The 8th Bangsaen Thailand Speed Festival is all set to get underway, bigger, better and brighter than ever before – and when the dozens of teams unpack along the beach front paddock over the next couple of days, as usual, there will be new faces and new cars in the Thailand Super Series (TSS) paddock. Of the influx, standing out in Super Car will be Innovation Motorsport’s striking new Mazda RX-8 and B-Quik Racing’s new ‘pro’ driver Khun Darryl O’Young.
The debut at Bangsaen of Khun Darryl, one of the leading drivers in Asia, is all set to throw a real wildcard into the Super Car Class 2-GTM mix. He’s fast, an acknowledged street circuit expert and knows the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup inside out. All the ingredients are in place for him to right be in the thick of the action in one of the most competitive classes in the TSS programme.
Thanks to a brand new partnership, B-Quik Racing will be running two Porsches in eye catching red and white colours this coming week and Khun Darryl’s teammate will be Khun Paul Kanjanapas. He’s a very well known face in the TSS paddock and drove his Porsche in Bangsaen last year so he’s familiar with both the car and the track and will be looking to ably support his new teammate.
Innovation Motorsport will blood a new Mazda RX-8 in Super Car Class 2-GTM this week. The car has come from to Thailand via the Macau Grand Prix and will be raced here next year – in fact it’s not even here yet, it’s due to clear customs tomorrow morning and then immediately needs a new transmission fitting.
So this is very much just a last minute outing to test the Super Car waters, especially as the team has its main focus this coming week centered on Super Production and Super Pickup where it needs to lockdown final championship positions. But it will be very interesting to glimpse the potential of this car and get a first look at it on the racetrack.
Team Eakie has enjoyed a lot of recent success in TSS’s support categories, its white and orange colours are very familiar with the podium steps, but now it’s time to crank up a gear and mount a real top level challenge in Super 2000 next year. To achieve that, the team is currently building a new Toyota 86 racecar from the ground up. Khun Kantadhee Kusiri will drive the new 86, so the combination of this driver, team and car has to be seriously reckoned with for the 2015 overall title.
The car is still someway from being completed under-the-skin, but the ambitious team is going to give race fans in Bangsaen a sneak preview of the 86 this week and people will certainly have to take note, this is clearly going to be a future winner.
Strength in depth has been one of the keys to TSS’s fast growing success; every single category across the bumper programme is bursting with fast drivers, explosive race action, hungry teams and highly competitive cars. Read a full preview for three of the most popular support categories on the long ‘ladder’ to the top – Super 1500, Super Production and Super Eco.
Mazda set to enter the Super Car mix
If you follow pickup racing then the chances are you’re very familiar with Parker-Innovation Motorsport. They’ve throttled the life out of the category in the last few years; in fact Khun Pete Thongchua has just wrapped up his third consecutive Super Pickup title with two races still remaining to be run in Bangsaen next weekend.
Khun Pete’s rivals have been reduced to waiting for Innovation Motorsport to pack its bags and leave truck racing behind or these rivals have headed off to smaller series. The team said it would finish its truck programme at the end last year, but Khun Pete persuaded them to run his BT-50 again this year. It was dusted off and, while unchanged from its 2013 specification, still no one has been able to get near. They have said that this year is definitely the last. But never say never. Whether the kudos of four consecutive titles is enough for Khun Pete to once again persuade the team to enter the #17 Mazda next year remains to be seen.
Meanwhile, last year the team started running a pair of Mazda2s in Super Production in a fully factory supported deal. They had to develop the cars from scratch and the two machines are getting closer and closer to the winning pace. They have a win already in fact and Khun Pete and his team mate Khun Michael are pretty much podium bets in any Super Production race now.
Behind the scenes Innovation Motorsport boasts arguably the most accomplished Thai-based race engineer. Before moving here Khun Ross Holder engineered now-legendary cars to multiple ‘Australian V8 Supercar’ titles as well as wins in the prestigious Bathurst 1000 kms. He’s regarded as one of the best data engineers in the business, but the Australian keeps a pretty low profile in the paddock. Certainly Khun Pete and Khun Michael can thank him for the way they have really progressed as drivers over the last few years.
