SEPANG – What looked like a harmless drizzle before the start of Race 1 of Round 2 in the Malaysia Championship Series at Sepang International Circuit today quickly turned into a downpour that wreaked havoc on the racing.
A drizzle fell upon the circuit before the start, leading it to be declared a wet race.
Three laps into the race, the rain got worse for the drivers; it did not take long for the conditions to claim its first victims.
On lap four, Aiyub Azlee from Sitty Racing could not stop his car to turn for a corner and went for an off-track excursion before crashing into a barrier.
Jonathan Xie from Skuber Racing Team then braked heavily in a bid to avert an Aiyub situation, but that caught Anwar Avik from R Engineering, who was behind him, off-guard.
He then crashed into the back of Jonathan’s car and slid off the circuit only to rear-end a stranded Aiyub.
The incident happened just as the safety car was deployed due to the sudden heavy rain.
That meant the top three cars in the Touring Production (TP) class had to retire from the race.
The race was finally red-flagged due to the heavy rain and poor visibility.
After a lengthy delay, the race was set to resume behind the safety car with a time limit of 25 minutes.
But before that, teams with two drivers had to put their second driver in the car to finish the race.
With the rain easing up, the race was then restarted behind the safety car.
After two laps, the safety car left the track, and the racing then resumed with track conditions still very wet and slippery.
Farriz Fauzy from the R Engineering team in the Stock Production 1 (SP1) class led the race after the restart.
Ken Urata from RWORKS Riyoz and Farriz’s teammate Aiman Sadat Sayad Islam trailing behind him.
The drama did not end there as Chiow Teck Song from R Engineering in the SP1 class became the latest to succumb to the wet conditions, sliding off the track and slamming hard into the barriers.
He somehow was able to drive his car into the pit lane to retire.
Among the chaos, Farriz was able to keep his cool and finished the race in first place in the SP1 class.
Farriz said the conditions made finishing the race very challenging.
“To be honest, from the TV, it looks like I was cool, but from the helmet side, it wasn’t really cool.
“I was really struggling. I was nervous with every lap, trying to keep the car on the track.
“I almost skidded at the same point as the TP cars, but I was able to control the car just in time to make the turn.
“I think there was oil on the track, but luckily I did not crash,” he said.
Teammates Jesmond Tan Yong was second, while Aiman Sadat Sayad Islam was third.
In the Malaysia Touring Car class Haydan Haikal from Wing Hin Motorsport class finished first, Mitchell Cheah-Rahul Raj Mayer from Hirev Dream Chaser was second, while teammates Lee Wai Chong-Bradley Benedict was third.
In the SP2 G class, Ameer Harris from Bae Racing Team finished first, Adam Mikail Mazrul from R Engineering was second, and Timothy Thomas Yeo-Aun Yue Wei – also from Bae Racing Team – were third.
In the SP2 V class, Muhammad Hasif from Empire M Racing crossed the finish line first, Soh Chee Chong-Khairul Anwar were second and Shafiq Samsudin-Ahmad Nadzrie from Piston Project by Pulzar were third.
Imran Wafi Adnan-Lee Kum Soon were the sole finishers in the TP class.
The action in Sepang will continue with Race 2 at 10.35am tomorrow.
Entrance to the main grandstand is free, but fans wishing to access the paddock can purchase tickets worth RM80 each on the SIC website. – The Vibes, June 24, 2023
