A spirited performance from Daniel Lloyd during last weekend’s third TCR China meeting of the season rewarded the Dongfeng Honda Racing team driver with pole position and a double podium on the Zhejiang International circuit (July 5-7).

Regrettably, despite a battling drive from the Yorkshireman in the opening contest, a subsequent ride-height failure on the #77 Honda Civic Type R TCR machine saw him excluded from the race results.

Heading into double-header 80kg heavier than the previous round in Shanghai, 27-year-old Lloyd took the lead in free practice before claiming the top spot in qualifying. Out-performing many of the TCR Asia competitors also out on track.

A superb opening race from the ABRACS and Mend-A-Hose-backed racer saw him defend hard under relentless pressure from the far-lighter competition to take P2 at the flag. Unfortunately, a subsequent ride-height examination failure meant that Lloyd was denied his podium place.

Determined to remain championship contention, Lloyd showed true Yorkshire grit in race two. Struggling his way through the field to take P2 once again, he was duly rewarded with his 5th podium visit of the season, from six races.

“It was a tough weekend;” explained Lloyd. “We were carrying a lot of success ballast from Shanghai. Effectively we were 80kg heavier.

“We did a really good job in qualifying to claim the TCR China pole, and 2nd overall;” he added. “Running on new tyres we managed to get a fast lap out of the Honda, but it was really hard to with so much weight on-board. All three of us in the team struggled. I was happy with my own performance overall, but Zhejiang is a very hilly circuit, and the weight just killed our pace.

“Failing the ride-height inspection after race 1 was a real shame. We saw from the damper sensor during the race that it had dropped below the limit. The team checked everything beforehand though and there was plenty of clearance. Unfortunately, it just meant that we lost the points from that race.

“I’m still very much in the fight for the championship title, as is the team. We’re confident for the next round at Ningbo.”

Lloyd and the Dongfeng Honda Racing Team head to the Ningbo International Circuit next, on September 13/15 for the penultimate meeting of the 2019 season.

Full coverage from each of the Zhejiang races can be found on the TCR Asia facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TCRAsiaSeries/

For more information on the championship, please visit: http://www.tcrchina.com/