On Tuesday night I met the Dutch-Chinese race car driver Ho-Pin Tung while he was checking in for his flight to Shanghai. I knew he would be on the same flight with me, as I had exchanged a few mails with him the days before when I read in a press release that he would be in Shanghai during the F1 weekend. But it actually was a coincidence to meet him in the departure hall already.

Ho-Pin, the 2006 Recaro F3 champion and former Team China A1 driver, was traveling with his manager Bert Winkler, who I had met a few times before as well. We chatted a bit about the GP2 races in Valencia over the weekend, where he was in 5th position when problems during a pit stop caused him to lose several places. Bad luck… While talking Ho-Pin also met some members of the Australian A1 team who were on their way to London. Earlier this year Ho-Pin competed in the A1 for China, before he managed to get a seat in the GP2 series.

Ho-Pin will be at the Shanghai F1 track from today until Sunday, where he will show off his skills in a BMW Sauber Formula 1 car in the pit lane park. Not sure if I will be able to make it to the track in the next days, but if you do, make sure you don’t miss him.