PINNACLE MOTORSPORT BACK TO THE FRONT IN CHINA

June 20, 2017

Pinnacle Motorsport pulled off another successful weekend in the Formula Masters Series' (FMS) third event when it visited the Zhuhai International Circuit last June 16-18. Taylor Cockerton overcame the challenging wet weather conditions with a P1 and P2 finish. Likewise, the collective efforts of Ben Grimes and Antolin Gonzalez allowed Pinnacle Motorsport to move up to 2nd in the Team Standings.

Despite heavy rain, the New Zealander found the quickest way around the 4.3 km circuit in Qualifying putting him in P1 and P4. Grimes also learned the track very well to secure P9 in both sessions, while Gonzalez would start from P7 and P15.

Race 1 got underway behind the safety car where Cockerton was immediately challenged for the lead as the lights turned green. He put on a solid fight, trading positions almost every lap, to finish on the podium in 2nd. Grimes made up several places in the tricky conditions to cross the line in 7th. Gonzalez, on the other hand, did a good job to bring the car home in 10th.

A drying track then greeted Race 2 on Sunday. Cockerton was behind the lead battle when the cars ahead tangled, allowing him to grab 1st place and cruise to victory. Grimes clearly had the pace to challenge for a podium finish. Unfortunately, he stalled at start and ended the race again in 7th. His teammate Gonzalez followed closely behind and improved with a 9th place finish.

The weather worsened in the afternoon with a sudden downpour. Cockerton ended the eventful weekend in 4th and more importantly, 2nd place in the Drivers' Championship putting him back in the hunt for the title. Filipino-British driver Grimes achieved his best 5th place in Zhuhai and Gonzalez, who constantly progresses at every outing, collected valuable points in 8th.

After a one month break, the Formula Masters Series will return to the Zhuhai International Circuit on July 28-30 for the penultimate event of the 2017 season.

Accompanying Pinnacle Motorsport on their FMS campaign are partners Cebu Pacific Air, Teng Tools, and P1 Racewear.

Taylor Cockerton: "It's been a fantastic weekend for us and we're back in the hunt for the championship. I wasn't always the quickest driver in the wet, so my focus was on finishing the race and gathering points. We were gifted some easy positions which made it even better. As always big thanks to Pinnacle Motorsport for all their hard work over the weekend. I'm looking forward to continuing the championship fight in a month's time.”

Ben Grimes: "I'm pleased to have come away from the weekend with two P7s and a P5. Every race had extremely tricky driving conditions and driving in the wet earned me invaluable experiences. A double podium could very well have happened had things panned differently. The team did a great job all weekend long, so many thanks to them as this wouldn't have been possible without their hard work.”

Antolin Gonzalez: "This is was a very challenging weekend. The weather conditions were very tricky and the track was very wet during the races. Although we could have finished higher up the order, it was a really good experience driving in the rain and I learned a lot from this outing. I hope to improve when we return to Zhuhai and looking forward to race again here in a month's time.”

Formula Masters Series (FMS) is the region's premier international junior single-seater series that develops future motorsport stars, paving the way for young drivers in Asia. Know more about FMS at www.formulamasterschina.com.

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