Zhuhai City thrived as China opened a Special Economic Zone in the Guangdong Province during the 1990s. Motor racing formed part of recently enjoyed economic freedoms, with the country’s first permanent racetrack under construction outside the city from 1993. A temporary street circuit in the city centre was used for three years before the Zhuhai International Circuit was completed, although it was criticised for its bumpy surface and predominance of bland right-hand turns. It was lined by American-style concrete walls between which speeds of up to 190mph were reached at the end of the start/finish straight. The Automobile Association of Hong Kong organised a national meeting in 1993 before international racing arrived in the shape of the final round of the BPR Global GT Series in 1994 and ‘95.
