Source: Xinhua Net
From November 19th to 21st, the annual grand event macau Grand Prix was held as scheduled, and the Phantom Pro Racing Racing performed well in this event as a two-sided combat. Among them, Xie An, who won the macau GT Cup-GT4 category last year, continued to drive the Mercedes-AMG GT4 race car this year, participating in the MGM Greater Bay Area GT Cup competition, and overtaking from the last place in the second leg to the second place in the whole game.
Before the race, Xie An said that he could not hold back his excitement about Macau: "Coming to Macau, it felt like a racing pilgrimage, and as soon as I got off the plane, I had the urge to rush into the cockpit of the car to start the race. I've already run once last year and have a certain knowledge of all the corners of the track. However, before the race, we will still carry out a track trekking survey with the team, trying to find out every slight change. ”
When preparing for the race, Xie An said: "Last year in the Macau GT Cup, I won the GT4 category, which set a very high starting point for myself and the team. This year, the organizing committee has improved the format and rules, and the GT3 and GT4 cars have been separated into different categories. This shows that this year's MGM Greater Bay Area GT Cup competition will be very fierce, with more than 20 cars competing directly on the track. Coupled with this year's rules, we had to use the new AVON Ava tires, which we had absolutely no racing and testing experience. ”
Moreover, this year's Grand Prix schedule is more compact, with the twenty-five minutes of practice on Friday directly after qualifying, "which means that we have less than thirty minutes to practice, and if we encounter a red flag, it may be a three- or four-lap opportunity to familiarize ourselves with the performance of the tyre." In fact, the Phantom Pro Racing didn't test new tyres before the race, so it was a blank slate before it hit the track – it was all unknown. This requires drivers to get as much window and time as possible during practice and to familiarize themselves with the characteristics of this tire.
However, Phantom Pro Racing's 2021 macau journey has not been smooth sailing. Xie An suffered an opponent collision in the first round without the advantage of the boP (performance balance) of the car, overtook from the end of the second round, and finally crossed the finish line in the second place, dedicating one of the most exciting races of this year's Macau Competition.
Xie An couldn't hide his happiness after the game: "First of all, thank you to my sponsor MGM, who gave me great support for this competition. My opponents did a great job and the game was gentlemanly. It's a pleasure to represent MGM and Phantom on the podium, this year is my second time participating in the Macau Grand Prix and I will continue to compete in the future! Because of the BoP, our car didn't have an edge in power and today's race was tough. But we combined all the good factors in the current conditions, and I tried my best to sprint and finally got what I thought was the best result I could achieve at the moment! ”
In addition to his outstanding performance in Macau, looking back on this year's race, Xie An also achieved the desired results in the national endurance race: "This year, the Phantom Pro Racing and I competed in the CEC China Auto Endurance Championship, and after four races we won the Driver of the Year Championship with two championships and two excellent results. There is no doubt that this is a huge achievement for the team. ”
In addition, Phantom Pro Racing has competed in sub-races including the China GT and GT Sprint Series, familiarizing itself with the rhythms of various races. "We switched between different endurance races and sprint races, and also tried different brands of racing cars, laying a solid foundation for us to be able to compete and achieve good results in all races in the future." Xie An revealed that he drove an Audi car to participate in two races with shorter schedules, but also to examine the standard of the race and prepare for the future full investment.
After completing the Macau Grand Prix, the team began to focus on next year's race. As the soul driver of phantom Pro Racing, Xie Ann said that plans for the next year are still being formulated: "First of all, we purchased two new GR SUPRA GT4 cars for the national GT race. As for which race to run, we still need to wait for the confirmation of the event. In terms of Phantom Pro Racing, we will start next year's competition plans at GT3 in the formation of Audi and Lamborghini racing, and GT4 in the GR Supra GT4 double-line formation. ”
Xie An said: "Work for the 2022 season is already on the agenda and the GR SUPRA GT4 car is expected to arrive in December. We will then carry out targeted test runs to familiarize ourselves with the characteristics of the new car. ”