The 8th Bangsaen Thailand Speed Festival saw non stop action across the programme and in what is always one of the most popular racing categories with fans, Super 2000, it was the usual thrills and spills all the way with the top titles still up for grabs on the streets, while in the newest addition to the Thailand Super Series (TSS) package, Super Car Class 3-GTC, the inaugural title wasn’t decided until the checkered flag fell for the final time on the closing day.
Super Car Class 3-GTC might be the newest category in the bumper programme but it’s certainly one which promises so much for the future as an exciting new ‘entry level’ platform into Super Car and there was a very familiar face on top of the podium for both races and he wrapped up the inaugural title much to the delight of race fans in Bangsaen.
That ‘familiar face’ was Japanese hotshot Khun Akihiro Asai. He first pitched up in Super Car four years ago and snuck through at the very last gasp here in Bangsaen to win the 2011 Super Car N/A title. This year he did pretty much thing and after a string of setbacks during the opening races of the season he steadily worked his way back into contention, albeit mathematically, but Khun Akihiro still needed a clean sweep in Bangsaen if he was to claim the title. Two wins was the bare minimum required.
Khun Akihito however performed superbly, driving carefully and conservatively before working his way into the lead in both races, nursing his Ferrari 430 Challenge while pulling out an advantage. In the end he claimed the first-ever Super Car Class 3-GTC title by the slenderest of margins, just 3 points. He was certainly a highly popular – and well-deserved – choice of champion.
Super 2000, meanwhile, is the headlining ‘touring car’ championship in Thailand and it’s rapidly growing in stature as one of the most competitive series in South East Asia – certainly more and more teams and drivers are coming here from overseas to chase this coveted prize. The Overall and Class B titles were up for grabs and that made the action even more explosive in Bangsaen.
In the end Khun Tin Sritrai was able to build on his year long championship lead and the BMW driver nailed down the Overall title after winning the first race while Khun Pitsanu Sirimongkolkasem zipped up the Class B title after two very impressive class wins which included a stunning Overall victory in the second race as he led out the front wheel drive cars chasing Khun Tin’s E90 in both races. Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport has a roster of ambitious drivers that have really perfected the art of close quarters combat, if there is some door rubbing to be done you will usually find them involved, and that committed fighting spirit helped them to secure double Teams’ title success, both in the Overall championship as well as in the hotly fought out Class B.
Super Car Class 3-GTC: Saturday
Khun Akihiro might well have swept to pole position in qualifying but at the green lights but it was Toyota’s Khun Suttipong Smittachartch, also starting from the front row, who enjoyed the better start and he led the Japanese driver into the mountain section with Khun Sontaya Kunplome and Khun Naputt Assakul slotting in right behind.
The red Ferrari was soon swarming all over the Toyota but Khun Akihiro was taking the race cautiously although he eventually dived down the inside of Khun Suttipong under braking for the SS Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin. Khun Suttipong then fell into the clutches of Khun Sontaya and the duo continued their year long on track tussles, the Porsche eventually outbraking the Toyota into the same turn that Khun Akihiro had squeezed past a couple of laps earlier.
Khun Suttipong clung onto the back of the Porsche and certainly hadn’t given up on regaining P2, that was until he ran wide out of the mountain hairpin and clouted the barriers. After that he dropped away a couple of seconds as he managed the car to the finish.
With clear air at the front Khun Akihiro did what he does best and the Japanese driver romped away into the distance. By the time the checkered flag was waved after 15 laps of racing he had a big margin of 50 seconds in hand over P2 while he also posted the fastest lap of the race in 1:54.048. Khun Sontaya was delighted with a gritty drive to second place as he fended off Khun Suttipong by a slim margin of two and a half seconds.
Fourth place went to Khun Assakul in the Ginetta who enjoyed a competitive race thanks to his mechanics finally tracing an electrical problem that had been hindering his progress ever since the second race in Buriram.
