Racing in Thailand is intense, even more so on the short and narrow Bangsaen Street Circuit, but despite being on a very steep learning curve, Malaysian team Wing Hin Motorsports proved that they have what it takes to compete at this level when they finished 4th overall and 3rd in Class in last weekend’s Super Compact Class in the Thailand Super Series.
Despite it being the first time at Bangsaen for the team and the pair of Naquib Azlan and Mitchell Cheah, the Wing Hin Motorsports Toyota Yaris was consistently placed in the leading pack in both races, and in Race 2, was even challenging for the race lead until a broken suspension component sent the car into the barrier.
“The weekend looked to be very promising. We only had a single one-hour practice session to get acclimatized to the track and for me to learn it never being here before. But the team prepped the car brilliantly and we hit the ground running,” said Naquib.
“We were surprised to find out that our straight line speed deficit to our competitors was still very apparent even on a street circuit which meant even if we were faster, overtaking would have been near impossible. Having said that, we maximized what we could with what we had.”
For Team Manager K. C. Chua, 4th overall and 3rd in the normally-aspirated Class in Race 1, was still a strong result to continuing the fight into the next round.
“This is Bangsaen. Racing on a street circuit is unpredictable. Although down on power, we knew we had a competitive car especially through the tight and twisty sections and the two drivers maximized this to their advantage. The incident is race 2 was unfortunate but we will be back stronger in Round 3,” said Chua.
“After two rounds of the championship – one round at the Chang International Circuit and now at the Bangsaen Street Circuit – we have proven to ourselves that we are competitive despite some limitations. We must stay focused and keep this momentum going.”
