Shanghai: Indian driver and JK Tyre Brand Ambassador, Aditya Patel, racing in the Audi R8 LMS Cup, took lights to flag victory in spectacular fashion in Shanghai on Monday.
Round six of the Audi R8 LMS cup played host to two races and ran as a support race to the World Endurance Championship in Shanghai. Aditya went into the final race sixth in the driver’s standings and still had a slim chance of clinching the title.
Race one however, did not go as plan for the driver backed by Audi India, JK Tyres and Jubilant Motorworks. After having engine trouble in practice, the mechanics worked extremely hard to change the car’s engine in no more than two hours. Patel then went out and qualified second, alongside Alex Yoong. However, his joy was short lived. The stewards took a decision to penalize Aditya for a minor technical infringement, thereby putting him 17thon the grid for the first race of the weekend. Patel remained undeterred and put in a stellar performance to move up to 9th place and set the fastest lap of the race which put him on pole position for race two.
Being a standing start, Patel shot off and never looked back. The Indian quickly built a comfortable gap over championship rivals Alex Yoong, Franky Cheng and Marchy Lee. From there on, Patel kept his calm and crossed the chequered flag in spectacular fashion to win the final race of the season ahead of Marchy Lee and Franky Cheng. Former Formula one driver, Alex Yoong was crowned Champion of the Audi R8 LMS Cup. Aditya Patel ended the championship fourth overall.
“It’s been a crazy year and there’s no better way than to top it off with a pole to flag victory in the final race! The team did a fantastic job to get the car ready for qualifying. The penalty after qualifying meant a change in strategy, and it turned out to be perfect! I’d like to thank Audi China for giving me the opportunity to race in the cup as well as my sponsors, Audi India, JK Tyres and Jubilant Motorworks for their support through the years.” Said and ecstatic Aditya after the race.