Khun Narin Yensuk, having been forced to miss the trip to Buriram, was back in Class 3-GTC with the KS Racing Nissan Skyline R32. The car has new upgrades since it last raced at Bira in July, as the driver explained. “We change the coilover from Apexi to Cusco Zero 3X, [we] have a new cooling system and now can control to [higher] degrees [and] also new tuning.” After a steady race the Skyline retired on lap 9. “We have still got the same problem as [we had at] Bira [with] the brakes,” explained Khun Narin. “We fixed already, but still have now got the problem.” That meant more work for his team before the second race.
Super Car Class 3-GTC: Sunday
The second race turned out to be an almost carbon copy of the first at the start as Khun Suttipong again pushed into the lead and Khun Akihiro again took the cautious approach and tucked into P2. Khun Assakul took a look at the Ferrari into Turn 2 with Khun Narin slotting in behind them.
The Ginetta was swarming all over the Ferrari over the first lap but on the rundown to the SS Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin Khun Assakul looked down the outside and as they all braked Khun Akihiro still had the inside line and that left space for Khun Narin to follow him and try to pass the Ginetta.
However the Nissan was carrying to much speed and still suffering brake issues and Khun Narin spun through the turn meaning that the Ginetta, still on the outside, had to run very wide to avoid. However everyone got through. Khun Assakul quickly caught back up with the Toyota and Ferrari and locked onto to their tail as a three-car battle for the lead played out once again.
For the second race in a row Khun Akihiro outbraked the Toyota at the SS Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin to assume P1 while a lap later Khun Assakul tried the same move on Khun Suttipong but with his brakes starting to fade he spun his way through the turn with the Toyota taking evasive action around the outside of the red Ginetta to retain P2.
By now the little British sportscar’s brakes were well past their best and Khun Assakul was struggling to keep it on the road and he eventually clouted the barriers and although he was able to reverse the Ginetta out and lug the damaged car a bit further the ninth lap would be his last of the race as he parked up.
“The car was very positive after [we] replaced the broken alternator belt that had retarded the car’s power,” Khun Assakul explained after the race. “The start was satisfactory today, not least because I was in the pack and gunning for the lead. We couldn’t separate the three cars, Toyota, Ferrari and Ginetta apart for the first few laps.”
However after a fast run over the opening laps Khun Assakul then started to suffer mechanical problems that would eventually prove to be terminal. “I started to feel the heat on my right foot and there was smoke coming out of the right side of the car,” he continued. “I though something had come loose, but since it’s the last race of the weekend, I carried on.
“So I press on and after about seven or eight laps my brakes started to fade,” recalled Khun Assakul. “I now realised that the unbearable heat on my right foot was also causing the brake master cylinder to overheat and boil the brake fluid. So as the brakes faded, I pumped the brake [pedal] desperately on every corner trying to stop the car [and] seeing that there were only five or six laps left in the race, I pressed my luck. Finally at the 90 degree right turn after the chicane my brakes complete disappeared and so I visited the guardrail and that ended my race.”
Without the Ginetta looming large in his rear view mirrors Khun Suttipong continued to chase the Ferrari in front and he successfully kept the Italian car in his sights. However on the run uphill out of Turn 2 on the eleventh lap he suddenly slowed up and pulled off into the escape road located where the course peaks and jinks left. Race over for the #19 Toyota.
With just two laps to go Khun Narin’s white Skyline started to smoke and he retired. Although he had two DNFs from the weekend the driver was happy to have put more laps onto the new car, which was built in record time before the season started, and he’s pleased with his part programme in the new category and looking forward to the future. “For sure you will see me in Super Car Class 3 next year,” he said.
Khun Narin’s departure from the lap charts left Khun Akihiro able to back off the pace and manage the Ferrari to the finishline without any further pressures from behind. Taking his second straight win of the weekend allowed the Japanese driver to overhaul year long Super Car Class 3-GTC championship leader Khun Grant Supaphong by just three points to take the inaugural title. The Krating Daeng by NSports team though had already sealed the Teams’ title before coming into this event, they have a massive 257 points compared to 140 points for Vattana Unity Motorsport, 94 points for KS Racing and 92 points for Painkiller Racing.
“It’s always great to race in Bangsaen especially with a win but the last race it was bit of a lonely journey,” the new champion said afterwards. “So I’m definitely looking forward for TSS Class 3 GTC to expand as it’s a ‘must have’ class for dated cup cars and modified monsters and even GT4s and everything.”
