Fuse Super 2000 with Bira Circuit and the sparks are always going to be flying. It was no different a story when Thailand’s long running headline ‘touring car’ championship rolled into the Pattaya racetrack as Thailand Super Series (TSS) pitched up for its penultimate round of the year.
Two action packed races duly ensued as a plethora of our top drivers went into battle. Although there were many stars of the weekend 20-year-old category debutant Pattarapol Vongprai stunned the paddock by winning both races outright. We also welcomed a new champion, Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya and other drivers to stand out from the crowd over the hectic double header included two more Honda drivers’, Munkong Sathienthirakul and Ekprawat Petcharak.
Meanwhile significant elements of infrastructure upgrades in order to achieve FIA Grade 3 homologation are progressing at the Bangsaen Street Circuit and with less than a month and a half now remaining until the 10th Anniversary edition gets underway it’s a case of all systems go.
The most imposing physical change to the track layout this year will come at the final corner – Turn 23 – the long sweeping right hander, an almost constant radius corner, that starts at the exit of the S2 Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin (and Pit Exit) before sweeping round onto the start-finish straight.
We are pleased to take part in the official celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Bira International Circuit, which will he held this coming Saturday (15 October). We will present a trio of racing machines that provide a snapshot of the series, the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup that TSS President Sontaya Kunplome races in Super Car GTC, a new SEAT Léon TCR, which is competing in the inaugural season of TCR Thailand, and one of the Honda Jazz racecars that make up the fleet of capable ‘learner level’ machines used by the TSS Racing Academy (TRA).
Finally, premium sports brand Audi has become the latest carmaker to officially commit to the TCR concept and it has done so in the most emphatic manner, presenting its brand new TCR compliant racecar, dubbed the Audi RS 3 LMS, in front of the eyes of the world’s media at the prestigious Paris Motor Show.
Bangsaen infrastructure upgrades well underway
Significant elements of infrastructure upgrades in order to achieve FIA Grade 3 homologation are progressing at the Bangsaen Street Circuit and with less than a month and a half now remaining until the 10th Anniversary edition gets underway it’s a case of all systems go.
The most imposing physical change to the track layout this year will come at the final corner – Turn 23 – the long sweeping right hand, an almost constant radius corner, that starts at the exit of the S2 Bangsaen Hotel Hairpin (and Pit Exit) before sweeping round onto the start-finish straight.
As a key part of the circuit improvements, this turn is being widened to a minimum width of 8.5 metres, by reclaiming ground on the driver’s right from the start of the long curve and then on the left towards the exit. The work involves removing 13 power cable poles, which have been replaced with new poles located further from the current track edge, widening the road and then resurfacing. The work has been possible thanks to the input and assistance of the Municipality, which has given tireless support to the event.
Away from the circuit, production of new FIA homologation specification debris fencing and access gates is well underway with the prototype designs, after a rigorous testing and evaluation process, having been signed off around six weeks ago. With the original fencing having been developed and generally added to over the nine editions of the Bangsaen Grand Prix, bringing it all into line with FIA homologation requirements means the much of it will be replaced and there will be almost 1.6 km (400 sections) of new fencing incorporated into spectator and marshal areas for the event this year.
There will also be more than forty new access gates installed, that will allow rapid entry to the track for safety crews when they are required, as well as optimising the ease of access for local residents, businesses and other stakeholders. Additionally Racing Spirit has ordered spare access gate units.
TSS to join Bira Circuit 30th Anniversary Celebrations
Thailand Super Series is pleased to take part in the official celebrations of the 30th anniversary of Bira International Circuit, which will take place on 15 October.
We will present a trio of racing machines that provide a snapshot of the series, the Porsche 997 GT3 Cup that TSS President Sontaya Kunplome races in Super Car GTC, a new SEAT Léon TCR, which is competing in the inaugural season of TCR Thailand, and one of the Honda Jazz racecars that make up the fleet of capable ‘learner level’ machines used by the TSS Racing Academy (TRA).
We have visited Bira International Circuit five times now, twice in 2013 and once each in 2014, 2015 and 2016, and every time the legendary racetrack has served up a weekend of unrelenting excitement and action packed racing. Returning annually to the ‘home’ of Thai motorsport is considered important for the biggest domestic motorsport series and excluding our ‘jewel in the crown event’, the Bangsaen Grand Prix, we welcome our largest crowds of the year at the Bira Circuit round.
