The countdown to the inaugural season of TCR Thailand is now well underway. The first race will be part of the bumper programme of the visit of Thailand Super Series (TSS) to Buriram for the opening round of the year in just over two months time.
It’s a totally brand new start as all the racecars on the TCR grid will be new to Thailand. In fact there isn’t a single TCR car in the country yet. The ‘first wave’ of cars though is scheduled to arrive here before the end of this month; however in the meantime one driver, Khun Nattachak Hanjitkasem, jumped the wait and he recently flew to Italy to test drive JAS Motorsport’s benchmark Honda Civic TCR and see if it measured up to expectations.
Meanwhile, Khun Narin Yensuk has been a solid fixture in Super Car Class 3-GTC ever since the category kicked off two years ago and he’s planning to be back to make it three seasons on the trot. His distinctive all-white Nissan Skyline R32 has seen further modifications made since it was last seen in action mid last year in order to iron out the niggling new car bugs that resulted in several DNFs.
Notably, attention has been focused on improving the engine’s water-cooling system. Along with improvements to the brakes, the reworked car was given a shakedown test at Bira Circuit last week and his team was very pleased with the results.
Over at Kaeng Krachan Circuit no less than six top-level racecars, which will all be seen in competitive action in Super Car Class 2-GTM and Class 3-GTC this year, have recently ‘warmed up’ for the 2016 racing season by undertaking a starring role in a groundbreaking new television commercial that is set to hit the screens across Thailand within days.
Finally, Thai drivers and teams are expected to be the beneficiary of a new initiative that’s just been launched by the TCR international promoter. Dubbed ‘TCR Marketplace’, it aims to optimise the process of buying and selling TCR homologated racecars (as well as components and other associated items) around the world.
First among equals
While most Thai teams have so far plumped for the benchmark SEAT Leon when choosing a car for TCR, the Honda Civic certainly has to be worth a very close inspection.
JAS Motorsport is licensed to build the Civic by the TCR promoter and the company has amassed huge racing experience over the last two decades, most of that with Honda models. It’s built and run on behalf of the factory the versions that have earned much success in the FIA World Touring Car Championship in recent seasons and so it was the logical choice to create the TCR version.
The Civic TCR ran last season in TCR international series with plenty of success, including several outright wins, so it’s clearly fully developed package with a year’s racing now behind it. The TCR racer, just like the WTCC version, is based on the ninth-generation ‘European market’ Civic hatchback, so it’s a distinctive design that isn’t seen on the Thai roads.
Meanwhile, Khun Nattachak Hanjitkasem is a driver that ticks all the boxes for the TCR ‘concept’, he’s one that’s making his way rapidly up the racing ladder, showing plenty of skill and learning quickly as he goes and after a couple of seasons in Super 2000 he’s ready to make the next step forward. Strict cost controls and equality of machinery, which are the bedrocks of TCR, complete the picture.
In fact Khun Nattachak started racing, like so many other Thai drivers, in Toyota’s popular ‘One Make Race’ series. After that he switched to Super Production Junior and was championship runner up in both 2012 and 2013. Agonisingly in the latter year, the title slipped out of his hands at Bangsaen when he was leading the championship points’ standings when his car wouldn’t fire up again following a red flag period that had forced the field to pit. In 2014 he continued to race in Super Production but joined Super 2000 with a Civic FD mid season and he continued that higher level programme throughout last year.
The arrival of ‘TCR Thailand’ for 2016 forced Khun Nattachak to rethink his racing plans and, as he explains, the new concept ticked all the boxes. “TCR is a new series that I think it will become more popular in the future,” he says. “It allows you to race around the world, from international to regional, and in each country which all have the same regulations.
“All TCR cars are built from a qualified factory which guarantees that if any problems occur such as the engine breaks down it results from the production not the driver [and] the factory will responsible for it,” he continues. “Normally TCR should have no problem at all throughout the year so this allows me to calculate the cost of each event and the cost for the whole year.”
That careful cost control contrasts with his experiences in Super 2000. “When I race in S2000 anything could happen during the race or qualifying,” Khun Nattachak adds. “For example if the engine breaks down it not only costed me to repair the engine or build a new one [but] it also made me lose the opportunity to be in a good position.”
Khun Nattachak also sees performance equalisation, which is strictly set by the international promoter, as providing a level playing field for all drivers. “TCR has regulations that all of the car will be similar in term of performance so no one will benefit more than the others,” he notes. “Compare that with Super 2000 where different cars have different performances depending on how you spend on it. All the engines [in TCR] have to be sealed and no one except the factory will be allowed to do anything with the engine.”
TCR has certainly been an instant hit internationally and that’s meant leading racecar preparation companies have joined the rush to be allocated rights to individual brands. As well as the JAS Motorsport-built Honda Civic, cars such as SEAT’s Leon, VW’s Golf, Ford’s Focus and Subaru’s Impreza are already on the bumper entry lists with yet more to come this year, such as Alfa Romeo’s Giulietta and Opel’s Astra.
So far most Thai teams have chosen the SEAT Leon Cup Racer, including the front-running Krating Daeng Racing Team, which has ordered a trio of the Spanish factory-built racecars, so it’s not an easy choice to make. Khun Nattachak reckons there were several reasons that the Honda Civic came out as the top pick for him.