He started the year with a car that was in very poor condition and with a limited budget but Khun Akihiro and his team worked methodically to sort it out and unlock as much of its potential as was practical. The title was a real reward for their perseverance and efforts. “What I’m happy about is that when this car came to the team honestly it was not in a very good condition but thanks to the team effort of Vattana Unity it now runs great,” he continued. “We improved it to a great set up, so much appreciation to the team and the sponsors and hopefully we can come back again next season.”
The inaugural year of the new Super Car ‘entry level’ category has been steadily building up and while the quantity aspect of the entry list has yet to be achieved the quality has been impressive as a real mix of racecars have taken to the track piloted by both experienced and upcoming drivers.
Super 2000: Saturday
There were to be no dramas for polesitter Khun Tin at the green lights, he just pressed his foot down and powered away, getting on with the job of putting the championship to bed. Behind him Khun Kantadhee Kusiri made an excellent start to jump up to P2 as the cars surged round the first lap with Khun Pitsanu Sirimongkolkasem slipping to P3 ahead of Khun Chayut Yangpichit who made up a place and Khun Carlo Van Dam who lost a couple of slots as his engine coughed into life.
Behind them Khun Hideharu Kuroki and Khun Munkong Sathienthirakul swapped places while Khun Manat Kulapalanont was next up having had a good start and making up slots.
Further back Khun Chen Jian Hong and Khun Thamrong Mahadumrongkul lost places and became embroiled in a battle that would unfold for lap after lap. Just ahead of them, Khun Thamrong’s team mate, Khun Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya quickly closed in on the back of Khun Manat, the pair also battling for lap after lap as the two Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport cars each locked onto the back of factory Toyotas.
On the second time around Khun Pitsanu out dragged Khun Kantadhee to Turn 2 to regain P2 and the Singha XO Team Eakie driver now started to slip backwards. Just behind, Khun Chayut soon had Khun Carlo swarming all over him but the Honda DC5 driver got the jump on the now-struggling Toyota Altezza of Khun Kantadhee on the next lap and that gave him some breathing space. Further back Khun Jetsada Yangpichit had stopping issues coming down to the paddock hairpin and went straight into the tyre barrier; he was able to reverse out and continue in the race albeit now limping to the flag which he eventually reached 3 laps down.
Khun Carlo and Khun Munkong, the latter having recovered after a poor start, both got past Khun Kantadhee as he continued to drift backwards and the Team Eakie driver’ would drop out of the race on the fifth lap after he broke his front left hand suspension following some airborne action at the chicane. The Dutchman now closed up on Khun Chayut and would soon pass him to move into P3.
Also dropping out during the fifth lap was Khun Hideharu, he was suffering clutch problems in the #47 Kuroki Racing DC5. Fighting tooth and nail for the lower end of the top ten positions was a train of cars made up of Khun Jakthong Navasoopanich, Khun Chen, Khun Supachai Weeraborwornpong and Khun Thamrong.
At the front Khun Tin was making the pace and although Khun Pitsanu closed up on the BMW once he regained P2 it was short-lived and the race leader was able to open up a healthy cushion. Khun Pitsanu instead came under the attention of Khun Carlo who hauled back the gap once he got clear of the traffic and the Dutch ‘pro’ was able to pass Khun Pitsanu, who was mindful that dropping one slot overall didn’t affect his championship standings at all, into Turn 2 to move into second place.
Following an effortless run, Khun Tin took the checkered flag after 15 laps to nail down the title while nearly 10 seconds down the road Khun Carlo came home in P2. The Dutchman, who was hit with early car problems that left him too far back to make a challenge on the BMW, was very happy with the runners up spot as well as to add another street circuit to his ‘CV’. “It’s my first time in Bangsaen, fantastic track, fantastic event,” he said. “I had a problem with the engine in qualifying so only managed P3 although I was P1 in free practice. In the race my engine cut again in the start and I lost some places but made my way back up to P2 which was the maximum I could do, quite good, I’m quite happy with it.”
