Grade III 3.163 km Daqing Racing Town Circuit in China.
The former FIA F3 European Championship and British F3 Championship driver arrived at the circuit, located in the west of Heilongjiang province, without any prior experience driving the first-generation Mygale M14-Geely. Drawing on his more than a decade of experience racing single-seaters, Li Zhi Cong delivered a dominant performance in Friday’s two free practice sessions. However, an overzealous move by the Guangdong driver led to him colliding with the unforgiving walls of the Daqing track at the end of the session.
The Blackjack Racing mechanics faced a longer night on Friday to repair Li Zhi Cong’s car. With no time to shakedown the car before qualifying, Li Zhi Cong approached the qualifying session cautiously, knowing that the primary goal was to confirm the car was ready to compete for the rest of the weekend. Despite this, the Chinese driver managed to set the second-fastest time of the session, just a tenth of a second behind the pole-position time.
Special guest and Team Principal Jack Pang joined in the celebration of Chinese motorsport, driving a second car prepared by Blackjack Racing. Demonstrating that experience never fades, Jack Pang set the fifth-fastest time in the session.
Race one of the weekend took place on Saturday afternoon. Li Zhi Cong initially followed the pole-sitter but seized an opportunity after just three corners to take the lead. Once in front, the race favorite maintained a smooth and controlled pace, crossing the finish line more than 27 seconds ahead of the runner-up.
“The whole race was very smooth for me, thanks to the hard work and support of the team. I had a bit of an accident in practice, but the team quickly fixed the car, and I was able to race. During the race, I kept pushing the car, trying to find better pace, and I’m happy to finally win the race,” Li Zhi Cong said after securing his first-ever F4 win.
Further back in the field, Jack Pang had a much more eventful 22-lap race. At one point, he dropped to tenth overall but managed to recover to finish seventh overall, securing second place in the Challenge class.
Sunday’s race was another dominant performance for Li Zhi Cong, who led from pole to victory, claiming his second win of the weekend. The last time the 2013 GT Asia Series champion won a race overall was in 2015 in the China Touring Car Championship (CTCC). As expected, the Blackjack Racing driver set the fastest lap time on the sixth lap at 1:27.053, a record for the circuit so far. At the end of the race, Li Zhi Cong said his race was smooth and that he was very happy to achieve the double win.
In the #21 Blackjack Racing Mygale M14-Geely, Jack Pang once again finished seventh overall and second in the Challenge class. “It was a pleasure to be part of this weekend as both team principal and driver,” said Jack Pang. “I had great fun driving the first-generation F4 at this circuit and was pleased with Li Zhi Cong’s double victory. Congratulations to him and the team for their hard work and commitment.”
Blackjack Racing and Asia Racing Team will be back in action on September 14-15 in the FIA F4 Chinese Championship and the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia at the Shanghai International Circuit.