“Most of the teams in Thailand have decided to choose the SEAT, I think that if everyone chooses the SEAT it’s going to look like a SEAT one make race,” he says with a laugh. “I’m familiar with the Honda as I’m used to racing with the Civic FD and from the specifications of the car I have looked at before I order most of the parts JAS use are the best parts from the best brands.
However what separates Khun Nattachak from the other drivers preparing to race in TCR Thailand this year is he recently flew to Europe to test the car out himself and see if it lived up to the hype. “Not many people have the chance to go to test the car in Italy,” he says. “I think it’s a good opportunity to go there as it allowed me to visit the JAS factory and meet with their mechanics, race engineers, management team and other staff [as well as] experiencing a new track with a different climate.”
The test drive took place at the Circuito Tazio Nuvolari, a new 2.8 km racetrack located just south of Milan and not far from JAS Motorsport’s raceshop in the western outskirts of the city.
With plenty of experience of his Super 2000 Civic FD to call on Khun Nattachak was able to provide some interesting back to back analysis – and it was very favourable to the new car. “To compare with the Civic FD that I’m used to driving, the Civic TCR has a lot more horsepower,” he says. “With the 2000cc turbo engine the car is quite powerful and very fun to drive but sometimes I have to wait for a bit for the turbo to boost up.
“On the day that I went to test the car the track was quite wet so I couldn’t drive at full speed,” he continues. “The handling is very sharp, I can feel more response from the steering wheel and when the car is oversteering I can feel it straight away and I’m able to control the car. Everything is smooth such as the gearbox and engine. The noise of the car is quieter compared with Civic FD. Overall I think JAS has built this car very well and everything works smoothly and links to each other. It [allows] me to feel more of the car and feel more confident that nothing will break.”
Khun Nattachak said that he was able to get into a rhythm pretty quickly and was helped by the fact that the new car had a ‘Civic’ feel that gave him a clear head start. “It’s the first time for me in a left hand drive car but after I few lap I got use to it,” he says. “Most of the things are similar to my Civic FD, such as paddle shift, so it’s not that much different.”
Clearly the test was a success and it confirmed to Khun Nattachak that this is the right choice of car for him to step up from Super 2000. “I’m really happy with the test, I enjoyed driving this car and I’m waiting to drive it again,” he says.
He’s now looking forward to making his next career step and his regular teammate Khun Wijak Lertprasertpakorn will also step up to a Civic TCR for the new season as the team exits its Super 2000 programme. “I’m looking forward to racing in TCR Thailand this year,” Khun Nattachak says.
“It will be more competitive and more challenge for me to drive with great drivers in the series,” he concludes. ‘This year I will concentrate on TCR only due to the cost and time I have.” The two new Civic TCR cars now on their way to Thailand by sea and are expected to arrive here in very shortly.
Return of the Skyline
Khun Narin Yensuk has been a fixture in Super Car Class 3-GTC since the category kicked off two years ago and he’s planning to be back to make it three seasons on the trot. The Chiang Mai driver arrived in Class 3-GTC in 2013 with a Nissan Skyline R32, which his team, KS Racing, built from scratch to the new regulations and he campaigned this car throughout that season and into the middle of last year, before he swapped into the new Mazda RX-7 built by Rotary Revolution for the final rounds of the year.
This year Khun Narin will continue to stick with the Japanese car route, after all it represents the makeup of KS Racing, but, if everything works out to plan, he will be seen at the wheel of both cars during the Class 3-GTC season. The plan though is to first return to the Skyline, which has seen further modifications made since it was last seen in TSS in an effort to iron out the niggling new car bugs that resulted in several DNFs, notably attention has been focused on improving the water cooling.
Prior to hitting Bira Circuit for a shakedown last Thursday, the other key cause of issues, the brakes, were thoroughly checked over. That work was undertaken earlier last week by Khun Jakthong Navasoopanich’s JBT concern in Bangkok.
After a successful afternoon test session at Bira Circuit, KS Racing reckon the Skyline is now available for the season opener at Buriram in May. “Last year this car had two problems, one was the overheating engine and another was the brake system,” explained Khun Narin during the test. “We try to fix [the engine heat issue] by changing [to a] bigger cooler, now it’s good [and] for the brakes we send this car to Khun Jakthong to check, now the brake system is perfect.”
An issue though remains before the Skyline can be given the green light to get on track in Buriram – and that revolves around Khun Narin’s right arm, which he broke last year. “Now I have got just one problem it’s my arm that was broken,” he confirms. “The steering of the R32 is harder than [Mazda] RX-7 and my arm can’t yet turn the harder steering wheel.
“Now we will bring R32 back to Chiang Mai to check every thing, re-spray the car, fix the power steering, check the engine and gearbox, and we will bring back to test again with RX-7 and compare which one is the best for me,” he adds. “Which is easy for my arm.”