Innovation Motorsport is also part of the RMA Group, a multinational automotive industry services provider. That adds up to all their track technicians being highly skilled and qualified – getting to work for this company is no easy feat.
It means the ingredients are all in place for the next – and biggest – challenge to date, Super Car Class 2-GTM. That’s coming up quickly, but as something of a ‘toe dip’ exercise at Bangsaen next week where Khun Michael will drive a Mazda RX-8 that has come from Japanese Mazda affiliate team Knight Sports. This car has raced during the Macau Grand Prix weekend for the last few years in the Road Sport Challenge where it’s always been fast and capable of nabbing a podium.
The same scenario was planned this year, but this time there was to be a double programme. The car would head for Macau to be run by Knight Sports for Japanese pro driver Khun Tatsuya Tanigawa before it would be shipped to Thailand for Innovation Motorsport to manage it at Bangsaen. It hasn’t gone quite to plan though, transmission problems hit the car in Macau last month during the practice sessions and a lack of availability of replacement components for the Hewland gearbox meant Knight Sports were forced to withdraw the entry.
So it’s arrived in Thailand in pristine condition. The RX-8 was rebuilt before its foray from Japan so it should be almost ready to go – that’s a plus point with the shipping and customs clearance here having dropped away to a last minute arrival.
It’s still going to be very tight. The team plans to fit the engine on Tuesday morning and with its key programme, the Mazda2s in Super Production, taking a clear priority, the additional free practice time on Tuesday will see the team focus on these cars. So the first time Khun Michael gets into the cockpit of the RX-8 will be on Wednesday. It’s shaping up to be a real baptism of fire.
The car should clear customs in Laem Chabang Port today (Monday) and from there it will a very short hop to Innovation’s race workshops. “The gearbox has arrived from the UK, we have tyres from Japan and we have fuel from Thailand, but the car is still in the port,” Khun Michael reported on Saturday at the smart raceshop in Laem Chabang where the team was working on final preparations for the ‘other’ four cars they will run this week.
“We will get the RX-8, hopefully, on Monday but the engineers [from Knight Sports] wont arrive until Tuesday as they’re in another event racing in Japan this weekend,” he continued. “They actually arrive 5am Tuesday morning and they will come straight here, fit the gearbox, look to put weight in the car, fit the cool suit and prepare the car and we’ll take it for scrutineering on Wednesday and I will run the car for the first time on Wednesday in the free practice.”
There isn’t really much pressure on Khun Michael for his debut in the RX-8. The car is some way from being fully suited to Class 2-GTM, he’s had no time for a pre race test here to fully acclimatise to his first ‘Super Car’ drive while this is effectively a one-off appearance this year, as he explains. “When we get on the track, from then on it’s basically not to crash the car, not to get in anyone else’s way and enjoy and have some fun and try to work out what we need to do to the car to make it competitive in Class 2 next year,” admits the Australian. “The weekend is really a free practice session for the championship next year. The car will stay here until it leaves for Sepang [for the TSS season opener in 2015].”
With a strong presence in Super Pickup and Super Production next week, Innovation Motorsport has clear priorities for the coming week. “Pete’s already secured the truck championship so basically the truck’s been cleaned since Buriram and we put a new turbo on it,” says Khun Michael. “Our second truck [driven by Khun Phisit] is close in second place in the championship, I think there are three guys within a few points, so our focus will be to make sure he gets the car to finish both races and to secure the Class B championship and second in the [overall] championship.
“Then my job is to make sure I secure third in the outright [Super Production] category with the Mazda2 and we have to make sure Pete’s car is running good and get a good finish in the Teams’ championship for Mazda,” he adds.
It’s not easy to find a driver here who doesn’t enjoy Bangsaen and it’s the same story with Khun Michael, despite the fact that he suffered one of the biggest crashes ever seen on the iconic street track. “I love racing at Bangsaen, it’s the best circuit in Thailand and it’s the one I have many good memories from there, apart from 2009 of course,” he says with a laugh.
