It was a strong weekend for Jack Manchester as he made his Asian Le Mans Debut in Shanghai with the Thunderhead Carlin Racing team. The British driver was quick out of the blocks and together with teammates Harry Tincknell and Ben Barnicoat, the Thunderhead Carlin Racing team topped the timesheets in free practice. Manchester lined up in the team’s Dallara P217 on the front row of the grid and helped the team take the chequered flag, but a time penalty for driver regulation infringement demoted the British squad to third place.
Friday morning offered the first chance to get back behind the wheel of the Thunderhead Carlin Racing car following the disappointment suffered in the European Le Mans Series finale in Portugal. A test session clearly proved the pace within the car and allowed Manchester to get his first taste of the fast and challenging circuit. Saturday gave way to a further practice session before Tincknell jumped in the cockpit to participate in qualifying – setting the second fastest time during the 15-minute session to hand the team a front row start.