17 Jun 2013 Shigetomo Shimono wins from the back in Pan Delta AFR R6 Thriller

Buzz Racing’s Shigetomo Shimono made a great comeback from his misfortune yesterday and win Round 6 of 2013 Pan Delta AFR Series in Zhuhai International Circuit. Taiwan start Roy Chiu doubled up in Asian Class, while Leo Wong again the Masters Class winner.

After failing to start in Race 1, Shigetomo Shimono would need to start today’s race at the back of the grid. He then got off a great start, and passed several cars at the first corner. At the end of Lap 1, he was already in 3rd. He then passed Roy Chiu for 2nd in Lap 3, and prepared for an assault to the leader, Race 1 winner Julio Acosta.

Shimono finally got into the slipstream of Acosta in Lap 5 and made an inspiring move in Turn 9, where he tried to do the overtaking around the outside. Acosta locked up, and let Shimono through to the lead. Shimono then led the race home and took a stunning win. Acosta had to settle for second, after facing some braking issues late in the race.

Behind them, there was a great battle between PS Racing teammates Alexandra Asmasoebrata and Pete Olson. Alexandra once stepped ahead of Olson after a dogfight early on, but spun off in Turn 1 in the dying stages and loss precious time. Pete Olson then finished 4th overall and 3rd in International Class. Alexandra finished 7th after her mishap.

Taiwan TV star Roy Chiu had a great start and nearly overtook Julio Acosta in Turn 1. He then was passed by Shimono and settle for 3rd overall and took his second Asian Class win of the weekend. He had been a class of his own in his competition as his rivals tripped up. Ni Weiliang from ART finished a lap behind after stalling at the start, and PS Racing’s Neric Wei suffered an engine failure in lap 6 and was out of the race.

Master Class winner went to ART’s Leo Wong and his teammate Thomas Luedi finished behind him and took second.

International Class winner Shigetomo Shimono was emotional after his great comeback. “Yesterday, I couldn’t start because of a broken driveshaft,” said Shimono, “but thanks to my team, who really made a great car for me, I was able to win this race.”

After 6 rounds of racing, Julio Acosta is still having a big lead in International Class point’s table. Roy Chiu is now the new point’s leader in Asian Class after his perfect weekend, while Leo Wong extends his lead in Masters Class.

The next race will be on September 13-15 in Zhuhai International Circuit.