The milestone occasion of the 30th anniversary celebrations of Bira International Circuit actually fall just over a month after we visited the famous Pattaya racetrack for the fourth consecutive year, so the track is fresh in our minds.
Bira Circuit has an unshakeable place at the heart of the national sport and is simply known to everyone as the historic ‘home of Thai motorsport’. When it was founded thirty years ago it was Thailand’s first permanent circuit and brought the sport, which had thus far been mainly played out on temporary airfield circuits, into a new age as well as ushering in rounds of prestigious international championships.
Although relatively small and cramped by modern day standards it still holds its place as the spiritual home of the sport and many legends have been born and nurtured on its 2.4 kilometre length, which features 12 turns. TSS has been delighted to visit here for the past four seasons and we certainly hope to be able to return to Bira Circuit again.
“It’s the founding track for all Thai racers, it’s the track we all learnt to race on and grew up on,” says TSS Vice President Preeda Tantemsapya. “It’s been at the centre of motorsport through the highs and the lows and to be able to still go back after thirty years and continue to race there is a real privilege. Bira has created all our great drivers that went on to race internationally and we all think of it as our starting point. Whether drivers are racing round the world or retired now Bira provides so many memories of their career.
“Although it’s older now it still provides a challenge and a lot of excitement at an affordable price. I’m very pleased Bira has been able to retain its place on the calendar into the TSS era and we have enjoyed five excellent events there so far. Although it’s certainly smaller for the ‘New Era’ of more powerful cars and it doesn’t give the availability of too much extra space I think all the drivers treat Bira with respect and caution and now with the climb to international standards they understand and obey the safety instructions perfectly so that means the conditions for racing can be maintained.
“So we’re very pleased to be part of the 30th Anniversary celebrations and to be able to showcase our series, it’s an especially relevant and poignant time as we have just visited Bira Circuit and it was a weekend that went very well, the action was exciting and we got a big turnout from the fans.”
Race Report: TSS Round 3, Bira Circuit Super 2000 Saturday (Race 5 of the year).
Pole position eventually went to Chayut Yangpichit in the TT Motorsport Honda DC 5 as he was elevated post-qualifying from his berth on the other side of the front row after Pattarapol Vongprai, who had set the fastest time during qualifying, was moved down to fourth place due to a flag infringement. Munkong Sathienthirakul switched up to the front row with the row behind comprising of championship leader Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya and the demoted Pattarapol. Next up were Kittipol’s teammate Thanavud Bhirombhakdi and the factory Toyota 86 of Manat Kulapalanont.
At the green lights Munkong enjoyed the best start to drag his way to the front and lead the pack into Turn 2 with Chayut and Kittipol tucking in close behind. Ekprawat Petcharak also had a good start and he muscled his way past Manat’s Toyota on the run downhill from Turn 3 to the 100R corner.
Through the S2 chicane Phatwit Phayakcso and Thamrong Mahadumrongkul had a brief moment where they made contact as the latter piled the pressure on the former in the battle for eighth place. However that had already become a battle for seventh place as a hundred metres ahead of them Chayut pulled off on the outside of the chicane with engine problems and would go no further. On the second lap Jetsada Yangpichit pulled off the track on the inside of the exit to the 100R turn to also retire.
At the front Munkong eased out his lead to a couple of seconds over the two red, white and black Singha Motorsport Team Thailand Civic FDs initially but Pattarapol’s blistering qualifying pace was carrying over to the race and he soon dispensed with Thanavud and then closed up on Kittipol. The championship leader fended him off, but with a slightly down on power car, a transmission that wasn’t optimally geared, a full load of success ballast but more importantly a need to bring the points home for the championship, Pattarapol was always likely to find a way past. The grey Civic had a stab down the inside through 100R but suffered a bit of a wobble, corrected it but then got the job done at Turn 11 as Kittipol gave him enough room.
The race changing moment though would come on the sixth lap as the returning Wijak Lertprasertpakorn, who had been fending off the two factory Toyota Altis cars behind him, spinning on the entry to 100R. The red cars managed to get round on either side but with oil down on the track the yellow Toyota Altezza of David Yupensak also spun and then as the leaders came thundering down the hill seconds later. Munkong took the left route, bouncing through the gravel trap while Pattarapol jammed on the brakes and went right, Kittipol also just squeezed down the left without too much problem but Thanavud was a passenger as his Civic plunged off deep into the gravel.
That brought out the Safety Car. While the pack was trundling round Thamrong pitted with an alternator problem on his Civic FD and would loose a lap before rejoining.