“It’s a circuit that suits my style of driving, you need to be quite precise and it’s not very forgiving, I enjoy the challenge and I wish every race was there,” he continues. That’s going to stand him in very good stead as he gets used to the RX-8, while he thinks that in Super Production the team can keep edging the cars onto the front running pace. “For our Mazda2s the power is down compared to the Hondas, but we still think there is enough handling and grip and, as much as it’s not going to happen, we’re praying for rain.”
Showtime
It’s not going to roar into action on the track next week, but Team Eakie is going to give race fans in Bangsaen a sneak preview by unwrapping its latest weapon – a brand new Toyota 86, which will firmly aim to shakeup the top Super 2000 order in next year.
Team Eakie pitched up this season in Super 2000 with a Toyota Altezza for 2013 Super 1500 champion Khun Kantadhee Kusiri, team and driver graduating together. The ageing racecar, which actually started life as a ‘one make’ race machine in Japan, was always seen as a stopgap, but the eventually replacement, a Toyota 86 coupé built from the ground up, was always going to be a slow burn project. With the driver finding his feet and learning his way this season in Super 2000 using the Altezza, the 86’s build schedule was somewhat readjusted for a 2015 season opener debut.
However the team is keen to flex a bit of muscle and offer pointers towards next season, so fans will get an extra treat as the new 86 makes its static debut in Bangsaen. It’s purely a showcar though as the Japanese coupé will be minus its engine, transmission and much of interior. “We just want to show that we are ready for next year and to attract more sponsors,” explained Team Owner Khun Anothai Eamlumnow at the weekend.
He also confirmed that Khun Kantadhee will drive the car next year. The combination of this hotshot youngster and what promises to be a fast and potent racecar means that the overall title has to be the key objective. Khun Kantadhee is in fact the younger brother of Khun Kantasak who electrified Super 2000 last year and has gone on to Super Car Class 2-GTM this season, most recently bagging an impressive runners up spot at the last round in Buriram.
His younger brother is also quickly burning his way towards stardom. Khun Kantadhee showboated his way to the Super 1500 title last year and this season he’s lugged the Altezza, which has suffered with engine issues, to much higher finishing positions than it’s really deserved.
Khun Anothai is satisfied that with the new 86 project most of the ingredients are in place to pitch for success. “We are aiming for the Super 2000 title [in 2015],” he says. “The car, except the engine, the team and the driver are 100% capable of winning. With the engine I’m not so sure, we have modified to the max but it’s still slower than the Hondas.”
The experienced team owner can spot talent a mile off, he’s been supporting Khun Kantadhee’s career for a number of years now – and is very confident that the youngster can go on much further. “He’s the best Thai driver,” Khun Anothai says. “I’m 200% sure he can win with a good car.”
The new 86 project also represents a big step up for Team Eakie, which has been successful in building title winning racecars for several years now across a number of junior categories – and no stone is being left unturned in the effort to make the new 86 help to continue that story.
“We really want to build a perfect race car,” says Khun Anothai. “The first one we built was the Honda City, it’s got three titles from Kantadhee and Witawin [Sondthiraksa]. As you can see with the 86 we use high-end parts and we focus on every detail of the car.”
Immaculate preparation has become a hallmark of Team Eakie and engineer Khun Vasin Tantibhakdi, tasked with the responsibility of building the new car, explains how the project has unfolded. “First we chose to use the 3S ‘Beam’ engine, the same as in the Altezza, so we have to do the engine mountings and the same for the gearbox which we also use from the Super 2000 car,” he says. We have moved the engine further back to help with the weight distribution and we will use an ATL fuel cell to fit where the passenger seat is to help the distribution more.”
His technicians are racing against the clock to have the car ready for its show debut next week. “Right now we need to do the roll cage next,” he says. “But we will do this after Bangsaen so now we do cosmetic things such as the wide body. It’s very wide as you will see in Bangsaen and we will also fit a GT wing on the rear.”
