When most people think of touring car racing, brands like Honda, Hyundai, and Volkswagen come to mind. But in recent seasons, one Chinese automaker has rewritten the narrative: Geely. Through its high-performance sub-brand Lynk & Co and the legendary Cyan Racing team, Geely has not only competed -- it has dominated the production class championship. The victories are no fluke. They are the result of deliberate engineering, aggressive strategy, and world-class execution. Here are the five key reasons Geely secured the production class title.
1. Advanced Powertrain Engineering
At the heart of the Lynk & Co 03 TCR car lies a 2.0-liter turbocharged four-cylinder engine that shares architecture with production Geely and Volvo engines. This is not a purpose-built race mill. The block, head, and basic geometry are derived from the road car, but every internal component is optimized for endurance and power. The result is a package that produces over 350 horsepower and 420 Nm of torque while maintaining reliability over race distance.
Cyan Racing engineers focused on torque delivery across the rev range rather than peak numbers. This gave drivers instant throttle response out of slow corners -- a critical advantage on tight street circuits. The engine also benefits from direct injection and advanced cooling systems that prevent power fade in hot conditions. In the 2025 season, the Lynk & Co cars completed over 98% of all race laps without mechanical failure, a reliability record that no other manufacturer matched.
Geely's Lynk & Co 03 TCR produces 350 horsepower and over 420 Nm of torque, directly derived from production engine architecture.
2. Superior Chassis and Aerodynamics
The Lynk & Co 03 TCR is built on Geely's Compact Modular Architecture (CMA), which also underpins the production Lynk & Co 03 sedan. The CMA platform was designed from the start to accommodate performance variants, giving Cyan Racing a stiff and lightweight foundation. The race car adds a full FIA-spec roll cage, adjustable suspension, and a sophisticated aerodynamic package that generates significant downforce without excessive drag.
Wind tunnel testing and CFD analysis were integral to the development process. The front splitter, side skirts, flat underbody, and rear wing work together to create balanced aerodynamic load. This allowed drivers to carry higher cornering speeds while maintaining rear stability under braking. On circuits like Macau, where high-speed sections meet tight chicanes, the Lynk & Co's chassis balance was a decisive advantage. Data from the season shows that the Lynk & Co cars consistently posted the fastest minimum corner speeds among all TCR competitors.
3. Data-Driven Race Strategy
Racing today is as much about bits and bytes as it is about horsepower. Cyan Racing employs a dedicated team of data engineers who analyze telemetry in real time from every car on track. Tire pressures, brake temperatures, fuel consumption, and driver inputs are streamed to the pit wall, where split-second decisions can make or break a race result.
Geely's investment in a state-of-the-art data infrastructure allowed the team to optimize pit stop windows, manage tire degradation, and adjust boost maps based on weather and track evolution. In one race during the 2025 season, a sudden rain shower caught the field by surprise -- except for the Lynk & Co drivers, who had already received a tire-change recommendation based on radar data overlaid on track temperature readings. That call vaulted both cars into podium positions.
4. World-Class Driver Lineup and Team Culture
Technology alone wins no trophies. Cyan Racing assembled a roster of proven winners, including multiple world champion drivers. The team culture emphasizes discipline, communication, and continuous improvement. Drivers participate in debriefs that go beyond simple feedback -- they provide detailed corner-by-corner analysis that is fed back into the simulation models used for setup changes.
The depth of the driver lineup also gave Geely strategic flexibility. With two cars often vying for manufacturer points, the team could deploy team orders when necessary without sacrificing morale. The drivers openly share data and driving lines, fostering an environment where the car improves faster than the competition can react. That collaborative spirit, rare in motorsport, was frequently cited by team principal as the linchpin of their championship campaign.
5. Factory Support and Global Resources
Geely's corporate structure provides Cyan Racing with resources that privateer teams cannot match. The automaker allocates a dedicated budget for motorsport development, including access to Geely's global R&D centers in Sweden, Germany, and China. This gives the racing team access to materials science labs, dynamometer facilities, and powertrain engineers who also work on production vehicles.
The cross-pollination between racing and road car development is a two-way street. Lessons learned on the track -- such as thermal management strategies and chassis tuning -- are fed back into future Lynk & Co and Geely models. This strengthens the brand's image while making the racing program financially sustainable. In 2025, Geely officially launched a limited edition Lynk & Co 03 track package that incorporates race-derived components, further blurring the line between motorsport and showroom. Such integrated support ensures that the racing program is not a trophy project but a core part of Geely's automotive strategy.