Chinese Driver Ma Qinghua Wins FIA TCR World Tour Italy Round in Geely Xingrui TCR

The opening round of the 2026 FIA TCR World Tour season took place from May 8 to 10 at the Misano World Circuit in Italy. Chinese driver Ma Qinghua claimed victory in this event, driving the Geely Xingrui TCR car. The Geely China Star Team (Geely Cyan Racing) entered the race with a lineup featuring Ma Qinghua, French driver Yann Ehrlacher, Swedish driver Thed Björk, and Uruguayan driver Santiago Urrutia. Located in Italy’s Emilia-Romagna region, the Misano circuit measures 4.226 kilometers in length. The new season introduced revised qualifying regulations: Q1 lasts 20 minutes, with the top 12 drivers advancing to a 10-minute Q2 session—expanded from the previous format, which allowed only the top 10 to progress. The Geely Xingrui TCR is built on the CMA platform and features enhancements in braking performance, power delivery, and transmission control logic. Its extended wheelbase improves high-speed stability, particularly excelling in wet and mixed-grip conditions compared to its predecessor. According to the Balance of Performance (BoP) parameters released by series organizer WSC, the car competes with a minimum weight of 1,285 kg, a power output ratio of 97.5%, and a ride height of 80 millimeters.