When the race resumed Munkong’s advantage been eradicated and the flying Pattarapol now had designs on P1. He took a look down the outside on the rundown to the S2 chicane but it was a lap later that he made it stick at the same turn, he shimmied down the outside but this time jinked across to the inside, elbowed his way down the side of the bright blue race leading Civic as Munkong went in too deep and locked up with a puff of tyre smoke, Pattarapol was through and leading his first Super 2000 race on his category debut.
With a quarter of the race remaining it seemed to have settled down apart from the two Altis’s squeezing past David’s Altezza in a fluid motion at Turn 11, but then the destiny of the championship title became almost a formality as Manat slowed up through Turn 3 and parked the Toyota 86 on the inside. With Kittipol in a very comfortable third place on the road (and set to collect the points for second place as the race leader wasn’t eligible to score) the gap in the title race looked set to widen to a point where mathematics almost went out of the window.
At the front, after 20 laps of racing, Pattarapol etched his name in the Super 2000 record books at his first attempt, romping across the line with 2.5 seconds in hand over Munkong after a very impressive race long display. Simply a perfect way to start his touring car career; job done superbly.
Kittipol closed up on Munkong over the closing laps but chose caution as he protected the 15 points that virtually assured him of the title. Ekprawat in the unique Civic FB and Phatwit in his regular Honda City secured the final steps of the overall podium. Sixth place went to the first of the factory Toyotas, the #2 of Pure Hongsapan. He finished one and a half seconds clear of his teammate Thanakorn Buttawong who also won ‘Class 2’. Then came Thamrong and David to wrap up the classified finishers.
Race Report: TSS Round 3, Bira Circuit Super 2000, Sunday (Race 6 of the year).
Sunday’s second race saw a front row of Phatwit and Ekprawat with Kittipol and Munkong lining up on Row 2 while the previous day’s winner, Pattarapol was right behind them.
At the green lights Phatwit converted pole into the race lead with Ekprawat moving across to slot in behind. Kittipol tried to push up but was left with no room and all four wheels on the grass; he had to concede the place and tuck into P3 as the pack surged down to Turn 1 with Munkong, Pattarapol and Manat next up. At the back though Thanavud spun his Civic FD through Turn 2 and although he recovered the car he would be left with plenty of work to do to catch up.
The top end grid order remained the same for the first race lap but Ekprawat was holding up the cars behind as they powered into the second lap and that meant Phatwit was able to pull a good second clear. As Kittipol tried to find a way past Ekprawat he ran wide into Turn 2 and that allowed Munkong through.
Further back Pure and Thamrong were tussling hard and into the S2 chicane the Toyota spun across the track on the exit with the cars behind bouncing off as they steered past. Pure was able to get the car going again but was now sporting flapping a chunk of the left hand front wing as well as the side skirt which had detached itself but remained trailing off the ripped wing section. He swung straight into the pits.
Munkong quickly passed Phatwit to move into the lead while Pattarapol had by now passed Kittipol and both were clear of Ekprawat with the grey Civic FD also nipping past Phatwit into Turn 3 to ensure he kept the bright blue Civic of the race leader very close at hand. Further back Chayut suffered his second DNF of the weekend as his Honda DC 5 was hit by electrical problems that proved terminal for his participation in the race.
There was then a real ding-dong battle between Munkong and Pattarapol for the race lead, the two locked together and both with a point to prove. Munkong, after a season that hadn’t reaped the rewards he would have expected thus far, and Pattarapol, out to upset the order even further by making it two wins out of two on his Super 2000 debut weekend.
A few seconds back down the road there was another battle going on as Phatwit had Kittipol swarming all over him in the quest for P3. Kittipol was trying very hard to find a way past the white Honda City in front but Phatwit was defending his line carefully and not leaving much room. Kittipol was also aware of his remaining championship rival, Manat, sitting in his rear view mirrors so he couldn’t afford any errors.
It was eventually resolved into Turn 2 as Kittipol powered past and hung the #25 Civic into the corner, scrabbling to get the tight line through the bend, which he successful did. Manat would then close up on Phatwit and spend some laps trying to find a way through before he also successfully made a pass.
The battle for P1 was ferocious and Pattarapol spent lap after lap trying to find a way through, getting alongside Munkong on several occasions but unable to grab the racing line. He tipped the grey Civic up onto two wheels as he tried to nip down the inside through Turn 12 but there wasn’t the room; however a lap later, after he got a very tidy run into the double apex, Pattarapol was able to force Munkong out wide through Turn 12 and scrub enough speed off his rival to be able to tuck in ahead as the pair went nose to tail down the main straight.