Khun Pitsanu took P3 and wrapped up the Class B title as well as moving ahead of Khun Manat in the overall runners up battle with just one race remaining. “Everything went well for me in the beginning as I was keeping up with Tin and doing my best laps,” Khun Pitsanu said afterwards. “I made a mistake on the fourth lap and touched the guardrail with my front right tyre and my speed dropped and I had to slow down so Carlo overtook me. I have to play it safe and finish.”
Khun Munkong drove a smooth and tidy race and he was rewarded with P4 overall and P2 in Class B, while Khun Kittipol finally got past Khun Manat under braking for Turn 2 but was too late to push any further up the front although it was clear once he was released that he was two to three seconds a lap faster than the Toyota. Khun Kittipol took P3 in Class B. Khun Manat claimed sixth overall with Khun Chattraphol Jiemvijid next up, as well as fourth in Class B.
From the back of the grid Khun Jakthong had an excellent race and climbed up to P8 at the end, one place ahead of the orange #71 DC 5 of Khun Supachai who also started down the tail end of the field and had to fight to make up positions. Khun Chen in the factory Altis wrapped up the overall top ten.
Next across the line was the black-and-grey Painkiller Racing Civic FD of Khun Rudolf Yu. It was his debut on this street circuit and it had a fairly tale ending as he romped away to Class C victory. That in fact came after his qualifying times were chucked out and the Hong Kong driver had to battle his way up the field.
He didn’t put a foot wrong for 15 laps and was the only Class C driver to not be lapped. “I’m very much happy to win here,” Khun Rudolf said afterwards. “This is my first time in Bangsaen and due to some technically in the qualification I was ranked last so I started twenty second and finished eleventh overall and managed to pass quite a few cars so that’s a good thing to get my first win in Bangsaen.”
In twelfth place came Khun Yoshiaki Inoue in the #46 Kuroki Racing DC 5 while thirteenth overall and second in Class C went to Khun Arthit Ruengsomboom. The factory Toyota driver hasn’t finished out of the top two all year bar one DNF and having required the services of a tow truck in practice the first race went smoothly. Next was the Civic FD of Khun Wijak Lertprasertpakorn ahead of the turbodiesel VW Golf Mk V of Khun Paritat Bulbon and the Civic FD of Khun Bhisanu Bhusitarnuntakul who was 2 laps down but usefully took P3 in Class C. The final classified finisher was the damaged Civic FD of Khun Jetsada Yangpichit, 3 laps down; he struggled home in the battered car and it was all worth the effort as he bagged fourth in Class C.
Super 2000: Sunday
With the top five from the first race reversed on the grid for the second and final race it was a first pole position for Khun Kittipol with Khun Munkong alongside.
Khun Kittipol superbly defended his pole from the green lights to lead the pack thundering through Turn 1 and he was able to head the snake of cars into Turn 2 and up the hill. However Khun Munkong was all over him and next time round he tried to get up the inside into Turn 2 but there was contact as Khun Kittipol defended his position and the blue-and-white Civic sustained right hand front damage that put Khun Munkong out of the race.
Khun Tin made a cautious start, losing ground, while Khun Carlo and Khun Pitsanu also dropped positions and they lined up right behind the BMW as the pack surged around the track for the first time. Class C winner in the first race, Khun Rudolf, gave the car a quick bash at the chicane and that left him with work to do.
Several big names retired early on. While Khun Munkong dropped out on lap 3 after his clash with Khun Kittipol, so did the bright orange #71 DC5 of Khun Supachai and a lap later Khun Carlo was also gone. “We changed a few things [overnight] and the car was fantastic,” said Khun Carlo afterwards.
“It was easy catching up with the leaders and especially with the penalty Tin had I think I would have cruised to victory but unfortunately the bracket for the alternator broke and the belt came off and I had no power steering and that was the end of my race,” the Dutch professional driver added. Also dropping out on the same lap was Khun Hideharu, the Japanese pilot reporting fuel regulator issues.
When the third lap came round Khun Tin, the winner of the first race who had thus had started from the inside of the third row, had dispensed with all the cars between him and the race leader and he had closed down the Civic of Khun Kittipol by the time the pair swerved through T16 and T17 but as the approached the paddock hairpin Khun Tin tapped Khun Kittipol.
