The rapid growth of Super Car Class 2-GTM, which in just the three year existence of the Thailand Super Series era has turned into the most competitive and professional racing category in history Thai motorsport, will now be split into two classes for its upcoming fourth season.
Currently dubbed ‘Class 2B’, the new concept extends the reach of the category to allow gentleman, amateur and rookie drivers to contest a separate class that remains within Class 2-GTM. That decision will further boost the strength of sportscar racing in Thailand.
The news comes as the 2016 TSS calendar is announced and the series will replicate the successful format of last year with once again four events spread across three circuits. The season will start for a second consecutive year at Chang International Circuit, on 19-22 May, before making a return trip to the North East two months later, on 7-10 July; this year the second date of the season is moving to a slot one month earlier and that will perfectly smooth out the calendar. The penultimate round will, as usual, take place at Bira International Circuit, on 8-11 September, before the year concludes on the Bangsaen Street Circuit. The date for the Bangsaen Thailand Speed Festival 2016 will be announced shortly.
Meanwhile, over the last nine years it’s certainly become a matter of fact that only the very best drivers win races in Bangsaen, if you can claim victory on these streets then you can certainly go on to win anywhere else. Each year new heroes are born in Bangsaen, drivers that stand out from the pack as they head on their way to greater things. The last edition of the ‘Speed Festival’ was to prove no different.
Arguably the biggest standout driver of the last edition was Khun Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya. He didn’t just race to a double victory, two wins from two races, but he did it in the most close fought category on the programme – Super 2000 where just making it to the checkered flag relatively unscathed is a victory in itself.
Finally, Super Production enjoyed two nailbiting races in Bangsaen and the destiny of the title went to the final race of the weekend. Just like was the case last year it was ultra close, Khun Chattraphol Jiemvijid emerged as the champion with a 2 point cushion in the final points classification. The actual race wins were split between Khun Anon Rodprasert and Khun Settasit Boonyakiat.
Super Car Class 2-GTM set to split
The growth of Super Car Class 2-GTM has necessitated continual evolution to the format and for its fourth season further improvements are on the horizon. The latest change comes because the diversity in terms of drivers has broadened so far; the category includes young pro level hotshots chasing a future career in the big time and amateurs seeking to enjoy racing and improve themselves as well as novice drivers that are stepping up into Super Car for the first time.
Racing Spirit has responded to the differing requirements and, after consultations and a full evaluation of the available options, Class 2-GTM will be optimised this year to allow all levels of drivers to coexist and chase the reward of silverware. The result is the launch of Class-2 ‘B’, which will slot into the category and focus on amateur and novice drivers. That will allow Class 2-GTM to continue to its growth curve and enhance its appeal further.
“In Class 2 we have a big field and BoP [Balance of Performance] seems to be working well,” explains TSS Vice President Preeda Tantemsapya. “We are trying to improve it further and for this year all cars will have to be equipped with Motec.
“As far as the drivers are concerned we have a mix of semi-professional and gentlemen drivers who have less chance of getting on the podium,” he continues. “So with more entries this year we’re going to split the class up, similar to what the Porsche Carrera Cup does for professional and amateur drivers.
While TSS can follow established guidelines when it comes to the cars, with specific outside BoP metrics for example, that isn’t the case for drivers, Khun Preeda admits. “We can’t easily distinguish the drivers as if we use FIA gradings in Thailand all our drivers would be ‘Bronze’ level and so we would remain with just one class.”
A new dual level system will allow drivers to improve and ‘graduate’ to the top class. “Many of our drivers are gentleman drivers, they have improved a lot already or are trying to improve and we don’t want them to lose out, so we have looked at this issue very closely,” Khun Preeda says.
So TSS has come up with a bespoke grading system that will be decided on a case-by-case basis with overall guidelines as a benchmark. “We will look at the drivers that have been on the podium in the last three years and definitely drivers that have won races will be in Class A,” says Khun Preeda. “The advantage of Class B will be that the drivers are competing at an equal level, which is something that we really try to achieve and they will also be able to compete in the overall standings also.
