Cheng Congfu
Cheng Congfu | |
|---|---|
 Cheng in 2007. | |
| Born | August 15, 1984 |
| Nationality |  Chinese |
| Education | High School Affiliated to Renmin University of China |
| Racing licence |  FIA Silver |
| Previous series | |
| 2008 2007 2006–07–2008–09 2006 2005 2003–06 2003 2002 2001 | Formula Three Euroseries British Formula Three A1 Grand Prix Formula Renault 2.0 France FR2.0 UK Winter Series Formula Renault 2.0 UK Chinese Formula Renault Asian Formula Renault British Formula Ford |
| Championship titles | |
| 2002 | Asian Formula Renault |
Cheng "Frankie" Congfu (程丛夫; pinyin: Chéng Cóng Fū; born August 15, 1984) is a Chinese racing driver.
Career
Karting
In 1996, Cheng raced in karting in China, winning the national championship in 1998 (junior division), 2000 and 2001.[1] He also took part in the European Karting Open (15th in 1999) and the Asian Karting Championship (runner-up in 2001).
- 1996 : 1st in Beijing Shunxiang Cup Karting Competition
- 1997 : 1st in Beijing Shunxiang Cup Karting Competition ; 2nd in Beijing Zhuangzhou Karting
- 1998 : 1st in Beijing Karting Championship ; 1st in China Karting Championship Junior division ; Macau Kart Racing Club ; 1st in Xiangmihu Kart Racing Club
- 1999 : 15th in European Karting Open ; 2nd in China Karting Championship ; 1st in Macao Karting Championship ; 1st in Ericsson Masters Cup Challenge in Hong Kong
- 2000 : 1st in China Karting Championship ; 1st in Ericsson Masters Cup Challenge in Hong Kong
- 2001 : 1st in All-China Karting Championship ; 2nd in Asia Karting Championship
Racing career
Cheng Congfu started his formula racing career with the British Formula Ford Winter Series in 2001. In 2003 he will be supported by the McLaren Formula One team, as part of its driver development programme.[1]
He joined A1 Team China and drove in the A1 Grand Prix series from the 2006-07 season[2] in the 2008-09 season.
He raced in the Formula Three Euroseries for 2008.
He became the first Chinese driver to participate,[3] finish and score a class podium in the 24 Hours of Le Mans when his Saulnier Team LMP2 Pescarolo finished 3rd in the LMP2 class of the 2008 event, behind the teams of van Merksteijn and Team Essex, both running Porsche Spyder LMP2s.
On 23–24 May 2009, Cheng Congfu participated in the ADAC Nurburgring 24 Hours, with teammates Altfrid Heger, Carlo van Dam, and Franck Mailleux in VW Motorsport III's #116 VW Scirocco GT 24 (4 cyl, 1.984 ccm, 1100 kg), the team finished 20th overall and 3rd in SP3T class after Volkswagen Motorsport II's #118 VW Scirocco GT 24 and #107 Audi A3. Cheng Congfu then became the first Chinese driver to participate, finish and score a class podium in the Nurburgring 24 Hours.
He drove in the 2010 Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters for Mercedes, becoming the second Asian driver – after Japan's Katsutomo Kaneishi in 2003 – to drive in the series.
In November 2011, Cheng Congfu partnered with 1998 and 1999 F1 World Champion Mika Häkkinen and Lance David Arnold to drive a Mercedes-Benz SLS AMG at the 2011 6 Hours of Zhuhai race, a round of the 2011 Intercontinental Le Mans Cup.[4]
Racing record
Racing career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2003 | Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship | Hill Speed Racing | 9 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 19 | 30th |
| 2004 | Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship | Manor Motorsport | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 66 | 22nd |
| 2005 | Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship | Manor Motorsport | 18 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 217 | 11th |
| Formula Renault 2.0 UK Winter Series | 4 | 1 | 2 | 1 | 3 | 101 | 2nd | ||
| 2006 | Formula Renault 2.0 UK Championship | Manor Motorsport | 20 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 8 | 374 | 3rd |
| French Formula Renault 2.0 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 34th | ||
| 2006-07 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team China | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 22‡ | 15th‡ |
| 2007 | British Formula 3 International Series - National | Performance Racing Europe AB | 20 | 5 | 4 | 8 | 15 | 267 | 2nd |
| Masters of Formula 3 | Manor Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 19th | |
| 2007-08 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team China | 20 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 1 | 55‡ | 13th‡ |
| 2008 | Formula 3 Euro Series | RC Motorsport powered by Volkswagen | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 29th |
| Macau Grand Prix | Signature-Plus | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | Saulnier Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd | |
| 2008-09 | A1 Grand Prix | A1 Team China | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7‡ | 18th‡ |
| 2009 | 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP3T | Volkswagen Motorsport | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | N/A | 3rd |
| 2010 | Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters | Persson Motorsport | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17th |