The Honda was flung sideways into the barriers, a hard impact, but somehow Khun Kittipol managed to swing the car round, keep the rest of it out of the wall and straighten it up through the hairpin. The car was a mess and the hairpin was scattered with body parts but amazingly he powered it back up to racing speed as he flew towards the main straight. Unfortunately the radiator had been amongst the components that were damaged in the impact and he coasted into the pits to retire on the next lap.
“Half way through lap 3, the fast cars of Tin, closely followed by Carlo, were right behind me,” Khun Kittipol explained afterwards. “Carlo then had a problem and dropped back and Tin was right up behind me going into the SS U-turn. That’s when my onboard GPS told me to turn right and I headed right into the barrier,” he added with a laugh. Car and driver might have been bruised – but his fighting spirit, which has stood him in such good stead this year, remained unscathed.
That left Khun Tin in the lead while Khun Pitsanu, having kept clear of the close contact action, moved into P2. That became P1 as Khun Tin was called in for a drive through penalty for his incident with Khun Kittipol while Khun Manat took up P2 as the first Safety Car period of the race kicked off after Khun Chen hit the barriers and came to a rest on the track. It’s been a tough year for the Taiwanese driver but the new car has shown promise even if it is currently lacking in grunt. That Safety Car period also allowed the track workers to clear the paddock hairpin of bodywork strewn around the turn by Khun Kittipol.
Once the race went back to green conditions Khun Pitsanu streaked away at the front but the big battle was a little way behind him as Khun Chattraphol was pushing Khun Manat hard for P2 while further back on the road Khun Jakthong had made his way from the fourth row of the grid up to P4, thanks in part to the carnage in front of him.
Then on lap 11 the Safety Car was redeployed and this time it was to haul Khun Tin’s stricken BMW away. The newly crowned champion had been under heavy pressure from Khun Kantadhee who came shooting up the inside of him and the pair clashed with the E90 spinning out. As Khun Tin came across from the left that meant Khun Kantadhee in fact retired with a broken left hand front control arm for the second race in succession having also snapped this component on the first day following a big moment through the chicane. The BMW driver did set the fastest lap of the race though, in 1:53.150, while the same lap as Khun Tin and Khun Kantadhee dropped out, also accounted fro Khun Jetsada in the #17 Civic FD.
That was the race action over and after 14 laps and almost 37 minutes of racing, Khun Pitsanu led the survivors over the line. It was an impressive first overall win of the year for Khun Pitsanu and well deserved, he’s threatened to occupy the top step of the podium all year but been let down on occasion by his car. However winning the final race of the year overall was simply an added bonus as he wrapped up the Class B title, his key objective of the year.
Khun Pitsanu backed up his Class B title by finishing second in the overall championship classification, the first of the front wheel drive cars and only beaten by Khun Tin, having given the superior BMW a real run for its money all year long. The Honda driver never gave up fighting, never said die, and that paid off. Coming into the race Khun Pitsanu was on equal points in the overall runners up fight with Khun Manat and although the Toyota driver fought hard, with a sixth place in the first race and third in the second, it wasn’t enough to stop his rival bagging the overall runners up spot.
“I had a bad start but it turned out to be fortunate for me as I avoided all the fighting in front of me,” Khun Pitsanu said afterwards. “After the accident and Tin came in for the penalty and the Safety Car came out I was in first place and doing well with my strategy and the result is that I ended up with some gap and was able to manage this and after that the race was over. The Safety Car took a lot of time and gave me an advantage. Luck was on my side. I always feel good at Bangsaen and have been fortunate to be successful here. It’s amazing that we came through; I definitely enjoy it here.”
Khun Manat, the Super 2000 champion two years ago, however takes an impressive third spot though and he had to withstand a lot of pressure from Khun Chattrapol in the race. Khun Manat came into the weekend as part of the winning crew in the winning crew in the Toyota in Bangsaen Endurance race, which he put down to a fast and smooth pace coupled to having to make less pitstops. He however reported gearbox issues with his Toyota 86 during the Super 2000 races. Khun Chattrapol meanwhile claimed P3 to build on the P7 he finished in the first race. He was also second in Class B.