“We will examine the drivers on an individual basis and look at them very carefully,” he notes. “So we will explain our decisions to them and hopefully it will make them more competitive. I think this will be a win-win for everyone.”
The inclusion of an additional class will also be extended to Super Eco, Khun Preeda reveals, allowing two split-levels of drivers of different capabilities to chase trophies in TSS’s ‘entry level’ category.
That decision will bring all the platforms below Super Car into line, each will now have at least one internal class to act as a ‘ladder’ to help drivers to move forward with their careers in a very progressive manner.
Coming of age
Only the very best win in Bangsaen, if you can claim victory on these mean and demanding streets then you can certainly win anywhere else. Each year new heroes are born in Bangsaen, drivers that stand out from the pack as they head on their way to great things. The last edition of the ‘Speed Festival’ was no different as the 3.7-km temporary circuit sorted the men from the boys.
Arguably the biggest standout driver of the last edition was Khun Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya. He didn’t just race to a double victory, two wins from two races, but he did it in the most close fought category on the programme – Super 2000 where just making it to the checkered flag relatively unscathed is a victory in itself.
His coming of age was done in style, where better a place for your breakthrough victory than Bangsaen? But not only did he take the races by the scruff of the neck he also did it while maintaining on track respect, keeping clear of an explosive title fight that was unfolding around him, compromising his race to ensure he didn’t inadvertently impact on the championship. He delivered a master class in racecraft and not only did he depart with two of the most coveted winners’ trophies in Thai motorsport he set himself up as one of the clear favourites for the 2016 title.
With the destiny of championship being decided around him Khun Kittipol had a decent qualifying session to line up on the third row of the grid for the first race of the weekend. “I started fifth on the grid, had a pretty good start [and] saw the front two cars come together and tried to keep out of the way,” he recalled.
In typical Super 2000 style there was mayhem as the pack surged away. “It was a bit of a chaos going up Khao Sam Mook and I got hit twice on the left side,” Khun Kittipol said. Indeed his onboard camera clearly shows his Honda jolting as he took two hard thumps on the inside, but he was able to control the car and avoid spinning where there is no room to do so while other competitors suffered severe damage.
“Thankfully there was not too much damage and the car felt fine,” he says. “I was up to second behind [Khun Pasarit] while the Safety Car came out for a few laps,” Khun Kittipol continues. “Once the race resumed, I got overtaken by Jack [Lemvard] as he was charging hard to catch [Khun Pasarit] as they were fighting for the championship. Jack got past [Khun Pasarit] but then spun at the exit of the S2 U-turn so [Khun Pasarit] and I went back up to first and second.
“After a couple of laps I managed to get past [Khun Pasarit] on the straight to lead the race,” he explains. It would be a lead that the #25 Honda Civic FD wouldn’t relinquish over the second half of the race. “There were a couple more safety car periods and the race ended at 14 laps as we reached the time limit.”
His breakthrough win had arrived – and what a location, P1 in Super 2000 at Bangsaen is as tough a prospect as victory ever gets. “It was my first time finishing first overall in Super 2000 and luck played a big part in keeping me in the race after the first corner incidents,” said a delighted Khun Kittipol afterwards. “Nevertheless, a win is a win and I was over the moon!”
Due to the top five finishers from the first race being reversed for the second race that meant Khun Kittipol would be starting fifth on the grid for the second consecutive day – and would have to try to push his way to the top spot all over again.
This time there wasn’t the carnage at the front that had thrown the first race upside down but there were still plenty of incidents. Khun Kittipol was able to make a good getaway and start to pick up advantage, as he explains. “The start was clean and I gained a couple of places before going up Khao Sam Mook,” he says. “Getting a good exit from the S2 U-turn, I got past [the Toyota of Khun Jakthong Navasoopanich] on the straight and tried to catch up with [Khun Kantadhee Kusiri] in the [Toyota] 86. He locked up going into the 90-right after the chicane, which caused him to suffer a puncture and I moved into the lead.”
Quickly into the lead Khun Kittipol was showing all of the blistering pace he had demonstrated the previous day and was clearly looking to make it two wins out of two. P1 is the best place to be in Super 2000, controlling the pace and keeping away from the main pack. However with several top drivers fighting their way through the order he couldn’t step off the gas at any point and had to keep pushing flat out through every corner and straight of every lap.
