Pasukan Malaysia, Wing Hin Motorsports, mencatat dua kemenangan perlumbaan masing-masing dalam kelas GT4 dan Super Touring pada saingan TSS The Super Series dan Thailand Super Series yang berlangsung di Litar Antarabangsa Chang, Thailand, hujung minggu lalu.
Dalam Pusingan 4 kelas GT4 bagi TSS The Super Series, gandingan Mitchell Cheah dan pelumba Hong Kong, Ryan Wong, memulakan kempen hujung minggu dengan cemerlang pada Sabtu, 31 Oktober, apabila membawa jentera Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 bernombor 39 meraih kemenangan perlumbaan.
Memulakan perlumbaan dari petak kelima, mereka mengharungi saingan sengit selama satu jam sebelum menamatkan perlumbaan dengan kelebihan hanya 0.331 saat di hadapan pelumba Thailand, Ananthorn T. dan Supakit J. daripada PETROLIFE Racing Team.
Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 menguasai tiga kedudukan teratas perlumbaan itu, dengan satu lagi gandingan dari Thailand, Prakhun P. dan Todd K. daripada Inging x Autowerks Racing, menamatkan saingan di tempat ketiga.
Bagaimanapun, perlumbaan kedua pada Ahad, 1 November, menyaksikan nasib malang menimpa Cheah dan Wong ketika mereka memburu kemenangan berturut-turut. Ketika sedang bersaing di tempat ketiga dan berbaki tujuh pusingan sebelum penamat, jentera mereka dilanggar ketika mengambil selekoh, sekali gus menamatkan kempen mereka dengan penuh mengecewakan.
“Wong telah memotong sebuah kereta yang lebih perlahan, tetapi malangnya pemandu yang sama cuba memotongnya secara agresif dari bahagian dalam pada selekoh berikutnya. Ada komponen pada kereta yang rosak sehingga menghalangnya daripada membelok, dan berakhirlah perlumbaan kami,” kata Cheah yang kecewa.
Nabil dan Amer bangkit dengan kemenangan dominan dalam Super Touring
Nasib berbeza turut dialami empat jentera Wing Hin Motorsports yang menyertai Pusingan 3 kelas Super Touring dalam Thailand Super Series.
Dalam Perlumbaan 1 pada Sabtu, gandingan Nabil Azlan dan Amer Harris yang memandu Toyota Vios bernombor 36 mendahului saingan selama satu jam ketika perlumbaan memasuki separuh masa dan dilihat berpeluang cerah untuk meraih kemenangan.
Bagaimanapun, masalah teknikal yang tidak dijangka menyebabkan kelajuan jentera mereka merosot. Amer, yang mengambil alih pemanduan daripada Nabil selepas hentian pit wajib, berjaya mengatasi masalah tersebut dan mengelakkan kereta daripada terpaksa menarik diri. Namun, mereka terpaksa merosot sehingga ke tempat ke-15.
Walaupun kelajuan jentera kembali pulih, baki pusingan yang terlalu sedikit menyukarkan mereka untuk memperbaiki kedudukan. Pasangan itu akhirnya menamatkan perlumbaan di tempat ke-10.
Sementara itu, jentera Toyota Yaris bernombor 38 yang dipandu Jwan Hii dan Dannies Ng menamatkan perlumbaan di tempat keempat, hanya kira-kira satu saat di luar kelompok tiga teratas.
Dengan hanya dua pusingan berbaki, Toyota Yaris bernombor 39 yang dipandu Varunchit Wattanathanakun dan Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda turut berada pada landasan untuk menamatkan perlumbaan dalam kelompok lima terbaik. Bagaimanapun, perlanggaran di litar menyebabkan jentera itu terbalik dalam insiden berkelajuan tinggi, sekali gus memaksa perlumbaan ditamatkan di belakang kereta keselamatan.
Gandingan Nick Teo dan Ian Wong yang memandu Toyota Vios bernombor 9 pula terpaksa menarik diri selepas melengkapkan 16 pusingan.
Dalam Perlumbaan 2 pada Ahad, Nabil dan Amer bangkit dengan kemenangan dominan apabila menamatkan saingan dengan kelebihan besar, iaitu 17 saat di hadapan pencabar terdekat, Vongsapat Ketsiri daripada Idemitsu Racing Team Thailand yang memandu Honda CR-Z.