Once build work resumes after the ‘Speed Festival’ is finished Team Eakie will seek outside input into evolving the suspension – building a new racecar from the ground up involves a heck of a lot of development thinking. “We are looking to source a consultant on the 86’s geometry,” says Khun Vasin. “So we will use an in-house engineer and an outside engineer for the wishbones and links.”
It also looks like Khun Kantadhee won’t have to worry too much about deceleration next year as the car is already sporting a very beefy braking system. “The brakes have AP Racing monobloc calipers which come from a GT car so are quite wide,” says Khun Vasin. “We will have to test it to see if it works well, but we are pretty sure it’s going to work well.” The brakes will be squeezed in behind regulation-standard 17-inch wheels.
The engine, which has had a lot of power extracted from it, has unquestionably been the Altezza’s weakest spot this year, however Khun Vasin is sure they can make it work, and, crucially, they have found solutions to bottom end issues that cost Khun Kantadhee vital points this year.
“We will continue to develop the engine from the Altezza,” he says. “We have developed it for a long time so we know it and we are confident that we have found the source of the problems we had this year.”
Team Eakie is certainly going to feature prominently on the TSS entry lists next year. Aside from Khun Kantadhee driving the brand new Toyota 86 in Super 2000, Khun Anothai confirms that promising lady racer, Khun Rungravi Thirakon, will drive for the team in the Super Production category, building on her campaign that has been run by BBR this year. He also reveals that his team will run “Two more, celebrity drivers, in Super Production.”
B-Quik prepares to shakeup Super Car
B-Quik Racing’s workshops on Nawamin Road, Bangkok, have been a hive of activity over the last week as the team gears up to run three cars in Bangsaen. It’s a big step for this outfit as it will have a new partner’s name on the sides of the cars and a new ‘pro’ driver on the books.
During the last TSS round in Buriram the team’s lead driver Khun Henk J. Kiks hit the front running pace with his new Audi R8 LMS Cup and the Dutchman will be looking to build on that momentum this coming week. The two Porsches, which will be running in the distinctive red and white colours of Tune Insurance in Bangsaen, will be in the hands of Khun Darryl O’Young and Khun Paul Kanjanapas.
Heading up workshop operations is Crew Chief Khun Idris bin Ibrahim and he explained yesterday what activities were being carried out over the last week by the well-drilled team. “Basically for the preparation work, for all three cars we stripped most of the things, cleaned everything [and] make sure everything in a good condition,” he said. “The most important thing is the brakes on all three cars, they will go out with new discs and new pads. Suspension wise so far so good and all cars are in a good condition.”
He also pointed out that there would be specific gear ratios for Bangsaen fitted while the transmissions are being overhauled to ensure they are ready for ‘street racing’ duty. “We have changed to different ratios for the gearboxes,” he noted. “We give a good service for the gearboxes and there are new clutches for both Porsches.”
The Audi was completely rebuilt in the summer, an operation that included fitting a brand new chassis, before it ran in the Merdeka 12 Hours at the end of August plus the last TSS round at Buriram in November, so particular attention has been needed all round the car. However most of the parts were new and are all well within their time life.
“At Merdeka we have done twelve hours plus testing [in Buriram] and the races [in Buriram],” Khun Idris says. “Before the beginning of Merdeka we just rebuild the car and then after qualifying and before we start the race most of the suspension parts were fitted brand new, so for the 12 hours we [have] used most of the parts and we check around and everything looks fine. So we just have to fix everything that was a problem in the race.” That particularly included electronics and Audi engineers, who visited B-Quik’s workshops prior to the Buriram race to inspect the car, addressed this issue.
Usefully, Khun Darryl will be in part-familiar territory when he jets into Thailand this morning as he’s already well acquainted with several of the core staff at B-Quik Racing. That list includes Khun Idris who has worked with him on several occasions; most recently they teamed up last month in Macau.