“There were many incidents which called for the Safety Car to come out several times, in doing so it helped the fast and hard charging [Khun Naiyanobh Bhirombhakdi] and [Khun Munkong Sathienthirakul] to jump up the order quickly as they had to start from the back of the grid,” he explains. “I had to try to do a qualifying lap performance every time the Safety Car came in so I could put as much air between me and the two boys.”
He certainly did just that – and his pace didn’t drop off even as his tyres did. “I managed to get my best lap of the weekend on the second to last lap of the race,” he says. “It was a big relief to see the checkered flag.”
Two wins from two races at Bangsaen is something very special, it’s only for the best. When those wins come in Super 2000 that’s the icing on the cake, it doesn’t get any tougher in Thai motorsport than winning in touring cars. Add to that the fact that these were his breakthrough wins in Super 2000 and you have a new star announcing himself in no uncertain terms.
“A double win was something I never expected,” a clearly delighted Khun Kittipol admits. “A double win at the prestigious Bangsaen Circuit made it much, much sweeter! A big thanks to all the team who made the car a joy to drive.
“I was not in the running for the championship title [in 2015] due to different circumstances, but we are definitely ready to fight for it this year,” he adds. ”I can’t wait for the 2016 season to start!” Ominous words for his rivals, certainly he must start as one of the hot favourites for the 2016 title.
Bangsaen Race Report: Super Production (Saturday)
The title was wide open as the Super Production season headed to the seaside for its season closer. Khun Yotsarun Sansuk had hauled himself into the championship lead at the end of the Bira weekend after racking up three wins and one runners up spot from the previous four races to stand on 75 points. That’s title winning form certainly, but Bangsaen doesn’t just turn the formbook upside down, it gives it a good kicking – and his rivals weren’t too far adrift. After finishing on the podium in all six races in 2015 Khun Chattraphol Jiemvijid was only 8 points off the top while Khun Settasit Boonyakiat was 5 points further back.
In Class B battle was resumed all over again as Khun Yotsarun and Khun Chattraphol were separated by just one point, while in Class C it was a little more on the formal side as Khun Nattanid Leewattanavaragul had opened out a 31 point cushion after taking four straight class wins coming into Bangsaen.
In qualifying though the three championship rivals became spread out in the top ten and all missed the front row of the grid meaning that the usual fraught action associated with this category in Bangsaen could turn the title fight into a lottery. Khun Chattraphol qualified third, Khun Settasit in sixth and the points’ leader Khun Yotsarun in eighth. It looked like top of the classification was going to get jumbled up.
Meanwhile at the summit of the timesheets Khun Anon Rodprasert, who has had something of a mixed season although he has one win to his name (in Buriram), put his TT Motorsport Honda City on pole position with a best lap in 2:03.050 while making it an all front row for Honda’s City was Thomas Raldorf who was returning to Super Production having missed the last round. His car has a winning pedigree here though, claiming victory in 2014 and 2015, but the experienced Dane would have a lot of work to do as he was 1.124 seconds back.
At the green lights Khun Tony Percy got a very slow getaway from P9 but everyone made it cleanly past him as he dropped to the back while at the front Khun Anon converted his pole into the race lead as the pack braked and swung into Turn 2 with Khun Thomas slotting in behind. Then came the Honda Jazz machines of Khun Chattraphol and Khun Thanasit Bhunyatharanonth, the pair barging side by side into Turn 2, the former getting the advantage although it wouldn’t last long as the white and green #39 Jazz elbowed its way into P3. Khun Sirisak Manthugumphol held off Khun Settasit to slot into P5 while behind them the fourth row sitters, Khun Poomee Phromatham and Khun Yotsarun remained in that order as the top eight funneled through the mountain section for the first time, all in their starting order.
