High Altitude, No Oxygen Shortage! 2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing Delivers a Summit Final in Kunming

Mention the spring city of Kunming and the mind often conjures up a slow-paced life of "sunsets over the ancient town" and "the shimmering waters of Dianchi Lake". Recently, a passionate motorsport brought a dynamic side to the city. On October 17, the final of the 2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing was held in Jialize, Songming, Kunming. This was the first time since the event was launched in 2017 that the competition was staged in a high-altitude area. In the end, Liu Chuan from Chongqing claimed the championship of this leg with his superb driving skills.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Image ambassador Pan Xiaoting with competitors of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg
Highlight 1: Showing off skills on a high-altitude track, Pan Xiaoting conveys championship quality
Racing is by nature a contest full of masculine energy, yet Pan Xiaoting, image ambassador of the Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing, brought a different colour to this final. At around 13:00 on the 17th, the dashing Pan Xiaoting appeared at the track in her racing suit and waved the flag to start the "2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing", instantly igniting the atmosphere on site. Besides flagging off the race, Pan Xiaoting, herself a racing enthusiast, also personally took to the track for a test drive, cheering on the competitors with concrete action.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Starting ceremony of the final of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg
As China's first world championship winner in billiards, Pan Xiaoting has another identity: a celebrity racer holding a racing licence. Accelerating from a standstill, repeated stab braking, cutting the edge through corners... Pan Xiaoting delivered a dazzling demonstration on the track, with practised moves and a calm demeanour, in no way inferior to professional racers, sparking lively discussion among competitors and spectators. After the test drive, drivers and spectators alike, moved by her track performance, vied to have their photos taken with the racing goddess to keep a fond memory.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Image ambassador Pan Xiaoting's test drive on the track
Whether on the calm and composed billiards table or on the passionate track, what remains unchanged is Pan Xiaoting's spirit of constantly challenging herself and realising her dreams. Her championship quality of ceaselessly pushing the limits and Kunlun Lubricant's unremitting pursuit of excellence converge in this mass-participation motorsport, inspiring ordinary people who love racing to realise their dreams here.
Highlight 2: Challenging the ultimate driving skill, a Chongqing driver takes the title
The final of the Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing at Jialize in Songming, Kunming, featured two speed events: the 0-400 metre drag race and the combined circuit race. This extreme speed contest at an altitude of 2,000 metres placed more stringent demands than ever on the drivers' control skills and on the power performance of the cars.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
0-400 metre drag race of the final of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg
The drag race was the perfect stage for watching high-speed racing at the Songming Jialize leg in Kunming. Stomping on the throttle, rapid successive gear shifts... neither the thin, oxygen-poor air nor the blazing sun could stop the drivers from giving everyone a fierce duel of speed. The combined circuit race, by contrast, was the battlefield for testing the drivers' skills and the cars' performance. Drivers not only had to accelerate and decelerate over short distances and pass through S-shaped and U-shaped corners in succession, but also had to avoid knocking down cones with their tyres. Roaring engines kept growling and speeding tyres kicked up clouds of dust; the tense and thrilling competition drew exclamations of amazement from the spectators.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Final of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg - combined circuit race
After fierce competition in the two events, Liu Chuan from Chongqing, Liang Shuai from Beijing and Wei Kexing from Chongqing took the top three places with times of 1:59.78, 2:03.17 and 2:03.39 respectively. Zhao Qiang, Deputy General Manager of the Kunming Sales Branch of PetroChina Lubricant Company, presented them with trophies, and event image ambassador Pan Xiaoting placed garlands around their necks. Besides receiving a Kunlun Lubricant maintenance gift package worth 888 yuan, the three winners also had their photos taken with Pan Xiaoting. In addition, the leg champion, "Kunlun King" Liu Chuan, received a commemorative racing helmet autographed by Pan Xiaoting.
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Award ceremony of the final of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg
Highlight 3: Conquering an altitude of 2,000 metres, Kunlun Lubricant keeps the racing cars from "suffocating"
This race was held on a plateau at an altitude of 2,000 metres, where thin oxygen posed a considerable challenge for both drivers and cars. The higher the altitude, the lower the air pressure and oxygen content. Not only do people suffer from altitude sickness, but vehicle engines also lose 10%-15% of their power, and gasoline cars are especially affected. For people, avoiding strenuous exercise can effectively relieve altitude sickness. For racing cars, however, avoiding "strenuous exercise" is impossible; the intensity of competition is higher and the activity more vigorous and frequent, so the cars are even more prone to "altitude sickness" and to losing power!
2018 Kunlun Lubricant King of Racing
Final of the Kunming Songming Jialize leg
Therefore, improving engine transmission efficiency and reducing the "altitude sickness" caused by the cars' "lack of oxygen" became one of the keys to ensuring the smooth running of the event. Among these factors, lubricants play a role that cannot be ignored. Kunlun Tianrun, the sole officially designated oil of this event, and Kunlun Star, the sole officially designated maintenance product, proved to be important safeguards, with their strong performance, for effectively reducing the cars' "oxygen deficiency" and easing their "altitude sickness".
Kunlun Tianrun - the only designated oil of the CCPC
Kunlun Star - the only designated maintenance product of the CCPC
The TGDI protection technology newly developed by Kunlun Tianrun can effectively isolate deposits such as sludge that cause performance loss, prevent low-speed pre-ignition and protect turbocharged direct-injection engines. The composite additive of Kunlun Star contains polar surfactant polymers that can prevent the formation and accumulation of fuel deposits, safeguard engine performance, ensure full combustion of the oil and inhibit corrosion of the engine by fuel, effectively alleviating problems such as difficult starting, unstable idling, power loss and poor acceleration. Thanks to the use of Kunlun Tianrun and Kunlun Star, the racing cars effectively reduced their "oxygen deficiency" symptoms. After the race, drivers and maintenance staff all said that the cars' power retention had been much better than expected, and that everyone had performed at their normal competitive level.
With the successful conclusion of this event, the list of the top six finalists for the Yakeshi finals was released. In the coming schedule, the top three of this Kunming Songming Jialize leg and the top three of the earlier Yancheng (Dafeng) leg will meet in Yakeshi to decide the final "Kunlun King of Racing" on the ice and snow track!
Let us wait and see who will become this year's overall champion.