Cheong and Lao made progress in China F4 in Chengdu

Local karting racers Vernice Lao and Marcus Cheong competed in the F4 Chinese Championship last weekend.

The two young drivers have made significant progress over the four-race weekend in Chengdu, with the more experienced Cheong to close the weekend with a 6th place overall on Sunday’s Race 2.

For the 15-year-old Lao, this was her first time racing in an F4 car. Despite finishing out of the points positions, she made significant progress, from 18th position in Race 1 on Saturday to 13th place in the last race on Sunday.

In addition to the weekend’s best 6th position, Cheong scored two 10th positions overall and one 12th place in the first race. In contrast, Lao did not finish the second race on Saturday but still classified 22nd and progressed from 19th to 13th on Sunday’s outings. This feeds the hopes of more improvements, particularly considering that this was her debut in F4.

According to comments made by the Asian Racing Team (ART), the team that supported both local racers in the Chengdu round, this was “a weekend of racing that brought progress, learning, and some well-earned highlights for our drivers on track.”

ART noted that Cheong has shown “Clear improvements and strong results throughout the weekend,” while Lao has had a “promising F4 debut showing growth and determination.”

As the Times previously reported, both local racers are being supported by the local Automobile General Association Macao-China (AAMC) to compete in this year’s Macau Grand Prix, potentially.

Although confirmation has not been made yet, it is likely that the two racers will also participate in the last round (four races) of the Chinese F4 Championship, which will take place in early October at Wuhan International Circuit as part of their continuous preparation and experience gaining.

The great winner of this round was Hong Kong’s Simon Zhang, who won two of the four races and placed second in the last race of the weekend. He extended his lead in the championship over another Hong Kong competitor, Kimi Chan.