The Hong Kong-based driver in fact raced for Craft-Bamboo during the recent Macau GT Cup where he piloted the team’s Aston Martin. With Khun Darryl’s experience of street circuit racing plus his familiarity with Porsche’s 997 GT3 Cup, Khun Idris is confident that the new driver can slot straight in at B-Quik Racing, familiarise himself with the track and deliver the engineers the direction he wants to go in terms of car setup. “I worked with Darryl in Macau [and] I’m expecting he will do well in Bangsaen,” said the Crew Chief.
Khun Paul meanwhile is looking forward to getting out on track at Bangsaen having last been seen in TSS action during the two races at Bira Circuit in July. I’m very excited to come back to the Bangsaen Speed Festival,” he said yesterday. “It’s my third time here and I think I can say on behalf of everyone that this is one of the most long anticipated events of the year.”
His third time but, most usefully, he already knows the characteristics of the German sportscar around the 3.7 km street circuit and his weekend target will be to continue to make progress. “This will be my second time running my Porsche 997 GT3 Cup [here] so obviously my goal is to do better than the year before,” Khun Paul continued. “The podium is not going to be easy with so many good drivers ahead of me, but I guess we have to cross the line, so anything can happen from the green lights to the checkered flag. My goal is to do my best, stay clear of trouble ahead and hope for the best.”
Khun Paul is pleased to be teaming up with Khun Darryl as part of the new initiative. “It’s very fortunate for me to be selected to represent the Tune Insurance brand and having met the CEO of the company a few weeks ago I can see their enthusiasm in motor racing,” he said. “I hope we can give them the maximum exposure during the race week. They have an amazing guy at the top driving the insurance business, I am sure in no time, we will see them expanding quickly in the Thai market and become one of the biggest auto insurers in Thailand.”
He was also surprised to learn the identity of the driver in the other red and white car. “When Payu [Nerngchamnong] told me my teammate for this race weekend is going to be Darryl O’Young, I couldn’t believe it,” Khun Paul adds with a laugh. “I have been following him on social media for a long time, for me to able to dress in the same outfit as him, driving the same car, is like putting a kid in a candy store, I just couldn’t believe what I just heard!”
Bangsaen Preview: Super 1500
This category already has a 2014 outright champion; winning the first four races in his distinctive green Honda Civic meant Khun Weerasak Homsuwan had put the crown out of reach by the season’s halfway point. He was uncatchable in the classification by the time the series headed for the North East at the tail end of October. But Khun Weerasak struggled to impose his supremacy in Buriram, picking up only 10 points from the two races and the wins instead went to Khun Anon Rodprasert and a returning Khun Nuttapong Lertlumprasertkul. They’re all fast and capable, any of this trio could win in Bangsaen.
With two second places and a third place overall so far this year, Class C front runner Khun Sorasak Saeng-xuto is current provisional runner up overall and while he now needs just 3 points to secure the Class C title – that’s in effect a formality – he has a healthy 23 point cushion over Khun Tony Percy in the overall championship and will be looking to maintain that in Bangsaen.
Khun Tony, meanwhile, swapped to a newly built Honda Jazz in Buriram and while the ‘body in white’ car was fresh out of the box and down on power for its debut he will be hoping to have honed it into a much more competitive proposition by the time the lights go green for the first Super 1500 race of the weekend.
Look out also for Khun Phuwarit Makmu; he comes to Bangsaen off the back of a run of fine form, with a second and third overall in Buriram and that’s all despite him running in Class C. Another driver picking up a consistent streak is Khun Utain Pongprapas, he has two thirds and a fourth from the last three races so will be likely staking his claim to the podium steps in Bangsaen. Finally, Khun Mark Peter Titerington joined Super 1500 in Buriram in a Honda DC5; however engine problems left him unable to show what he and this car are capable of. He will certainly be looking to impress in Bangsaen.
