The season started in China, at the modern Zhuhai Circuit.
Its location is pictoresque because it's surrounded by rice fields... in qualifying, Lamborghini star Jean Denis Deletraz spun out of the track and ruined one years' harvest for those poor rice cultivators, but that's another story.
The track: Notice how cleverly the chinese have placed the "Parking" sign in one of the aforementioned rice fields.
![Image](http://img844.imageshack.us/img844/1285/600pxzhuhai.jpg)
The start!Mika Salo from the pole in the chinese sunset
![Image](http://img811.imageshack.us/img811/6995/grab062.png)
First corner: as Salo leads in front of Fellows, Pacchiarini forgets the first turn is a right hander and loses many positions
![Image](http://img193.imageshack.us/img193/2863/grab063.png)
The front pack in the first laps: still Salo, Fellows, Cappellari and Lechner
![Image](http://img688.imageshack.us/img688/4894/grab064.png)
Tight line: Chevrolet driver Fellows takes the lead with a precise manouvre
![Image](http://img707.imageshack.us/img707/3383/grab065.png)
Saleen climbing through the field: Lechner takes position at the expense of Cappellari
![Image](http://img694.imageshack.us/img694/1886/grab066.png)
One up,Two down: Fellows makes a mistake and gets overtaken again for the lead by Salo, but also by Lechner, who is now second.
![Image](http://img34.imageshack.us/img34/2373/grab067.png)
Stuck throttle isn't a pleasant thing. Salo ended his race against that wall. Lechner's Saleen is now first.
![Image](http://img37.imageshack.us/img37/797/grab060.png)
Not a lucky day... Pacchiarini has a contact with ex-F1 Karl Wendlinger as his recovery becomes even more complicated.
![Image](http://img808.imageshack.us/img808/3869/grab059.png)
Prancing horses: Bobbi overtakes Cappellari in a Ferrari derby and takes 3rd position.
On the left, what is presumably an abandoned part of the Great Wall.
![Image](http://img20.imageshack.us/img20/4260/grab068.png)
Chinese grass: Bobbi makes full use of the chinese territory to take 2nd position from Fellows.
![Image](http://img638.imageshack.us/img638/5293/grab069.png)
Task Complete: Ferrari also takes third spot on the podium as Fellows is overtook by Cappelari too
![Image](http://img814.imageshack.us/img814/6070/grab070.png)
Results of the first round:
A surprise win by Lechner with his Saleen... he overtook two cars in fron of him and then took advantage of Salo's crash...
![Image](http://img210.imageshack.us/img210/2671/zuhai.png)
Well, after that noobish mistake at the first corner, I managed to arrive 8th storming through the field, despite that contact with Wendlinger (what a stupid bastard he was! he zigzaged during braking)... not too bad... one point.