At 11:07 on May 31st, at the Ningbo International Circuit, race car No. 27 crossed the finish line first.
When the race car slowly drove back to the pit lane, Chen Hanqi, the chief driver of the Global Xinjio Racing Team, pushed open the door and got off the car. He held up his index finger high, pointing to the team Logo on his chest, and shouted loudly: "Global Xinjio Racing Team, Number One!"
At this moment, the driver who has always been calm could no longer suppress his inner excitement. His eyes turned red, and he hugged the team members tightly. For Chen Hanqi, this was not only a victory in a race, but also a realization of persistence and passion. In this Ningbo event of the Lynk & Co Cup City Racing, he successfully swept the double-round champions, also won the media group championship, and completed the finale with a "Grand Slam" performance.
However, this is not the first time he has stood on the podium representing the Global Xinjio Racing Team.
Turn the clock back to the end of November 2025. The Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia welcomed the annual finale of the Lotus Cup. At that time, the Global Xinjio Racing Team, as the first domestic media team to deploy overseas and participate in national level A-class events, won the runner-up in the first round group and the champion in the second round group, while also securing the fifth place overall.
From the "Lotus Cup" at Sepang International Circuit to the "Lynk & Co Cup" at Ningbo International Circuit; from representing the Chinese media team for the first time going to overseas venues to standing on the podium time and time again, this young team is using results to write its own growth trajectory.
But what is more worth paying attention to than results are the stories behind the growth. For a media team, they have to undertake the duties of observation and recording as media personnel, and face the extreme challenges on the track in the identity of drivers. This dual identity also makes them have a deeper understanding of cars and motorsports than ordinary people.
In fact, the process of the Global Xinjio Racing Team growing up is, to some extent, also a process of continuously understanding racing, understanding the spirit of competition, and understanding racing culture.
So, in Chen Hanqi's eyes, what does racing actually mean? As a professional media driver and the chief driver of the Global Xinjio Racing Team, how does he understand the value and significance of racing culture? To this end, Huanqiu Auto brought a special dialogue. Through the glorious moments on the track, walk into the inner world of a driver, and try to find the answer that truly moves people in the motorsport.
"A good car can speak"
From racing at the Sepang International Circuit "Lotus Cup" last year to coming to the Ningbo track to participate in the "Lynk & Co Cup" this year, in Chen Hanqi's view, the Global Xinjio Racing Team has also gradually grown and matured in continuous practical battles.
"When participating in the Lotus Cup, we hoped to complete a beautiful debut. For a media team that just stepped onto the international arena, the most important thing was to maintain the rhythm and get a good start, and finally we smoothly got the group championship." Chen Hanqi expressed.
And by this year's "Lynk & Co Cup", the team's goal had changed. After more than half a year of competition accumulation, whether in race experience, driving experience, or team collaboration capabilities, have all moved to a new level. Therefore, this time the team proposed higher requirements for itself, hoping to verify growth with results.
"From official practice sessions, qualifying sessions to the final race, we have almost given our all in every link. From the lap time performance, whether placed in this race or in the lap time records of Lynk & Co 03CUP EVO cars at Ningbo International Circuit in previous years, we have achieved very eye-catching results."
For him, behind the results is not only the improvement of the driver's personal ability, but also the accumulation and grinding of the whole team over the long term. "Even during non-competition periods, the team has always been discussing training plans, reviewing driving details, and researching future development directions. It is precisely this continuous accumulation that allows everyone to constantly break through themselves on the track."
When talking about which core performance of the vehicle is best reflected in track driving, the answer given by Chen Hanqi was not power, but coordination. "For the track, power is actually the least important part. Because straight-line acceleration is simple, anyone can step on the throttle to the bottom. The real difficulty is how to make the vehicle remain stable and efficient to complete every cornering even under extreme conditions."
In his opinion, an excellent racing car must have clear feedback capabilities to form effective communication with the driver. "A good car will 'speak'. It will tell you through the tires, chassis, steering, etc., what the tire temperature is now, how much grip is left, whether this corner can be a little faster, and whether the vehicle is approaching the limit. Lynk & Co 03CUP EVO is such a car. Many times you feel that the driver has perceived this information, but the premise is that the vehicle itself is willing to pass this information to you."
"Nowadays many models, especially some high-performance electric vehicles, pursue too much horsepower and acceleration results, but weaken the communication sense between the car and the driver. In fact, this communication loss is risky. When the vehicle is about to enter a dangerous state, if it does not transmit information to the driver in time, it is easy to lose control or even hit the wall."
Compared with ordinary road test drives, the greatest value of the track is to completely amplify the performance boundaries of a car. "The stability, balance, and durability of the vehicle will be infinitely amplified under track conditions. In daily road driving, we rarely brake heavily continuously, accelerate full throttle continuously, or long-term state of extreme cornering. But the track is different, in one lap there may be dozens of heavy brakes, from 150 kilometers per hour or even more than 200 kilometers per hour, stepping on the brake to about 50 kilometers per hour, and then immediately accelerating out of the corner full throttle, and such actions will be repeated."
Under such high-intensity working conditions, the true strength of the vehicle has nowhere to hide. "It tests not only the lap time, but the durability, stability, and consistency of the entire system. The engine, transmission, braking system, tires, and chassis suspension must work continuously under extreme conditions. Many problems that cannot be detected in daily driving will be amplified rapidly on the track."
