Though still new to the TCR Asia Series, Daniel Miranda continued to impress on his debut season with yet another strong performance, this time at the Shanghai International Circuit last June 1 and 2. The race weekend saw the Cebuano bring the fight to the fastest drivers on the grid and come out as the top Asian driver.
Miranda, however, admitted that he and Eurasia Motorsport struggled with car setup early on. It also took him several sessions to acquaint himself with the 5.451 km F1 circuit before he could truly push the #20 Hyundai i30 N TCR with full confidence. But once everything was sorted out, Miranda was able to set the 8th fastest time in Qualifying out of a massive combined 21-car grid of TCR Asia and TCR China.
Backed by Cebuana Lhuillier, Miranda got a good start off the line in Race 1 and was up to P6 at the end of the first lap. He then had to forcefully defend his position against his hard-charging rivals, but at the cost of his tires. The lack of grip eventually slowed him down in the closing stages of the race to end up 9th overall and 2nd in the Asian Drivers’ classification.
“I’m so elated and proud of Daniel’s strong performances. Cebuana Lhuillier will continue to support him as I strongly believe that he has what it takes to become one of the best drivers not just in Asia but in the whole world,” said Jean Henri Lhuillier, President and CEO of Cebuana Lhuillier and a known sports patron.
Miranda made up for lost ground the following day with a brilliant drive in Race 2. Starting from P3 on the grid, he shot up to P2 on the run to the first corner and battled with the top TCR drivers from Europe and South America. He showed good pace and even made several attempts for the lead, but inadvertently left the door open for his competitors to get past. Despite the slight misstep, Miranda continued the fight for position and crossed the finish line 5th overall and landed on the podium with 1st place in the Asian Drivers’ class.
“Although we encountered some challenges over the weekend, I’m very happy to be able make it onto the podium in Shanghai. This is only my first year in TCR Asia and it feels amazing to be able to compete on the same level as the top three or four drivers on the grid who have more racing experience around the world. I learned a lot from them and hope to continue on learning for the next two races in Zhejiang and Bangsaen which I have never visited before.” said Daniel Miranda.
The Hyundai Motorsport Customer Racing Junior Driver currently sits 4th overall in the championship and extends his lead in the Asian Drivers’ standings to 29 points.
After a short one month break, the TCR Asia Series will resume on July 5-7 at the Zhejiang International Circuit for the penultimate event of the 2019 season.