Over the opening lap the big battle was for P9 as Khun Anusorn Asiralertsiri was holding the chasing pack back and first to get through was Khun Pong Trakulthong who pushed Khun Anusorn down to P10 as the pack went over the line for the first time. Behind him there was also a big scrap playing out between Khun Nattanid and Khun Ray McDonald, the actor-racer fending off the feisty attentions of the young lady driver in the Class C battle. From the back meanwhile Khun Tony wasn’t hanging around and he made up three places on the first lap before picking off two more cars the second time around.
Khun Anusorn’s lack of pace saw Khun Ray locked in behind him over the second lap and taking an unsuccessful look down the inside into Turn 11 and with Khun Nattanid swarming all over the back of the #21 TT Motorsport Jazz. However her attempts to pass left the door open for Khun Chitipong Boonbangyang who nipped through into P12 after grabbing the inside line into the left-hander at Cape Lam Tan.
Through the second lap the top four started to spread out but in fifth place Khun Sirisak was coming under pressure from Khun Settasit while behind them Khun Poomee was having to defend P7 from Khun Yotsarun. Into the third lap and down the main straight Khun Yotsarun edged out Khun Poomee to move into P7 and with both his rivals for the title in front of him, Khun Yotsarun needed to quickly make up every place possible.
By one third distance as the race started to settle down Khun Thomas closed down the few car lengths that Khun Anon had pulled out at the front and started to apply pressure for P1. Two of the movers in the race though had started from the back row; Khun Tony was up P14 by the end of the fourth lap while Khun Nattachak Hanjitkasem, who had started alongside him, was up to P18.
By mid race Khun Chattraphol in fourth had drifted back into the clutches of the scrapping Khun Sirisak and Khun Settasit and going into the seventh lap the positions changed as Khun Chattraphol moved to the outside through Turn 1 to defend his line and Khun Sirisak sensed an opportunity, switching to the inside and elbowing his way alongside. Braking into Turn 2 the pair rubbed doors with Khun Sirisak locking up as he scrubbed speed before he bounced over the kerbs on the inside of the approach to the turn. He had done enough though and barged through into P4. With Khun Chattraphol pushed to the outside, Khun Settasit on the tail of the pair needed no second invitation and he also dived through on the inside as the two Jazz racecars powered up towards Turn 3.
Khun Settasit couldn’t hold P5 though and he dropped back behind Khun Chattraphol before the end of the seventh lap, a crucial swap in terms of the championship.
Into the last third of the race Khun Thomas was all over the back of Khun Anon as the gloves came off in the battle for victory, however with a lap and a half to go Khun Anon finally broke the challenge, pulling out a couple of lengths which he would successfully hold to the finish, taking the checkered flag after 10 laps with a 1.3 second advantage. Khun Thomas though would have the satisfaction of setting the fastest lap of the race in 2:02.431.
Khun Thanasit took third place meaning the top three had remained the same from the end of the first lap to the finish, even if there hadn’t been a dull moment, while Khun Sirisak was next up in fourth.
Khun Chattraphol who had suffered handling issues after the second corner contact had targeted fifth place and the pole position for the second race it brought with it. P5 was crucial in terms of the championship as he had come into the race with an 8 point deficit to the championship leader who had retired. Fifth place netted Khun Chattraphol 8 points and that meant he was now on equal points with Khun Yotsarun who thus collected a zero score.
Even better, with his rival starting the final race at the back of the grid, Khun Chattraphol couldn’t be any more optimally positioned as fifth place meant he would be on pole thanks to the top five finishers being reversed for the second race.
Khun Settasit was happy to bring his car home in sixth place after the brush with the barriers while Khun Poomee was next up in seventh. Khun Pong Trakulthong took Class C victory and that represented his first class win of the year, Khun Ray second in Class C and Khun Anusorn, third in Class C wrapped up the top ten overall while in P11 Khun Tony had done very well to fight his way up through half the field after dropping to the back at the start. Then came Khun Nattanid who was also fourth in Class C and that meant she’d done enough to seal the Class C title. Khun Chittipong, who grabbed the final step of the Class C podium, Khun Nattachak and lady racer Khun Rungravi Thirakon completed the top fifteen overall.