In Chen Hanqi's opinion, the track has never been just a battlefield of speed, but also a mirror to test the true performance of the vehicle. It can enable drivers to read a car, and it can also enable a truly excellent car to prove its value through every corner and every feedback.
"Global Xinjio Racing Team Must Reflect Media Professionalism"
For the team, the continuous breakthrough of results is indeed concerning, but in Chen Hanqi's opinion, what makes the Global Xinjio Racing Team truly different is not just the lap times and rankings on the track, but another mission carried by this team, that is, using motorsports as a carrier to continuously verify and show the professional capabilities of Chinese automotive media.
"Our greatest value lies in representing the professional level of Chinese automotive media. Track results are indeed important, but more importantly is to bring this professional capability back to daily work. Whether it is vehicle evaluation, product test drive, or participating in joint testing and product research and development exchanges of car companies, it requires truly understanding cars, understanding driving, and understanding the performance of vehicles under extreme conditions."
In his view, in the current Internet era, traffic has become the core logic of many content productions, but the automotive industry is an area that requires long-term accumulation and professional precipitation. "Nowadays many contents are pursuing traffic and communication efficiency, but content with real professional depth is not much. Some people even begin to evaluate vehicle handling and performance without systematic driving training. For automotive media, professionalism should always be the foundation." It is precisely for this reason that the existence of the Global Xinjio Racing Team is not only a race team, but more like an extension and verification of professional capabilities.
Touching is that in addition to the logistics support of the Global Xinjio Racing Team and the full support of the event organizers, whether at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia or at the Ningbo International Circuit, every race, Chen Hanqi's wife Ma Jia would come to the scene to accompany. From waiting before the race to the embrace after crossing the line, she has always been the most firm supporter by the track.
Talking about the help and support of family and friends, Chen Hanqi frankly stated that racing brings not only passion and glory, but also a heavy responsibility. "Racing itself is a sport full of risk, but every time thinking of family and friends waiting for me to return safely by the track, I will remind myself that no matter when, safety is always the first priority."
In his opinion, whether it is the championship on the track, lap time results, or the speed in daily driving, all are worthless in front of safety. "The more people who have truly opened the track, the more they will respect driving. Because you know the boundaries of speed better than others, and you understand that safety is the most important meaning."
For racers, the honors on the track belong to the team, and the companionship that is always consistent outside the track has become an important force supporting them to constantly challenge limits. What Chen Hanqi, the driver, and the Global Xinjio Racing Team pursue is already not just the results itself, but outside speed and love, using professionalism to interpret another possibility of Chinese automotive media.
Behind the Rise of Chinese Events Lies the Advancement of the Automotive Industry
It can be said that behind the two events, it is not only a competitive contest between drivers, but also reflects the long-term investment of car companies in racing culture and automotive sports.
In Chen Hanqi's view, whether it is Lotus sports cars with deep track genes or Lynk & Co brands that continuously promote the development of automotive sports, the significance of both persisting in holding events has long gone beyond the brand communication dimension, but is continuously investing resources and strength for the construction of the entire Chinese automotive sports ecosystem.
"From a larger system, Geely Automobile Group has been continuously planning various automotive events in recent years. From Lotus Cup, Lynk & Co Cup, etc., to TCR and other higher-level event systems, a complete channel from entry, advanced to professional competition has actually been formed." In his opinion, such an event system is of great significance for the development of Chinese automotive sports. "It is really not easy to hold events. It requires continuous investment of funds, requires technical accumulation, requires professional talents, and more importantly, requires long-term persistence. Only by truly building the system can more people contact racing, participate in racing, and also promote the entire industry to move forward continuously."
And for automotive enterprises, the more important value of motorsports lies in technical verification and product research and development. "There has always been a saying in the automotive industry: 'promote research through racing', 'use racing to support civilian applications'. This model has been verified on many high-performance brands and luxury brands around the world. Because the race site is the strictest laboratory, the requirements for vehicle durability, reliability, and extreme performance in the race environment are far higher than ordinary civilian scenarios."
He believes that it is the technical experience accumulated under such high-intensity competition and extreme working conditions that can finally truly be transformed into product competitiveness. "When technologies verified in events, chassis tuning experience, and quality standards are applied to civilian vehicles, the improvement brought to users is comprehensive. Whether it is vehicle quality, handling experience, or reliability performance, all benefit from it. This is also why many brands with deep racing genes are often able to establish stronger competitive advantages at the product level."
In his understanding, this is actually the basic law of the long-term development of the automotive industry. "From the development of automobiles to today, motorsports has always been an important force driving technological progress. Nowadays, more and more Chinese brands are starting to actively invest in events, participate in events, and build event systems. I think this is a very positive signal."
And for the Global Xinjio Racing Team, this growth is also clearly visible. From media personnel to racers, from industry observers to event participants, the Global Xinjio Racing Team has always adhered to approaching automotive sports in the most professional way. The track is not only a stage to test driving technology, but also an exam to verify professional capabilities of the media. Every start, every finish, every time standing on the podium, is an interpretation of professional spirit.
In the future, what the Global Xinjio Racing Team pursues may not be just more championships, but to build a bridge connecting cars, users, and the industry through motorsports, let more people feel the charm of racing culture, and also let the professional value of Chinese automotive media be seen by more people.
