Not only does 2022 mark season five of the WTCR − FIA World Touring Car Cup, it also marks the return of Ma Qing Hua to the all-action series after two years.
But having spent those two seasons winning in a Lynk & Co 03 TCR, Shanghai star Ma won’t be short on car knowledge when he competes for Cyan Performance Lynk & Co, which is expanding for 2022 to include a third car the 34-year-old alongside his new team-mates Thed Björk and Santiago Urrutia.
On returning…
“Because of the global pandemic I could not travel internationally so I raced in China for two years. But I’m now really happy to be back in World Touring Cars and also very happy to join Cyan Racing as a title-winning team. It’s a real honour to be one of them and to stand with those top drivers as a team-mate and to compete this season.”
On his team-mates…
“We communicate a lot, the team is fair and gives me lots of good advice and between team-mates we share information. They give me a lot of suggestions about the settings and the driving side from the previous experience and so far it’s been good.”
On 2022 targets…
“As I have been away for a while, in the beginning of the season the main target is to learn as quick as possible and adapt to the car and the team. As the team has good experience it’s a good step for me to take this from them. I will try to catch up the experience and start to compete for higher places from the middle of the season because I want to fight and get the best result as I can. There are some new tracks for me to learn but in the past I could do this quite quickly. I had never been to Moscow Raceway before but I won there on my first weekend in WTCC [in 2014]. It was good that there are lots of interesting circuits this season and I am really looking forward to it.”
On Lynk & Co 03 TCR knowledge…
“Of course in TCR China I drove the Lynk & Co for the last two seasons. It’s the same car and it’s good to know about everything but still there are a few things quite different than what I had before because with the WTCR the tyres are different with the Goodyear tyre so the set-up of the car is completely different. Also everyone is using the Marelli ECU and the operation side is a bit different. But so far it’s quite good. I missed some testing at the beginning of the year but after joining the team I was able to do some tests. I still need some more time but I think I can go better and better.”
On living in Sweden…
“As the situation of international travel is quite difficult I am staying in Europe for the whole season and I have set up my new home in Gothenburg. Sweden is a new place for me but it’s nice and I hope to have more time during the season to discover the area.”