The penultimate step of the podium was occupied by Khun Jakthong, who had worked his way up from the back of the grid in the first race to finish P8 and then had made up more spots to end up with a trophy in the second race. Khun Wijak took the final overall podium step, as well as third in Class B; both were well deserved results as he had looked pacey around the 3.7-km street circuit all week long.
Sixth place went to Khun Chayut while seventh, as well as fourth in Class B, was collected by Khun Nattachak. Eighth, as well as the final Class B podium step, went to Khun Thamrong in the sole surviving Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport Civic FD. He spent the early laps of the race replaying his first race tussle with the Toyota of Khun Chen but then battled to the finish in a car that was clearly lacking in power. That trip to the podium helped make up for the disappointment of a very late retirement in the first race when his final drive broke.
Khun Yoshiaki finished his first season in Super 2000 with P9 while wrapping up the top-10 was Khun Arthit. More significantly though that gave him P1 in Class C allowing the Altis driver’ to finish his title-winning year with one more class victory. That made it three wins and four seconds (as well as one DNF) from a year that has seen Khun Arthit leading the Class C title classification right from the first race in Sepang and quickly romp away into the distance.
“I’m happy with that, the team worked very well, in every race we got some good luck, but most of all It was Toyota Team Thailand that made us the champions,” Khun Arthit said afterwards. “I’m luckily in the race as most of the time the Safety Car was coming out as my car hasn’t got fifth gear so I was lucky for me to finish first in the class. If was very fun and fast here.”
Eleventh overall and second in Class C went to Khun Rudolf; that equated to a reversal of the Class C finishing positions from the first race. Added to his class P1 in the first race that meant he finished as the Class C runner up in the final championship standings and that wrapped up impressive performance in his first-ever street race.
“I had a small incident with the 90-degree corner after the chicane, I banged that but still I’m lucky to finish second and the car kept running,” the Hong Kong driver said afterward, before adding, with a laugh, “This is my first street race ever so it’s been very daunting.”
The final classified finishers comprised the VW of Khun Paritat and the Civic FD of Khun Bhisanu, the latter taking third place in Class C and that also gave him third in the final points standings.
In the Drivers’ Championship Overall, Khun Tin ended up the year with an unmatched 274 points. He’s been at the top since the season opener in Sepang but Khun Pitsanu has never let him rest and takes a well deserved runners up spot with 256 points while Khun Manat finishes third with 245 points.
Fourth overall goes to Khun Kittipol with 241 points while the next two drivers are separated by a single point as Khun Kantadhee (214 points) just edges out Khun Thamrong (213 points). The remainder of the overall top ten features some very well known faces as Khun Jakthong (201 points) just squeezes out his teammate Khun Paritat (197 points) and Toyota’s Khun Chen (191 points) while Khun Supachai (157 points) is next.
In Class B Khun Pitsanu (298 points) opened out a clear gap at the top in the final standings thanks to his two wins in Bangsaen with the Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport ‘twins’ Khun Kittipol (258 points) and Khun Thamrong (252 points) taking second and third. Pace and consistent points scoring was the key to Khun Paritat (242 points) claiming fourth in the turbodiesel VW Golf while the top five in Class B was rounded out by Khun Chen with 213 points.
In Class C Khun Artit was an easy winner, he ended up with 160 points thanks to his season long run of first and second place finishes while Khun Rudolf (75 points) snuck through into the runners up spot due to his impressive race debut in Bangsaen which helped him edge out Khun Bhisanu (71 points).
In the Teams’ championship overall it’s been a season long clash between Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport and Toyota Team Thailand. In the end the gap was just two points, the former wound up with 358 points and the latter 356 points; it simply couldn’t have been any closer. Consistency helped Speed Buster-Ducati Chiang Mai to wrap up third spot with 318 points.
In Class B Singha Cosmo TT Motorsport romped to the title amassing 458 points to the 258 points collected by Singha Eight Thonglor by PN90 while in Class C Toyota Team Thailand was never headed all season and the factory team had already sealed the crown before the series arrived in Bangsaen.