FRD Launches e-Touring Car Challenge in Hong Kong 18.10.2016: Making history as well as new fans, FRD launched the e-Touring Car Challenge

Making history as well as new fans, FRD launched the e-Touring Car Challenge on October 8th as part of the season-opening FIA Formula E event in Hong Kong.




The e-Touring Car Challenge  was not only the first-ever electric touring car competition in FIA history, but also in the world. The race was the first motorsports race in the city as Hong Kong played host to the innovative FIA Formula E series.


FRD Sport operates a number of motorsports programs including the Asian Formula Renault Series, Asian Clio Cup China Series as well as the China Touring Car Championship-leading Changan Ford racing team.



The e-Touring Car Challenge launched with a highly engaged audience as fans flocked to the cosmopolitan race setting.



The two-day Hong Kong ePrix event was held on a 10-turn temporary street circuit along the Hong Kong Central Harbor Front area that featured the iconic Hong Kong skyline as well as Hong Kong City Hall, the International Finance Center, and the Central Ferry Pier.



An Official Racing Partner of the Formula E HKT Hong Kong ePrix, FRD’s e-Touring Car Challenge featured modified Volkswagen e-Golf machines with enhanced performance and safety. FRD provided the field of 16 Volkswagen e-Golf machines as a supporting race that preceded the main Formula E event.



The car package engineered for the fleet by FRD includes roll cage, suspension, brakes, racing seat, six-point harness, wheels, rims and fire extinguisher upgrades that meet racing safety standards. For aerodynamic efficiency, the e-Golf gains track performance by a front splitter, rear wings, and side skirts.




With a field that included both professional racers and local celebrities, the race event proved to be a competitive affair as regular racer Andrew Lo took victory in the professional driver category while Chin Ka-Lok won in the celebrity division.



Lo bested second place finisher Paul Poon with a time of 15:32.8-seconds in the 10 lap race with Denise Yeung rounding out the podium.


The celebrity race saw four local artists compete with Ka-Lok leading from start to finish with a record time of 15 minutes and 32.6-seconds. Celebrities Alex Fong Chun-Shun placed second with Aaron Kwok not far behind in third.



“That was really fun,” said Ka-Lok. “I am always happy to see more artists get involved and I met a lot of new faces today, who share the same passion as I do. As local celebrities, all of us wanted to support the event, which was taking place right here in Hong Kong. We hope local interest in motor sport will continue to grow.”



Founder of FRD, Kenneth Ma, was pleased with the successful debut of the e-Touring Car Challenge in his hometown of Hong Kong.





“To see a motor racing event of this scale right here on our door step is an extremely proud moment not just for myself, but for Hong Kong as a whole,” said Ma.



“As a racing driver who is passionate about the sport of motor racing, I have been delighted to see the growing interest in the sport over the past few years. What we see in front of us is a true reflection that the sport of motor racing does have a place in Hong Kong.



The buzz and anticipation for this weekend has been phenomenal and I think we will see the Hong Kong Formula E weekend quickly become one of the biggest annual sporting spectacles in Asia.”



The e-Touring Car Challenge presented a podium celebration of the top three finishers of the race, and also recognized the fastest three artists in the celebrity race.



The Official Charging Solutions Provider of the e-Touring Car Challenge, Smart Charge, provided eight high speed charging stations on the pit lane that charged the 16 race cars.



“e-Touring Car Challenge has extremely high demand on the speed and quality of charging solutions,” said Mr. Ringo Ng, Managing Director of HKT’s Consumer Group and Managing Director of Smart Charge (HK) Limited.




“The Smart Charge consultant team, with our wealth of expertise, is able to manage the whole charging process in accordance with the on-site power supply condition, in a flexible and timely manner.  It is proven that our high quality and reliable service has fulfilled the high charging demand of the race.”
 





 About Formula Racing Development Ltd (FRD):


FRD, which manages a range of motorsports operations including Asian Renault Formula Series (AFR), has teamed with Renault F1 to establish the “Road To Champion with Renault Sport Formula One™ Team” scholarship program.


FRD also manages the Asian Renault Clio Cup China Series, the Changan Ford Racing Team in Chinese Touring Car Championship, a racing school, as well as the popular  C1 celebrity race  that raises funds for charity.



FRD is an official racing partner for the 2016 FIA Formula E Hong Kong ePrix, and initiated the Asian Formula Renault Championship in 2000. 






-Sunday Group Management-  photos copyright FRD