Samantha Tan made her return to GT3 competitions in spectacular fashion, securing a stellar GT3 AM class victory on her debut in the China GT Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Samantha Tan made her return to GT3 competitions in spectacular fashion, securing a stellar GT3 AM class victory on her debut in the China GT Championship at the Shanghai International Circuit.
Teaming up with “Ginger” Jiang Jiawei in the #38 Team KRC BMW M4 GT3, the Canadian-Chinese driver combined strong racecraft, rapid adaptation, and consistent pace to deliver a brilliant drive in the opening round, finishing inside the overall top ten overall and securing a AM class victory on her first start in the series.
Tan arrived in China off the back of a highly successful 2025 season, where she claimed the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge Bronze class title, and while her primary 2026 programme focuses on a GT4 program in the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge, her return to GT3 machinery provided an opportunity to further expand her experience at the highest level of GT racing.
With a résumé that already includes class victories in GT World Challenge America and Europe, championship titles in the 24H Series, and strong outings at both the Road to Le Mans and the Nürburgring 24 Hours, Tan continued her upward trajectory in sportscars by exploring new opportunities in Asia, making her first-ever race start in China this weekend.
Despite no prior experience at the Shanghai International Circuit, Tan quickly adapted during pre-season testing acoupe of weeks ago, after which she announced her race debut at the season opener at the same track. In official practice, the #38 BMW M4 GT3 showed encouraging pace in a highly competitive field featuring both local and international drivers. The duo placed eighth in class in opening practice, laying the groundwork for a promising weekend.
Qualifying proved challenging: Tan encountered traffic during her Q1 push laps but still secured sixth in the AM class with a 2:01.334, placing 19th overall on the grid for Race 1. Jiang Jiawei followed in Q2 with a 2:02.966, qualifying ninth in class and 20th overall for Race 2.
Race 1 saw Tan take the start from 19th overall and sixth in AM, immediately facing a chaotic opening lap as she had to avoid a spinning car in the midfield directly ahead of her. Showing quick reactions, she avoided the incident and initially slotted into P20 overall before quickly beginning her charge. By lap two, she had already moved up a position, passing the #777 Climax Racing entry of Li Donghui for fifth in class, and soon set her sights on the cars ahead.
Engaging in a fierce multi-car battle that included the #511 Audi of Wu Yifan, the #22 Ferrari, and the #33 BMW, Tan demonstrated impressive racecraft: a three-wide moment into Turn 1 forced her to briefly concede ground, but she remained relentless in her pursuit. After several attempts to pass the Audi, she executed a decisive move at the hairpin, braking later and cleanly overtaking Wu Yifan to move into fourth in class. Once clear, she immediately began pulling away, showing strong pace as she closed in on the podium positions.
As the pit window approached, Tan extended her stint, capitalizing on clean air and climbing as high as third in class when the #22 Ferrari pitted. Continuing to battle the #85 Mercedes, she completed an excellent opening stint, her first in China GT, before pitting and handing over to Jiang Jiawei with 23 minutes remaining, having significantly improved track position.
Jiang Jiawei rejoined in the thick of a three-car battle, and as the cars ahead made contact, he reacted quickly to avoid the incident, managing to pass both rivals. Following the pit cycle, the #38 BMW emerged second in class and 15th overall. With strong momentum, Jiang Jiawei continued his charge, benefiting from positions gained as cars from other classes cycled through and as the #33 BMW ahead received a drive-through penalty for a pit stop infringement.
By lap 24, Jiang Jiawei had closed to within a second of the class-leading #610 of Han Jinfeng and executed the decisive move to take the lead. From there, he controlled the race, opening a gap of four seconds in the closing stages and crossing the finish line in P10 overall, securing a commanding AM class victory. It was a remarkable debut result for Tan, who had played a crucial role with her strong opening stint.
Race 2 on Sunday presented a more challenging scenario for the Team KRC duo. Starting from 20th overall, Jiang Jiawei took the opening stint but lost positions in the early stages, dropping outside the top 20 and settling into ninth in class. In a tightly packed field, he gradually recovered to P23 overall while maintaining consistent pace, setting a best lap of 2:03.0 and stabilizing the car’s performance heading into the pit window.
Through pit strategy, the team briefly cycled up to fifth in class before Jiang Jiawei pitted at the end of lap 13, handing over to Tan with 27 minutes remaining. Rejoining P19 overall and eighth in AM, Tan immediately found herself under pressure from Pro-Am entries on warmer tyres, including the #97 Porsche and #410 Audi. Demonstrating maturity and race awareness, she avoided unnecessary risks while maintaining her class position.
As the race unfolded, traffic limited significant gains. Tan however maintained consistent pace throughout her stint, regularly lapping in the 2:03–2:04 range, holding eighth in class while managing pressure from recovering cars such as the #91 BMW of Ollie Millroy and the #71 Mercedes of Chen Yechong. She ultimately took the chequered flag in P23 overall and eighth in AM, concluding a more difficult second race.
Despite the challenges on Sunday, the overall weekend marked an extremely positive debut in the China GT Championship for Samantha Tan. Her Race 1 performance, highlighted by decisive overtakes and strong pace, resulted in her first win of the season.
“What a surreal weekend with Team KRC in China GT Championship”, Tan commented. “Brought home a win in my first ever race in Shanghai. Thank you to my teammate Ginger for trusting me and for also doing an amazing job keeping our car up front!”
“Still feels like a dream”, she continued, “so grateful to be here and to share this moment with all of you.”
With a top step of the podium on her GT3 return, Tan now shifts her focus back to her primary 2026 campaign, as she prepares for the next round of the IMSA Michelin Pilot Challenge at Laguna Seca on May 1–3.