Martin Cao
Cao Hongwei | |
---|---|
Nationality | Chinese |
Born | Changsha,Hunan,China | 17 February 1993
British Formula 3 Championshipcareer | |
Debut season | 2014 |
Current team | Fortec Motorsports |
Car number | 57 |
Starts | 21 |
Wins | 4 |
Poles | 4 |
Fastest laps | 1 |
Best finish | 1st in2014 |
Previous series | |
2012–13 2012–13 2008,10–11 2008–09 2008 | Protyre FR Autumn Cup Protyre Formula Renault Asian Formula Renault Challenge Formula BMW Pacific FF Campus China |
Championship titles | |
2014 2008 | British Formula 3 FF Campus China |
Cao Hongwei(Chinese:Tào hoành vĩ;pinyin:Cáo Hóngwěi,born 17 February 1993), commonly known asMartin Cao,is a Chineseracingdriver. He is the reigning champion of theTCR China Touring Car Championship,having won the title in2023,and previously won the2014 British Formula Three Championship.
Career
[edit]Asian championships
[edit]Born inChangsha,Hunan Province,Cao began karting in 1999 at the age of six, and would compete in the China National Karting Championship for the first time in 2003. In 2009, at the age of sixteen, Cao, alongsideZhu Daiwei,would become the first Chinese driver in history to compete in theFIA World Karting Championship.[1]
Cao stepped up tosingle-seater racingin 2008, competing in the ChineseFormula FordCampus Championship. He won five races and clinched the championship with an advantage of seven points.[2]Also in 2008, Cao finished third with seven podiums in theAsian Formula Renault Challengeand also contested two races of theFormula BMW PacificChampionship, with Pacific Racing.[3]
In2009,Cao remained in Formula BMW Pacific but switched toAo's Racing.He had six point-scoring finishes in nine races, finishing twelfth in the championship.[4]
In2010,Cao returned to the Asian Formula Renault Challenge with theFRD Racing Team.He won five out of the six races he contested – one more than championSandy Stuvik– and finished fourth in the championship.[5]
Protyre Formula Renault
[edit]In2012,Cao moved to Europe and joinedFortec Motorsportsto compete inFormula Renault BARC.[6]He finished nine races in the points to take fourteenth position in the championship, with 100 points.[7]He also finished fifth in the 2012 Formula Renault BARC Winter Series.[8]
Cao remained with Fortec into 2013, staying in the newly renamedProtyre Formula Renault Championship.[9]He won a race atRockinghamand finished fourth in the final championship standings.[10]He finished runner-up toBen Barnicoatin the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup at Rockingham, winning one of the event's three races.[11]
British Formula 3 Championship
[edit]Cao continued his collaboration with Fortec into theBritish Formula 3 Championshipin2014.[12]He finished fifteen races on the podium, including four wins. He battled with his teammate Matt Rao for the title, and clinched the championship by just two points, ahead of Rao.[13]
Racing record
[edit]Career summary
[edit]†As Cao was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. *Season still in progress.
Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results
[edit](key)
Year | Entrant | Engine | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2015 | Fortec Motorsports | Mercedes | SIL 1 23 |
SIL 2 17 |
SIL 3 23 |
HOC 1 18 |
HOC 2 18 |
HOC 3 21 |
PAU 1 21 |
PAU 2 16 |
PAU 3 24 |
MNZ 1 14 |
MNZ 2 17 |
MNZ 3 15 |
SPA 1 20 |
SPA 2 20 |
SPA 3 17 |
NOR 1 |
NOR 2 |
NOR 3 |
ZAN 1 |
ZAN 2 |
ZAN 3 |
RBR 1 |
RBR 2 |
RBR 3 |
ALG 1 |
ALG 2 |
ALG 3 |
NÜR 1 |
NÜR 2 |
NÜR 3 |
HOC 1 |
HOC 2 |
HOC 3 |
30th | 0 |
Complete TCR International Series results
[edit](key) (Races inboldindicate pole position) (Races initalicsindicate fastest lap)
Year | Team | Car | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | DC | Points |
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
2016 | FRD Motorsports | Ford Focus TCR | BHR 1 |
BHR 2 |
EST 1 |
EST 2 |
SPA 1 |
SPA 2 |
IMO 1 |
IMO 2 |
SAL 1 |
SAL 2 |
OSC 1 |
OSC 2 |
SOC 1 |
SOC 2 |
CHA 1 13 |
CHA 2 12 |
MRN 1 |
MRN 2 |
SEP 1 |
SEP 2 |
MAC 1 |
MAC 2 |
NC | 0 |
References
[edit]- ^"Historical event at Macau".Vroomkart.5 October 2009.Retrieved18 April2024.
- ^"Ford Formula Campus Championship — China Category 2008 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Formula BMW Pacific 2008 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Formula BMW Pacific 2009 standings".Driver Database.driverdb. 3 October 2014.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Formula Renault Asian Challenge 2010 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"2012 is go go go!".Fortec Motorsport.WordPress.18 January 2012.Retrieved1 March2012.
- ^"Formula Renault BARC 2012 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Protyre Formula Renault BARC Winter Series with Michelin 2012 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Fortec reveals four car line-up for Protyre Formula Renault".Renaultsport UK.Renault Sport. 28 January 2013.Retrieved3 October2010.[permanent dead link]
- ^"Protyre Formula Renault Championship 2013 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^"Protyre Formula Renault Championship — Autumn Cup 2013 standings".driverdb.Driver Database.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^Simmons, Marcus (5 December 2013)."Fortec signs Chinese racer Cao for British Formula 3".Autosport.Haymarket Publications.Retrieved3 October2014.
- ^Allen, Peter (3 October 2014)."Rao wins British F3 finale at Donington, but Cao cruises to title".Paddock Scout.Retrieved3 October2014.
External links
[edit]- Martin Caocareer summary at DriverDB
- 1993 births
- Living people
- Chinese racing drivers
- Sportspeople from Changsha
- Formula BMW Pacific drivers
- Formula Renault BARC drivers
- British Formula Three Championship drivers
- FIA Formula 3 European Championship drivers
- Asian Formula Renault Challenge drivers
- TCR International Series drivers
- TCR Asia Series drivers
- Eurasia Motorsport drivers
- Fortec Motorsport drivers
- TCR China Touring Car Championship drivers
- Hyundai Motorsport drivers
- Karting World Championship drivers
- Nürburgring 24 Hours drivers