It was really tight now for the championship as Khun Anon’s win leapfrogged him into third place, on 69 points, while Khun Settasit moved up to 68 points. The top four drivers in the championship were covered by just 7 points with just one race to go – and that was on the streets of Bangsaen. Super Production doesn’t much tighter than that.
Bangsaen Race Report: Super Production (Sunday)
For the final race the top five finishers were reversed and that mean Khun Chattraphol was on pole and with Khun Settasit in sixth and Khun Yotsarun way down at the back, the momentum was with the RMI driver. If he could keep ahead of his rivals the title would be his.
Alongside him on the front row was Khun Sirisak while Row 2 comprised of Khun Thanasit and Khun Thomas while the first race winner, Khun Anon, led out Row 3 with Khun Settasit next to him.
At the green lights it really went off as Khun Thanasit got a good start and moved across onto the line but got caught between Khun Chattraphol and Khun Sirisak and ended up T-boning the barriers on the inside. A few dozen meters further back there was more shoving and Khun Chitipong spun round, collected Khun Rungravi, and both ended up in the barriers on the outside with Khun Moh Tze Yang also caught up although he was able to extract himself, as did Khun Chitipong, and two further cars caught up behind the two spinners, including Khun Pong, to all get away to rejoin the pack.
Khun Chattraphol headed the field through Turn 2 but the Safety Car was immediately deployed and as they slowed down Khun Sirisak slotted behind in P2 having emerged almost unscathed after making a few big swerves to avoid the carnage while next up came Khun Thomas, Khun Settasit, Khun Poomee, Khun Anon, Khun Anusorn, Khun Nattanid, Khun Thanasit, who had bounced back into the race despite that hefty contact with the barriers at both ends of the #39 Tein Jazz, Khun Ray, Khun Tony and Khun Nattachak. Caught up in the mêlée, Khun Pong would struggle round to the pits but quickly climbed out of the car as the damage to the front of the #45 City was too extensive to be repaired.
After a couple of laps behind the Safety Car the race resumed and Khun Sirisak got a good tow down to Turn 1 off Khun Chattraphol, pulled out to the outside and darted through to lead the pack up into the mountain section with Khun Thomas, Khun Settasit and Khun Anon, Khun Poomee, Khun Anusorn and Khun Nattanid slotting in behind. This top seven train looked to have the momentum and pulled out several seconds over the next car by the halfway point of the first lap after the restart.
As the cars braked for the S2 Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin Khun Chattraphol was looking to get back into P1 and he got a superb slingshot onto the start-finish straight to run side by side with Khun Sirisak up to Turn 1, nipping through on the inside while the red #14 City driver ran wide and that allowed the waiting Khun Thomas to dive through. Horribly losing momentum Khun Settasit and Khun Anon both got past through the mountain section and as the cars braked for mountain hairpin Khun Sirisak had gone from first to fifth within a few corners. Down through the chicane and over the rest of the lap the top eight were nose to tail, this was racing in the true Super Production mould.
As the race settled down and reached half distance Khun Thomas was applying the pressure on the race leader, Khun Chattraphol, while a couple of car lengths further back Khun Anon was looking for a way past Khun Settasit in P3. The sixth lap saw Khun Poomee loose two places as Khun Anusorn and Khun Nattanid got past him, moving up to sixth and seventh places respectively. Between the two battling groups Khun Sirisak, in fifth place, had gaps opening up on either side of him.
The top four then closed together and on the eighth lap Khun Settasit was able to stop looking in his mirrors to make a move on Khun Thomas, who was clearly slowing, through Turn 4, to move up to P2. Khun Yotsarun meanwhile was down in ninth place and so the championship was still favouring Khun Chattraphol despite Khun Settasit moving up to second place. The Dane then pulled over to let Khun Anon past at the chicane and as he dropped back Khun Sirisak and Khun Anusorn would also pass him before the end of the ninth lap. That would be his last lap in the race in fact as the proceedings lost one of the top runners.