Tempat ketiga menjadi milik gandingan Peempol T. dan Kajonsak N., juga dengan jentera Honda CR-Z.
“Kejayaan ini adalah hasil usaha pasukan yang menyediakan sebuah kereta berdaya saing dan mampu menang pada hujung minggu ini. Kami berjaya membina jurang yang besar sejak awal perlumbaan dan selepas itu, tugas kami adalah mengawal rentak perlumbaan,” kata Amer.
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GT4 & SUPER TOURING RACE WINS FOR WING HIN MOTORSPORTS IN ROUND 4 & 3 OF THE TSS THE SUPER SERIES AND THAILAND SUPER SERIES
Malaysia’s Wing Hin Motorsports came away with two race wins – one in the GT4 and the other Super Touring classes – at the TSS The Super Series and Thailand Super Series held at the Chang International Circuit last weekend.
In Round 4 of the GT4 Class in the TSS The Super Series, the pair of Mitchell Cheah and Hong Kong driver Ryan Wong began the weekend’s campaign on Saturday (31 October) promisingly, taking the #39 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 to a race win.
The pair who started from fifth on the grid ran a heatedly-contested one-hour race finishing just 0.331 seconds ahead of Thai drivers Ananthorn T. and Supakit J. of the PETROLIFE Racing Team. The Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 dominated the top three positions in the race with another Thai team of Prakhun P. and Todd K. of Inging x Autowerks Racing finishing 3rd.
Race 2 on Sunday (1 November) however, dealt a cruel blow to the pair who were on the hunt for back-to-back race victories. Chasing for the lead while running a strong 3rd and seven laps from the finish, being hit in the corner put a heartbreaking end to the pair’s campaign.
“Wong had overtaken a slower car but it was unfortunate that the same driver divebombed him in the very next corner. Something in the car broke preventing it from turning and that was the end of our race,” said a disappointed Cheah.
Mixed fortunes also awaited the four-car entry of Wing Hin Motorsports in Round 3 of the Super Touring Class in the Thailand Super Series.
In Race 1 on Saturday (31 October), the pair of Nabil Azlan and Amer Harris in the #36 Toyota Vios led the one-hour race at the halfway mark and looked to be a strong contender for the win until an unexpected technical issue forced the car to lose pace. Amer who was at the wheel and had just replaced Nabil after the compulsory pit stop however, managed to overcome the issue to prevent a retirement but dropped to as far back as 15th. Despite regaining pace there were so few laps remaining and he eventually crossed the finish line to salvage a 10th place.
Sister car the #38 Toyota Yaris of Jwan Hii and Dannies Ng finished 4th, just a second outside the top three. With just two laps to the end of the race, the #39 Toyota Yaris of Varunchit Wattanathanakun and Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda looked strong for a top five finish but an on-track collision flipped the car on its back in a high-speed incident that forced the race to finish behind the safety car. The pair of Nick Teo and Ian Wong in the #9 Toyota Vios meanwhile, retired after completing 16 laps.
Race 2 on Sunday (1 November) saw Nabil and Amer redeem themselves with a crushing and dominant victory, taking the race win a massive 17 seconds ahead of their nearest contender Vongsapat Ketsiri in the Idemitsu Racing Team Thailand’s Honda CRZ. In 3rd place was the pair of Peempol T. and Kajonsak N. in another Honda CRZ.
“Credit goes to the team for providing us a car that could win this weekend. We managed to pull a big gap in the race from the start and from then on, it was a matter of controlling our pace,” said Amer.
“The both of us would like to thank everyone at the team, our sponsors and fans in Malaysia who have been supporting us throughout out races in Thailand.”
The #38 Toyota Yaris of Hii and Ng finished 5th, while the #9 Toyota Vios of Teo and Wong crossed the finish line in 12th. Both Wattanathanakun and Kalantananda did not start the race due to the extensive damaged sustained by their Toyota Yaris from the incident the day before.
Both the finale of the TSS The Super Series and Thailand Super Series will return to the Chang International Circuit from 11-13 December 2026.
