Rodolfo Ávila wins TCR China last race and the title

The battle for the TCR China title ended in Tianma with a three-way fight between MG XPower’s Rodolfo Ávila, Zhang Zhen Dong and Cao Hong Wei. Ávila emerged as the winner in the last race and in the championship, proving tougher than Zhang in the ultimate duel.
In the first half of the first race the MG XPower trio of Cao, Zhang and Ávila chased the China Super Cup car that had started from the pole. Eventually, Cao managed to take the lead in lap 15, while Ávila passed Zhang for P3 overall one lap later. 
Further down the field, two other MG drivers were fighting for P7 overall: Home Racing Team’s Wang Tao and Yao Li in the fourth factory MG 6. Yao’s attempts to pass Wang failed twice; in lap 22 he outbraked himself and ran wide at Turn 1, then in lap 24 he repeated the same mistake but this time lost control and rammed one of the China Super Cup cars. Yao pitted for repairs and rejoined one lap behind.
Up front, Cao pulled away, Ávila moved up to second overall, while Zhang finished fourth overall and completed the TCR China podium.
With 25 points on offer in the last race, four drivers were still in the title fight: Ávila on 166 points, Zhang 165, Cao 152 and Wang 145.
The battle between the three factory MG cars and the China Super Cup cars resumed in the second race. Wang, second on the grid, was the best of TCR China, but made a poor start, while Zhang and Ávila advanced to second and third after making contact before Turn 1. During the first lap, they swapped paints again and Ávila muscled his way past Zhang, with Cao moving into P4 overall.
As the leading Super Cup car slowed, Ávila and Zhang advanced to first and second, with the Macanese driver able to pull away; behind them, Cao seemed in troubles and dropped to sixth overall, behind three Super Cup cars by the end of lap 6. He then recovered one position in lap 18.
Further behind, Wang defended P7 overall from the Audi cars of Wu Yi Fan and Liu Zi Chen, but the latter went off in lap 19, which prompted the safety car into action. 
When racing resumed in lap 23, Zhang attempted to pass Ávila, but to no avail, and he finished second, half-a-second behind; Cao briefly moved up to P4 overall before slowing and dropping down to finish seventh, which promoted Wang to sixth and third in TCR China. 

Tianma – Race 3
1. Cao Hong Wei (MG XPower, MG 6), 27 laps
2. Rodolfo Ávila (MG XPower, MG 6), 13.414
3. Zhang Zhen Dong (MG XPower, MG 6), 17.461

Tianma – Race 4
1. Rodolfo Ávila (MG XPower, MG 6), 26 laps
2. Zhang Zhen Dong (MG XPower, MG 6), 0.573
3. Wang Tao (Auto Home Racing Team, MG 6), 7.192

Championship standings
1. R. Ávila 191 pts; 2. Zhang Zhen Dong 183; 3. Cao Hong Wei 164 

Picture: TCR China