The ninth lap saw a change at the front as Khun Settasit, once he had got Khun Thomas out of the way, had closed up on Khun Chattraphol. With Khun Yotsarun still in the lower reaches of the top ten, this represented a seven point cushion for the RMI driver in the championship battle over the Vattana driver. However Khun Chattraphol needed to play it safe as any tangle between the two would let Khun Yotsarun back into the picture while Khun Settasit had no choice but to push for P1 and hope for Khun Chattraphol to hit problems. Duly Khun Chattraphol didn’t play it too tough and Khun Settasit moved into P1 as the pair ducked into Turn 2 and the championship gap was now down to 2 points in favour of the RMI driver.
Khun Yotsarun wasn’t giving up on the title though and he was really pushing. Khun Poomee who had by now lost first gear and was losing time especially through the mountain hairpin was passed by Khun Yotsarun as they accelerated out of that turn and down towards the chicane before he also overtook Khun Nattanid, which elevated him from ninth to seventh, and then on the tenth lap he squeezed by Khun Anusorn under acceleration out of the roundabout while Khun Thomas had dropped out a few turns earlier after slowing up at the chicane and that meant Khun Yotsarun was up to fifth. With just three laps remaining everyone was wondering if the championship was going to have a sting in the tail.
Over the final laps Khun Chattraphol fell back into the clutches of Khun Anon and it was a nail biting time for the RMI team’s fans – if he dropped back to P3 it would hand the title to Khun Settasit, although the driver reported to the team that he was carefully pacing himself to the line. Meanwhile Khun Nattanid had a moment and badly damaged the right hand rear bodywork of the #16 Jazz but she was able to circulate slowly and reach the finishline to pick up Class C points.
Khun Settasit eased out at the front to record a 3.105 second win at the finishline but it wasn’t enough in championship terms and Khun Chattraphol stroked the #69 Jazz home in second place to seal the title, the driver doing exactly what had been needed. It gave the RMI team their second consecutive Super Production title following Khun Pasarit Phromsombat’s gripping victory last year; on both occasions in fact the battle for the title went right down to the wire. For Khun Settasit though it was his first win at Bangsaen and it puts him in amongst an elite core of drivers that have won on these streets.
Khun Anon took third place to superbly follow up his win the day before while Khun Sirisak was fourth and Khun Yotsarun, who had started from the back and turned in one of the most impressive drives of the race, finished fifth. However it wasn’t enough to keep him in contention for the title and the championship leader coming into the event in fact slipped to third place in the final table.
Eleven seconds down the road Khun Anusorn came home in sixth overall, but more significantly he finished first in Class C. Khun Poomee held on despite his transmission problems to nurse the car to the finishline and claim seventh while a late climb up the leaderboard netted P8 for Khun Tony. Khun Ray wrapped up the top ten overall, he was also second in Class C, and Khun Nattachak.
The final finishers were Khun Michael Freeman in the first of the two factory supported Mazda2 turbodiesels, Khun Sophon Pummarin, who was third in Class C, Khun Moh Tze Yang, fourth in Class C, Khun Tachapan Vijittranon in the second Mazda2, who grabbed the last step of the Class C podium, and finally Khun Nattanid who brought her damaged car home two laps down which was enough to give her a final helping of Class C points for the year, sealing an emphatic championship tally.
Khun Chattraphol thus won the overall title with a final total of 90 points, which was just 2 points ahead of Khun Settasit, while Khun Yotsarun’s dreadful weekend, which netted him only 8 points, saw the erstwhile championship leader tumble to third place in the final classification with 83 points. A win (his second of the year) coupled to a third place in Bangsaen elevated Khun Anon to fourth place in the final standings with 81 points and meant the top four were covered by just 9 points after a thrilling season. After scoring in every race and finishing the year with four straight podiums, Khun Sirisak finished sixth overall.
In Class B Khun Chattraphol ran out the winner with 104 points to make it a double title while Khun Anon took second place after totting up 94 points.
In Class C Khun Nattanid sealed the title comfortably, running out with a 24 point advantage in the final standings and it’s been a stunning 2015 for the young lady driver with four class wins to become the first lady champion in Super Production’s Class C. With seven straight podium finishes to his name and in fact only missing the podium in the opening race of the year Khun Ray took second place in the final Class C rankings and he upped his game in Bangsaen looking quick and tidy and was in the middle of the action all weekend.