Wikipedia

Martin Cao

In this Chinese name, the family name is Cao.

Cao Hongwei (Chinese: 曹宏炜; pinyin: Cáo Hóngwěi, born 17 February 1993), commonly known as Martin Cao, is a Chinese racing driver. He is the reigning champion of the TCR China Touring Car Championship, having won the title in 2023, and previously won the 2014 British Formula Three Championship.

Cao Hongwei
Cao driving a Hyundai i30 at the 2023 Nürburgring Endurance Series
NationalityChina Chinese
Born (1993-02-17) 17 February 1993 (age 31)
Changsha, Hunan, China
British Formula 3 Championship career
Debut season2014
Current teamFortec Motorsports
Car number57
Starts21
Wins4
Poles4
Fastest laps1
Best finish1st in 2014
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

Career

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Asian championships

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Born in Changsha, 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, alongside Zhu Daiwei, would become the first Chinese driver in history to compete in the FIA World Karting Championship.[1]

Cao stepped up to single-seater racing in 2008, competing in the Chinese Formula Ford Campus 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 the Asian Formula Renault Challenge and also contested two races of the Formula BMW Pacific Championship, with Pacific Racing.[3]

In 2009, Cao remained in Formula BMW Pacific but switched to Ao's Racing. He had six point-scoring finishes in nine races, finishing twelfth in the championship.[4]

In 2010, Cao returned to the Asian Formula Renault Challenge with the FRD Racing Team. He won five out of the six races he contested – one more than champion Sandy Stuvik – and finished fourth in the championship.[5]

Protyre Formula Renault

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In 2012, Cao moved to Europe and joined Fortec Motorsports to compete in Formula 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 renamed Protyre Formula Renault Championship.[9] He won a race at Rockingham and finished fourth in the final championship standings.[10] He finished runner-up to Ben Barnicoat in the Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup at Rockingham, winning one of the event's three races.[11]

British Formula 3 Championship

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Cao continued his collaboration with Fortec into the British Formula 3 Championship in 2014.[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

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Career summary

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Season Series Team Races Wins Poles F/Laps Podiums Points Position
2008 Ford Formula Campus Championship - China Category Baleno Team 8 5 2 4 6 58 1st
Asian Formula Renault Challenge Pekka Saarinen Racing 13 0 0 0 7 231 3rd
Formula BMW Pacific Pacific Racing 2 0 0 0 0 N/A NC†
2009 Formula BMW Pacific Ao's Racing Team 9 0 0 0 0 19 12th
China Touring Car Championship Changan Ford 1 1 0 0 1 10 10th
2010 Asian Formula Renault Challenge FRD Racing Team 6 5 1 3 6 155 4th
2011 Asian Formula Renault Challenge FRD Racing Team 2 0 1 0 1 24 20th
2012 Formula Renault BARC Fortec Motorsports 13 0 0 0 0 100 14th
Formula Renault BARC Winter Series 4 0 0 0 1 79 5th
2013 Protyre Formula Renault Championship Fortec Motorsports 16 1 1 0 5 296 4th
Protyre Formula Renault Autumn Cup 3 1 0 0 2 79 2nd
2014 British Formula 3 Championship Fortec Motorsports 21 4 9 4 11 285 1st
FIA Formula 3 European Championship 3 0 0 0 0 0 NC†
Zandvoort Masters 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 6th
Macau Grand Prix 2 0 0 0 0 N/A DNF
2015 FIA Formula 3 European Championship Fortec Motorsports 15 0 0 0 0 0 30th
Macau Grand Prix 1 0 0 0 0 N/A 17th
2016 China Touring Car Championship - Super Production 2.0 Changan Ford Racing Team 16 1 0 0 4 116 4th
TCR International Series FRD Motorsports 2 0 0 0 0 0 NC
2017 China Touring Car Championship Changan Ford Racing Team 16 1 0 1 3 121.5 3rd
FRD LMP3 Series Eurasia Motorsport 8 1 0 0 4 77 6th
2018 China Touring Car Championship Changan Ford Racing Team 16 1 0 0 6 121.5 2nd
2019 China Touring Car Championship Dongfeng Yueda Kia Racing Team 16 2 3 151 2nd
2020 China Touring Car Championship Dongfeng Yueda Kia Racing Team 16 2 174 4th
2021 China Touring Car Championship Team MG XPower 12 156 4th
TCR Asia Series
2022 China Touring Car Championship Team MG XPower 12 127 4th
TCR Asia Series
2023 TCR China Touring Car Championship Hyundai N Team 12 4 0 1 6 178 1st
2024 Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - VT2-FWD Hyundai Driving Experience
Nürburgring Langstrecken-Serie - TCR Hyundai Motorsport N
24 Hours of Nürburgring - TCR
TCR World Tour Hyundai N Team 2 0 0 0 0 7 25th*

† As Cao was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points. * Season still in progress.

Complete FIA Formula 3 European Championship results

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(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

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate 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

Complete TCR World Tour results

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(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)

Year Team Car 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 DC Points
2024 Hyundai N Team Hyundai Elantra N TCR VAL
1 		VAL
2 		MRK
1 		MRK
2 		MDO
1 		MDO
2 		SAP
1 		SAP
2 		ELP
1 		ELP
2 		ZHZ
1
12 		ZHZ
2
13 		MAC
1
 MAC
2
 25th* 7*

* Season still in progress.

References

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  1. ^ "Historical event at Macau". Vroomkart. 5 October 2009. Retrieved 18 April 2024.
  2. ^ "Ford Formula Campus Championship — China Category 2008 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  3. ^ "Formula BMW Pacific 2008 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  4. ^ "Formula BMW Pacific 2009 standings". Driver Database. driverdb.com. 3 October 2014. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  5. ^ "Formula Renault Asian Challenge 2010 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  6. ^ "2012 is go go go!". Fortec Motorsport. WordPress. 18 January 2012. Retrieved 1 March 2012.
  7. ^ "Formula Renault BARC 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  8. ^ "Protyre Formula Renault BARC Winter Series with Michelin 2012 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  9. ^ "Fortec reveals four car line-up for Protyre Formula Renault". Renaultsport UK. Renault Sport. 28 January 2013. Retrieved 3 October 2010.[permanent dead link]
  10. ^ "Protyre Formula Renault Championship 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  11. ^ "Protyre Formula Renault Championship — Autumn Cup 2013 standings". driverdb.com. Driver Database. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  12. ^ Simmons, Marcus (5 December 2013). "Fortec signs Chinese racer Cao for British Formula 3". Autosport. Haymarket Publications. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
  13. ^ Allen, Peter (3 October 2014). "Rao wins British F3 finale at Donington, but Cao cruises to title". Paddock Scout. Retrieved 3 October 2014.
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Sporting positions
Preceded by British Formula Three Champion
2014 		Succeeded by
Series ended

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