The third round of the China Circuit Championship (CCC) was held at Beijing Golden Port International Circuit. Contrary to the cold weather in which the second round was run at the same track, the competitors were confronted with much higher temperatures this time.

The top three drivers in Saturday's qualifying session were Lin Lifeng in a Dongfeng Nissan TIIDA and Shanghai VW 333 Racing's pair, Wang Rui and Han Han, both driving Volkswagen Polos. All three were equipped with YOKOHAMA tires. Guo Haisheng in another TIIDA was the fifth quickest in spite of a 120kg handicap! He had to carry such a heavy weight because of his success in the first two rounds.

The CCC has a weight handicap system and the winner and runners-up of a race receive corresponding weights in the next race. But the maximum amount of the weight isn't defined, which is the main difference from similar systems in other race series. Therefore, Guo Haisheng's tiny 1600cc car was burdened with a 120kg handicap weight.

The race on Sunday afternoon was hit by extreme heat as if it were midsummer and the temperature rose to 32℃. In the opening lap, a KIA driver drove very wildly and hit the cars around him including Guo Haisheng's TIIDA, which caused both of them to go off the track and retire in a gravel trap. It cost the Nissan driver dearly because he was leading the championship at the time.

The pole sitter, Lin Lifeng, didn't give way to anyone throughout the race. With reduced weight due to his retirement in the second round, he ran away from the following drivers with considerable speed. The reigning champion Han Han pursued the leader at an almost equal pace, after overtaking his teammate, Wang Rui, in the early stage of the race.

However, a door window of Han Han's Polo became loose just after one-third of the race distance was completed and he was called in to the pit by his team, before being ordered to do so by race stewards with an orange disc flag, to make a quick fix. Then, after removing a loose part of the acrylic pane, the mechanics sent him back to the track and he resumed the race in fourth.

Meanwhile, Wang Rui was involved in a close battle with another KIA driver who was the winner of the previous round. Although passed by his counterpart once, he regained second position in the middle phase of the race and remained there until the finish. Han Han pursued the KIA driver hard and registered the fastest lap of the race in the process. But his effort wasn't enough to beat the rival in front of him and Shanghai VW 333 Racing's driver had to settle for fourth.

Even though the record of YOKOHAMA's consecutive wins ended in the previous round, the YOKOHAMA equipped cars immediately fought back and finished in first and second again.

In the 2000cc class race, which started soon after the finish of 1600cc race, a privately run and YOKOHAMA equipped Guangzhou Honda Accord finished in third against the factory cars, surviving a very rough race with several crashes and course offs, as well as a Safety Car run.

Now the first three rounds have ended, the CCC has a long interval due to the Beijing Olympic Games in August. The next race at Zhuhai may have significant importance for the championship battle, as the point standings are very close at the moment, thanks to the weight handicap system. In such a tight championship situation, the consistency and speed of YOKOHAMA tires is the most reliable weapon for the leading teams.