The 2025 Shanghai 8-Hour Endurance Race kicks off (live links included)

News & Announcements China Shanghai International Circuit October 7

On October 6th, coinciding with the combined National Day and Mid-Autumn Festival, the 2025 Shanghai 8 Hours Endurance Race roared into life, ushering in a new chapter. On the first day, three 60-minute pre-race testing sessions took place. The participating teams took advantage of ample track time to diligently practice and prepare for the intense competition that was about to begin.

Entry List Update

Before the official start of the race, several teams updated and strengthened their roster. Ye Hongli joined the #87 car, joining Liu Hangcheng/Yuan Bo/Gu Meng, to help Origine Motorsport repeat their championship dominance. Also from the same team, the No. 86 car consists of Jiang Jiawei, Bian Ye, Zhuang Jishun, and Wu Jiaxin.

Z.SPEED Wuhan Racing's No. 27 car has expanded to a four-man lineup, with Yang Haojie/Jiang Nan/Tang Zihao/Li Xuanyu. The No. 33R Harmony Racing team's No. 33 Loh Lean Shen/Zhang Yaqi/Liao Qishun pairing has welcomed professional racing driver Chen Weian. The No. 50 326 Racing Team team's Wu Yifan/Liu Zichen/Xu Zheyu team has added Audi Sport Asia official driver Yu Kuai. The GAHA Racing team's No. 678 car lineup has been updated to include Zhang Huilin/Wu Shiyao/Bao Tian/Ye Sichao.

In the GTS class, talented female rider Shi Wei joins Tianshi Racing, teaming up with Liu Peiji/Liu Taiji/Han Dongjun. Pointer Racing's Huang Hui/Huang Weibao will team up with Lu Junjie. GAHA Racing's Liang Jiatong/Chen Shugang/Wang Chen will partner with Chen Xiaoke.

Pre-race Test Run:

ParkingPark Racing by Z.SPEED took the fastest lap

The first pre-race test run began early Monday morning. At the end of the 60-minute run, 326 Racing Team's Wu Yifan/Liu Zichen/Xu Zheyu/Yu Kuai set a 2:02.644, a 0.020-second advantage over the fastest lap. 33R Harmony Racing Team's Loh Lean Shen/Zhang Yaqi/Liao Qishun/Chen Wei'an took second place, while HZO Fortis Racing by Absolute Racing's Haziq Zairel Oh/Aaron Lim/Akash Nandy took third.

Second pre-race test, ParkingPark Racing Zhang Zhendong, Zhang Mingyang, and Erik Johansson of the Z.SPEED team set the fastest lap time of 2:02.443, securing first place by a narrow margin of one thousandth of a second. Deng Yi, Luo Kailuo, and Li Hanyu of the Winhere Harmony Racing team were close behind in second place, while Pan Junlin, Wang Yibo, Rio, and Sergio Sette Camara of the Uno Racing Team were third.

In the final pre-race test, Zhang Zhendong/Zhang Mingyang/Erik Johansson once again dominated the timesheets, pushing their fastest time of the day to 2:01.964. Climax Racing's Chen Fangping/Li Lichao/Zhou Bihuang/Elias Seppanen took second place, while Frankenstein Racing's Zhou Yiran/Louis Prette/A.Scott were third.

In the GTS category, Level Chen Junhua, Liu Weizhi, and Zhang Boshang of the Motorsport team set the fastest times in the first two pre-race test sessions. Second and third place in the GTS class in the first pre-race test session went to Li Zonglin, Li Ning, He Zeyu, and Li Jun of the Zhongbao Ma Zenith Racing team, and Huang Hui, Huang Weibao, and Lu Junjie of the Pointer Racing team, respectively. Li Zonglin, Li Ning, He Zeyu, and Li Jun again took second place in the second pre-race test session, while Wu Zhenlong, Che Shaoyi, Zhu Jinwu, and He Baifeng of the Incipient Racing team took third place in this session.

GAHA Racing's Liang Jiatong/Chen Shugang/Wang Chen/Chen Xiaoke set a new GTS class fastest lap of 2:13.167 in the third pre-race test. The #15 team of Chen Junhua/Liu Weizhi/Zhang Boshang and the #56 team of Huang Hui/Huang Weibao/Lu Junjie took second and third place, respectively.

The fastest time in the GTC class today was set by the 610 Racing team of Wang Jiahao/Gan Erfu/Zhang Meng/Liu Chao. The team improved their lap times session by session, achieving a best of 2:05.010 in pre-race testing in the third session.

In the TC class, Hu Weixiong/Zhang Zi'an/Zheng Jiansheng of the Mogan Team Track Day King team, making their debut, made steady progress, achieving a fastest time of 2:20.290 in pre-race testing before the second session.

According to the weather forecast, the Shanghai 8 Hours Endurance Race will be held in high temperatures due to the influence of subtropical high pressure. The scorching heat not only puts a severe strain on the drivers' physical fitness but also puts a heavy strain on the cars' performance, reliability, and stability. In this context, tire management becomes even more crucial, becoming crucial for maintaining speed and securing victory in endurance races.

Following the test day, the Shanghai 8 Hours will host two 90-minute free practice sessions on Tuesday (October 7th). Qualifying will begin at 2:40 PM, with drivers taking turns sprinting for the best starting position. On Wednesday (October 8th), the Shanghai 8 Hours will kick off the final race at 9:25 AM. Stay tuned for the live broadcast of the event and await the excitement of this golden autumn endurance race extravaganza.