If all goes to plan then Khun Narin will run the Skyline in the opening races and return to the Mazda RX-7 for Bira and Bangsaen, although the appearance in Class 3-GTC of the rotary-powered sportscar, dubbed ‘Pink Sakura’, is still subject to the final shape of the 2016 regulations. “I hope to race with the RX-7 to the end of the year,” says Khun Narin. “Because I drive the two cars, Skyline and RX-7, but I like more to drive the RX-7 as it’s easy to control and it’s also a more beautiful car.”
Certainly both racecars are very popular with the fans who are set to get a ‘double dose’ of Japanese power this season thanks to the efforts of Khun Narin and his team.
Super Cars set for TV starring role
No less than six top-level racecars, which will all be seen in competitive action in Super Car this year, have recently ‘warmed up’ for the 2016 racing season by undertaking a starring role in a new television commercial that is set to hit the screens across Thailand within days.
That’s all because B-Quik has created a new TV ‘spot’ focused around the activities of B-Quik Racing, with the addition inclusion of several ‘guest’ racecars. It’s certainly a groundbreaking initiative in terms of Thai motorsport that one of our leading race teams was chosen to be core to a major television marketing initiative.
The broad concept of the commercial is that ultra slick and efficient teamwork as well as the highest skill levels are all central to both B-Quik Racing and to B-Quik, the well known national automotive aftermarket servicing chain.
B-Quik Racing was formed in 2009 and has since then racked up major successes in professional motorsport, both here in Thailand and right across Asia. Notably, team leader Khun Henk J. Kiks was second runner up in Super Car N/A in 2012 while last November Khun Darryl O’Young took three wins out of three races at the 9th Bangsaen Thailand Speed Festival in the most prestigious and hard fought national racing category, Super Car Class 2-GTM. Counting back to the previous edition that made it five wins out of five entries at the street race for Khun Darryl, who is also the 2015 GT Asia Series Champion.
B-Quik Racing cherry picks B-Quik store technicians and trains them from up to professional motorsport levels believing that the extreme demands associated with winning in top level motor racing, which requires slick teamwork in highly pressurised situations, absolute management of safety in the pitlane and where deadlines are often measured in seconds, are all factors that overlap with the work that goes on day to day in B-Quik’s retail outlets.
Apart from a core that remains with the team full time, the race technicians return to the B-Quik stores after each TSS event and thus transfer their racing skill sets back into the company’s normal working environment, the team’s values permeating and creating additional value.
The new TV commercial was shot on location at the Kaeng Krachan Circuit near Phetchaburi just over a week ago and included six cars, with four from the B-Quik Racing stable. That quartet was led out by the Super Car Class 2-GTM #27 Audi R8 LMS Cup driven last year by Khun Henk and the #27 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup that was piloted by Khun Daniel Bilski on his TSS rookie year. Both cars are expected to feature in Super Car Class 2-GTM again this year.
Alongside them were two Porsche 996 GT3 Cup machines that B-Quik Racing has just acquired. These former ‘Michelin Experience’ cars are in almost new condition and will be seen in action in Super Car Class 3-GTC this year. They only arrived in Thailand a few days before the shoot took place and were still resplendent in blue and yellow Michelin wraps for the filming.
Alongside the cars from B-Quik Racing were the #8 Porsche 997 GT3 Cup of TSS President Sontaya Kunplome, a pacesetter in Class 3-GTC which will certainly be providing stiff competition for B-Quik’s two new 996s in the Super Car ‘entry level’ category this year. Completing the ‘grid’ was the Porsche 996 GT3 Cup of Khun Sontaya, which will be used once again for ‘hot laps’ action this year during the TSS programme.
The advert’s creative concept presented the team in a number of racing ‘scenarios’ and featured technicians taking centre stage in bringing their fast moving ‘pitstop’ skills to changing tyres on production cars, no actors required here, and showing that TSS really provides the perfect training environment. The advert, which will also include action footage from Super Car Class 2-GTM races last year blended in, will air from today (16 March).
TCR rolls out “global marketplace” initiative
The TCR international promoter has just launched a new initiative, dubbed ‘TCR Marketplace’, which aims to optimise the process of buying and selling TCR homologated racecars (as well as components and other associated items) around the world.
The idea is to create a global ‘one stop’ selling resource that will allow racecars to interchange as smoothly as possible with different teams in the different series depending on their respective requirements. As TCR racecars are homologated identically across all series, this new concept joins the dots internationally. Creating an ideal process for bringing together buyers and sellers should improve the residuals for the racecars at all lifecycle stages. Most significantly that will allow a ‘trickle down’ as secondhand cars are matched to teams and drivers with different levels of available budget.
A press release from TCR to announce the initiative reads: “Competitors and personnel of the TCR International, regional and national series are being given a new and powerful mean of trading: the TCR Marketplace. This new section of the www.tcr-series.com website is open to individuals and companies that are in some way involved with any of the various TCR series worldwide or with one of the teams taking part in a TCR series.
“Subject to registration, users will be allowed to post classified advertisements for selling cars and racing-related services, offering drives, looking for personnel, and much more,” the press release continues. “The advertisement template is easy-to-use and offers the possibility to upload pictures and short videos to complement the information.” Racing Spirit, the promoter of TCR Thailand, fully supports the new initiative and will offer its own input where possible.