PAC: Series Guangdong round 8 race notes

Bradley takes second straight win.

Guangzhou, China - Richard Bradley (SIN/19/Eurasia Motorsport) continued his winning streak in Round 8, earning his fourth Formula BMW Pacific win of the season, once again beating pole-sitter and Formula BMW Pacific Junior Jordan Oon (AUS/20/E-Rain Racing) in a dramatic race at the 2.820km Guangdong International Circuit.

Rookie Afiq Ikhwan (MAS/19/Meritus) finished third, earning his first Formula BMW Pacific podium position. Malaysian Nabil Jeffri (16/Eurasia Motorsport) and Colombian Oscar Tunjo (Meritus) were fourth and fifth, respectively, in the 15-lap, 25-minute race.

Bradley continues to lead the Drivers Classification and Rookie Cup by 48 points over Oon, with Tunjo third in both championships.

Although the rain let up in time for Round 8, dark clouds still hovered and areas of the track were still damp. The field of 16 was split in the decision to use slicks or wet tyres, with Bradley opting for the former and Oon, the latter.

Oon got off to a strong start, but on the exit of Turn 3, Bradley got by and never looked back. Meanwhile, Calvin Wong (MAS/18/PETRONAS Mofaz Racing), starting from third, got off to a difficult start and made a race-ending error at the first corner.

Formula BMW Pacific Junior Jesse Dixon (AUS/18/Atlantic Racing Team) started from fourth, but was passed by both Jeffri and Ikhwan. Two laps later Ikhwan got by Jeffri to go third.

The Safety Car came out on Lap 6 after Rookies Duvashen Padayachee (AUS/20/Eurasia Motorsport), Ryan Ritchie (MAS/17/PETRONAS Mofaz Racing), and Formula BMW Pacific Junior Kotaro Sakurai (JPN/16/Eurasia Motorsport) were stranded in the gravel.

When the Safety Car came in at the end of Lap 13, the drivers had just two laps in which to make a difference to the order. Bradley continued to lead, with Oon and Ikhwan behind.

Formula BMW Pacific Driver Quotes:

Richard Bradley, winner and top Rookie, Round 7: "We went out on the slicks and there were some slightly damp areas but the track in general felt pretty grippy so I think we made the right decision. After the Safety Car came back in, I remembered the gap I had built up and I knew I had the pace over the other cars, so I took it easy for one lap to warm the tyres up and then gunned it to make sure I had a good gap at the end."

Jordan Oon, 2nd and top Formula BMW Pacific Junior, Round 7: "We decided to race on wet tyres and I think it worked out 50-50 for us. We took a gamble and then when the Safety Car came out, we hoped it would rain. It didn't, but I'm still pleased at being second again. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and hopefully it won't be as wet. We've put in a few laps here and hopefully we can capitalize on our experience if it dries out."

Afiq Ikhwan, 3rd, Round 7: "I had a good start and after two laps I was able to get by Nabil Jeffri. I'm really happy to have my first podium, especially since I didn't get on the track until Friday. The team worked really hard for me."

-source: bmw.asia