Bangsaen Preview: Super Production
The battle at the top of Super Production has been neck-and-neck all season but a chink of daylight appeared in Buriram as Khun Pasarit Phromsombat won both races to open out a slender advantage of 7 points as the teams headed home from the northeast early last month. He is the in-form driver coming into Bangsaen with three straight wins, while Khun Kajornsak has two seconds and a third from the last three races.
Khun Pasarit has 136 points compared to the 129 points of reigning champion Khun Kajornsak Na Songkhla who swapped his usual Ford Fiesta for the NSports Honda City in Buriram. Having familiarised himself with the new sedan car, Khun Kajornsak will be back behind the wheel of the light green City for this event also. But it’s far too close to call and both drivers stand a very strong chance of winning the title this weekend. Both are certainly more than capable of winning.
The title is going to be between these two. In an excellent third place is Khun Michael Freeman (95 points) in the first Parker-Innovation Motorsport Mazda2 on the classification. This is the Australian’s first full season in Super Production after a part programme last year and both driver and car are making progress with every race.
Khun Thanapol Pruttipong is next up with 86 points; the youngster slipped up in Buriram and will be looking to wrestle third place in the championship back off Khun Michael while in fifth place is the second Parker-Innovation Motorsport Mazda of Khun Pete Thongchua (77 points).
Another Class A pilot to look out for is Khun Piyalert Boonyakiat in the OMP Vattana Motorsport Honda Jazz. He’s the only other driver to have won a race outright this year aside from the top two in the championship, Khun Pasarit and Khun Kajornsak. After missing the trip to Sepang he has a first, second and third place as well as a DNF from the four races he’s entered – that’s excellent form so Khun Piyalert will certainly be right in amongst the intense battles for the upper podium steps this coming weekend.
Khun Andres Majgaard rejoined Super Production during the last round in the CEA Racing Honda City and the Dane is experienced at high-level sportscars and always quick. After an unrewarding Buriram, he will be looking to make his mark in Bangsaen.
In Class C Khun Witawin Sondthiraksa (XO Singha Team Eakie) has made clinching the title merely a formality in Bangsaen, but there are a lot of drivers to look out for as the seaside town’s coveted ‘scroll’ trophy is on offer.
That list includes Khun Andrey Snetkov who earlier this year became the first Russian driver to stand on the top step of a TSS podium while a name also set to shine in the future is Khun Raris Yoodvidhya, the RMI Racing by Sunoco Honda Jazz driver has already shown plenty of pace this season. Another Jazz driver who is always quick around Bangsaen is Khun Paven Panboonhom, he will want to end the season on a strong note.
Bangsaen Preview: Super Eco
Introduced by TSS last year as a new formula for prospective drivers to get a first foothold on the racing ladder, Super Eco has really come of age this year – the grids have filled up and the racing has been close and exciting. Affordable, fun-filled and challenging, that’s the mantra of Super Eco; the aim is to nurture the ‘stars of the future’.
Last year’s champion Khun Daychapon Toyingcharoen has moved into Super Car Class 3-GTC and quickly impressed while this year’s champion is already waiting in the wings. Khun Poomee Phromatham kicked off the year with four straight wins but the wheels came off his charge in Buriram. He needs just 10 points to seal the title; there are 40 on offer this coming weekend. It’s basically a formality for the C-Four Motorsport Honda Brio driver, but he will have to balance conservative driving with the desire to win in Bangsaen.
While Khun Poomee has amassed 90 points so far, the provisional runners up spot is held by Khun Chitipong Boonbangyang and he arrives in Bangsaen off the back of a win at Buriram that helped move him up the classification. In fact he has a slender margin of 6 points over Khun Kmik Karnasuta who only picked up 2 points in Buriram and thus slips to third – but the youngest driver in TSS will be eager to get back into the runners up spot.
Watch out also for a quartet of fast lady drivers who have been busy mixing it up in Super Eco. Khun Tachanan Yooyen, Khun Pusita Supattatanakul, Khun Radeevarn Svavasu and Khun Petsiri Kumpeng have all made their mark this year in the category this year and will be looking to further impress in Bangsaen.