That was the battle for P1 over but further back with three laps to go Thanavud finished the day just as he had ended Saturday, with the #15 Civic FD lodged deep in the gravel, this time on the exit of Turn 11. Over the closing laps Munkong had a problem and dropped away rapidly with both Kittipol and Phatwit passing him.
At the end of 20 laps Pattarapol romped across the line with 13.431 seconds in hand to make it two wins out of two for the weekend, a thoroughly impressive debut in Super 2000. Second place gave Kittipol maximum points, as the race winner wasn’t registered to collect points, and although Manat came home next up after deposing the fading Munkong in the dying minutes of the race that third place it wasn’t enough to deprive the Singha Motorsport Team Thailand driver of the title with one round still remaining.
Munkong and Phatwit completed the overall top five in the race. Ekprawat, Thamrong who as still struggling with power issues despite his crew replacing wiring overnight as they tried to fix the fault, Thanakorn, Wijak and Jetsada completed the top ten while Pure was the final classified finisher, albeit 5 laps down as he had lost a lot of time visiting the pits to have early race damage patched up.
Audi take the wraps off TCR contender
Premium sports brand Audi has become the latest carmaker to officially commit to the TCR concept and it has done so in the most emphatic manner, presenting its brand new TCR compliant racecar, dubbed the Audi RS 3 LMS, in front of the eyes of the world’s media at the prestigious Paris Motor Show.
Audi hasn’t given a lot of technical details the new RS 3 LMS away yet, however it has revealed that the racecar will fall into the TCR performance window with 0-100 km/h acceleration in about 4.5 seconds and have a top speed of about 240 km/h. In TCR trim, the 4-cylinder 2.0-litre TFSI engine will deliver 330 hp.
The new machine has been thoroughly thought out as one would expect from Audi Sport and the safety package will include an FIA-conforming safety fuel tank, a racing safety cell, a significantly set back racing seat with FIA safety nets on both sides as well as a rescue hatch incorporated into the roof very similar to the one used by the company on its potent FIA GT3 racing car, the R8 LMS. The cockpit also features a racing display and an 11-button multifunction steering wheel.
Visually, the RS 3 LMS is a very striking racecar indeed and – unlike the majority of TCR machines to be built so far – it’s based on the model’s sedan version. At the front there is a sharply protruding splitter and a front bumper that has been revised to feed out into big new wheelarches that allow for significant widening of the track. There are similarly wider wheelarches at the rear too that taper out to improve aerodynamics and sweeping skirts mounted in between. All four wheelarch sections are cut away at the rear to improve the exit of brake cooling airflow in a manner that we have come to see on TCR cars such as the Alfa Romeo Giulietta. There is a big racing wing mounted on the bootlid. Slotted brake discs and bells are fitted inside the bigger 9-spoke alloy wheels.
Audi says first deliveries will commence in December, meaning the new RS 3 LMS will be ready to join the TCR grids in plenty of time for the start of the 2017 racing seasons. Cost is 129,000 euros excluding taxes for the TCR version fitted with a 6-speed sequential transmission and 99,000 euros for a standard shift gearbox.
It’s highly significant that Audi has committed to the TCR concept with a fully factory effort; it’s a ringing endorsement and reflects the same endorsement that Racing Spirit made with the formation of TCR Thailand. In fact in a written statement to accompany the announcement Chris Reinke, Head of Audi Sport customer racing, sees huge upside in the TCR concept. “The TCR market has even larger potential than that of the GT3 category,” he said. “In 2016, there were ten TCR series with races in 18 countries, and more and more series are being added.
“With the TCR version of the RS 3 we’re also reaching countries where no GT3 races are held,” Reinke continued. “The costs for a TCR racecar are very low. As a result, we’re going to win new customers for Audi Sport as well. In terms of support and parts supply, they’ll benefit from the experiences we’ve been gathering with the Audi R8 LMS since 2009, which our GT3 customers have come to appreciate.”
Marcello Lotti, CEO of TCR Promoter WSC Ltd added: “We are delighted to welcome Audi to the TCR family, joining the other brands in the group Volkswagen and SEAT who have become regular winners in the International and National series. I think the decision to build and develop the SR 3 car demonstrates a clear belief in the TCR concept.”