China's most promising home-grown motor racing talent, Ma Qing Hua, has joined Team West-Tec to compete in the remaining rounds of the Spanish F3 Championship, beginning with the inaugural event on the new Valencia street circuit.
Supported by China's first professional racing school, Imperial Motorsport in Beijing, Ma will become the first China-born driver to compete at international F3 level, and will combine his stint with West-Tec by studying at Loughborough University, the home of the world's first degree in Motorsport Driving. Having tasted success in various kart series in his homeland, Ma was recognised by the national motorsport body, the FASC, and rewarded his selection to compete in the Asia Formula Renault Campus series by taking the 2004 title.
Subsequent success has seen Ma - who will be known by his 'English' name, Martin - receive the support of various sponsors to represent China in Europe, with the Spanish F3 Championship as the first step in what is hoped to be a long-term programme. Imperial Motorsport's chief instructor and driver coach, Ken Bowes – a former British F3 stalwart who went on to manage the
Silverstone Motorsport Academy – is to oversee Ma's racing, study and physical conditioning programme, which begins immediately with a shakedown test in the F3 car at
Donington Park, followed by a first race, in Valencia, on the weekend of 26-27 July.
"Having worked closely with Ma Qinghua for some time, I am absolutely convinced that he can compete in the top ten of the international field of drivers in the Spanish F3 Championship and, in doing so, make significant progress in his development as, potentially, China's first home-grown
F1 driver," Bowes commented, "Additionally, I would state categorically that we have positioned Martin with one of, if not the, most competitive teams on the grid in order to give him the best possible opportunity."
Ma replaces Alex Waters in West-Tec's line-up, joining Christian Ebbesvik, Francisco Villar and Jonathan Legris in the field in Valencia.
