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Ye Hongli
Chinese racing driver (born 1992) From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
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Ye Hongli (Chinese: 叶弘历; pinyin: Yè Hónglì, born 22 May 1992), also known as Leo Ye, is a Chinese racing driver. Ye is the reigning champion of the GT World Challenge Asia, having won the 2024 championship alongside Yuan Bo for Origine Motorsport, and was also the 2018 champion of the China Touring Car Championship, which he competed in between 2015 and 2020 as a factory driver for Dongfeng Yueda Kia.[1][2]
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Career
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Karting
Ye began his racing career in karting at the late age of 16, making his debut in the China National Karting Championship after driving a kart for the first time in 2007. After a largely unremarkable season, Ye suspended his karting career, moving to the United Kingdom to pursue an education at the King's College London.[3] He would not return to karting until 2012, but would succeed upon his comeback, winning that year's National Open Class of the Rotax Max Challenge China. Ye defended his title the following year, and continued competing in karting alongside single-seaters until being signed as a professional factory driver.[4]
Formula Renault
Ye made his single-seater racing debut in 2011, making a cameo appearance in a single round of the Asian Formula Renault Challenge at Shanghai International Circuit, and drove in another one-off at Zhuhai the following year. He would move full-time into single-seaters after graduating from university in 2013, competing in the final two rounds of the British Formula Renault Championship and the Asian Formula Renault Series, winning three of the four races he contested in the latter championship.
Ye spent 2014 in Europe, competing in the Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series and Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 as a guest driver for Koiranen GP alongside the likes of Nyck de Vries, George Russell, and compatriot Ling Kang. He recorded a best finish of ninth at Monza.
China Touring Car Championship
In 2015, Ye returned to China after signing as a factory driver for Dongfeng Yueda Kia in the China Touring Car Championship. After finishing sixth in 2015, his first year in the championship, Ye would compete in the CTCC on a largely part-time basis as more opportunities arose overseas. In his only other full-time championship campaign in 2018, Ye claimed the championship title with one round remaining, ending the season with a sizable 34.5-point gap over runner-up Cao Hongwei.[5]
Formula 3
Ye returned to formula racing in 2016, dovetailing his CTCC campaign with a part-time season in the Japanese Formula 3 Championship. Driving for B-Max Racing Team with the support of Taiwan-based KRC, Ye became the first Chinese driver after fellow CTCC driver "Alex" Yang Fan to compete in the championship, and the first to race in the top-level Championship class.[6] He would also contest the flagship Macau Grand Prix with B-Max at the end of the 2016 season, but would not take part in the Grand Prix itself after sustaining terminal damage in a massive crash with Daiki Sasaki during the qualification race.[7]
Ye continued with B-Max in Japanese Formula 3 for the 2017 season, achieving a single podium finish during the third round at Fuji.[8]
Sportscar racing
In 2019, Ye made the full-time switch to sports car racing, competing alongside "Bob" Yuan Bo in the GT World Challenge Asia after competing in the series on a part-time basis in 2017 and 2018. He was set to remain alongside Yuan at Absolute Racing for 2020; however, following the 2020 season's cancellation due to the COVID-19 pandemic, Ye was forced to sit out the majority of 2020.[9]
Ye spent 2021 and 2022 racing in China, contesting the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. After finishing fourth in his first season, Ye proceeded to dominate the 2022 season for JUNJIE Racing, equalling Chris van der Drift's record of six consecutive victories to seal the championship title with two races to go.[10]
Ye reunited with Yuan for the 2023 season of the GT World Challenge Asia, now competing for R&B Racing, of which both drivers were co-founders.[11] Ye also made his debut that year in the FIA GT World Cup for R&B, claiming the Silver Cup title and beating out renowned drivers such as Kévin Estre and Matteo Cairoli en route to a tenth-place overall finish.[12]
2024 would see Ye achieve one of the greatest successes of his career, as he and Yuan, driving for the newly rebranded Origine Motorsport team, won the overall 2024 GT World Challenge Asia title, triumphing over reigning champion Anthony Liu Xu and his teammate Alessio Picariello to claim the championship at the season finale in Shanghai.[1]
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Personal life
Ye was named by his maternal grandfather after the Qianlong Emperor (personal name Hongli).[3] In addition to motorsport, Ye is also vice chairman at a construction company in Shanghai, having previously worked in financial management at an investment firm.[13][14] Since 2024, he has also held an executive position at the Returned Overseas Students Association in his hometown of Taizhou.[15]
Racing record
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Career summary
† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
* Season still in progress.
Complete Eurocup Formula Renault 2.0 results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
Complete Formula Renault 2.0 Alps Series results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position; races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for points
Complete China Touring Car Championship results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
Complete GT World Challenge Asia results
(key) (Races in bold indicate pole position) (Races in italics indicate fastest lap)
† As Ye was a guest driver, he was ineligible for championship points.
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References
External links
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