| 2012 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 12 | 24th |
| Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro | Black Faklcon | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 18 | 18th | |
| 2013 | FIA World Endurance Championship | Rebellion Racing | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 17 | 18th |
| 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 8th | ||
| American Le Mans Series - P1 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC | ||
| Asian Le Mans Series | OAK Racing | 1 | 0 | 1 | 1 | 1 | 19 | 9th | |
| GT Asia Series - GT3 | Team R8 LMS Ultra | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 43 | 12th | |
| Audi R8 LMS Cup China | Audi Ultra Team | 9 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 5 | 98 | 5th | |
| 2014 | Blancpain Endurance Series - Pro | Brothers Racing Team | 3 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 16 | 21st |
| Audi R8 LMS Cup China | Audi R8 LMS Cup Team | 12 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 4 | 130 | 4th | |
| 2015 | Audi R8 LMS Cup China | FAW-VW Audi Racing Team | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 7 | 160 | 2nd |
| 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Audi Race Experience | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 12th | |
| 2016 | GT Asia Series - GT3 | Absolute Racing | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 13 | 19th |
| FIA GT World Cup | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 10th | ||
| Audi R8 LMS Cup China | FAW-VW Audi Racing Team | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 70 | 7th | |
| 24 Hours of Nürburgring - SP9 | Audi Race Experience | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | DNF | |
| 2016-17 | Asian Le Mans Series - GT | Absolute Racing | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 10 | 14th |
| 2017 | Blancpain GT Series Asia - GT3 | Milestone Racing | 11 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 15 | 25th |
| Audi R8 LMS Cup | FAW-VW Audi Racing Team | 10 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 127 | 3rd | |
| 2018 | Blancpain GT Series Asia - GT3 | Absolute Racing | 12 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 3 | 116 | 4th |
| GT Asia Series - GT3 | 4 | 0 | 1 | 0 | 2 | 0 | NC† | ||
| Audi R8 LMS Cup | Hard Memory Hero Super Car Team | 2 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2019 | Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia - GT3 | Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute Racing | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 4 | 36th |
| 2023 | GT World Challenge Asia - GT3 | Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute | 12 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 18 | 25th |
| FIA GT World Cup | FAW Audi Racing Team | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | N/A | 13th | |
| 2024 | GT World Challenge Asia | FAW Audi Sport Asia Racing Team | 12 | 1 | 1 | ? | 4 | 98 | 4th |
† Guest driver ineligible to score points
‡ Teams' Standings
Complete A1 Grand Prix results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
| Year | Entrant | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2006–07 | A1 Team China | NED SPR 11 |
NED FEA 9 |
CZE SPR 4 |
CZE FEA 8 |
BEI SPR 13 |
BEI FEA Ret |
MYS SPR 10 |
MYS FEA 16 |
IDN SPR |
IDN FEA |
NZL SPR |
NZL FEA |
AUS SPR |
AUS FEA |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
MEX SPR |
MEX FEA |
SHA SPR 11 |
SHA FEA 15 |
GBR SPR Ret |
GBR FEA 10 |
15th | 22 |
| 2007–08 | NED SPR 17 |
NED FEA 15 |
CZE SPR 10 |
CZE FEA 4 |
MYS SPR Ret |
MYS FEA 5 |
ZHU SPR 3 |
ZHU FEA 9 |
NZL SPR 14 |
NZL FEA Ret |
AUS SPR 14 |
AUS FEA 10 |
RSA SPR 4 |
RSA FEA 6 |
MEX SPR 17 |
MEX FEA 10 |
SHA SPR 10 |
SHA FEA 15 |
GBR SPR 21 |
GBR FEA 4 |
13th | 55 | |||
| 2008–09 | NED SPR |
NED FEA |
CHI SPR |
CHI FEA |
MYS SPR |
MYS FEA |
NZL SPR Ret |
NZL FEA 14 |
RSA SPR |
RSA FEA |
POR SPR |
POR FEA |
GBR SPR 14 |
GBR FEA Ret |
18th | 7 |
Complete DTM results
(key)
| Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | Pos | Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2010 | Persson Motorsport | AMG-Mercedes C-Klasse 2008 | HOC 13 |
VAL 12 |
LAU 12 |
NOR 14 |
NÜR 12 |
ZAN 16 |
BRH 13 |
OSC Ret |
HOC Ret |
ADR 13 |
SHA 15 |
17th | 0 |
24 Hours of Le Mans results
| Year | Team | Co-Drivers | Car | Class | Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2008 |  Saulnier Racing
|
Pierre Ragues Matthieu Lahaye
|
Pescarolo 01-Judd | LMP2 | 333 | 18th | 3rd |
| 2013 |  Rebellion Racing
|
Mathias Beche Andrea Belicchi
|
Lola B12/60-Toyota | LMP1 | 275 | 40th | 8th |
References
- ^ a b Cheng presentation Archived December 12, 2007, at the Wayback Machine a1teamchina.com.cn
- ^ Cheng Cong Fu Archived December 15, 2007, at the Wayback Machine results.a1gp.com
- ^ "Cheng to be first Chinese at Le Mans". autosport.com. 2008-06-05. Retrieved 2008-06-05.
- ^ 2011 ILMC Zhuhai Entry List Archived 2011-10-27 at the Wayback Machine www.lemans.org/en Retrieved 26 October 2011.
External links
- Cheng page at a1teamchina.com.cn
- Driver Statistics at results.a1gp.com
- Cheng Congfu career summary at DriverDB.com
- Cheng Congfu interview, 17 September 2006