25 Jun 2012 Laughing to the end: Circuit Hero One Race 1

At 11:30 on 17 June 2012, Pan Delta Super Racing Festival has attracted a grandstand full of spectators. Many more are still rushing in to get a good view of Circuit Hero One's first race. The race has grown organically in participation and popularity. There are fans group for different brand or type of cars and then each driver brings his own legion of fans to the circuit.

The familiarity of the cars to the casual race fan is another key attraction for this race. Many different types of cars are allowed to enter, from a Fit to a Subaru or even a GTR. Due to performance issues the race is now split into two, with the larger engine cars in Circuit Hero One and the smaller engine cars, like Suzuki Swift, in Circuit Hero Two. This makes the race safer and more interesting for everybody.

In this race for the first time is a Porsche. This car has previously raced in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. The car, driven by Wei Chao-Yin set a sensational 1:52 lap time in yesterday's wet qualifying session. The result meant he could rest early after just two laps. FRD boss Kenneth Ma spent 8 laps in his Renault to achieve a 1:57 lap, becoming the only other man to break into the 2 minute barrier.

Actually the Porsche's advantage may not be this huge, as the two GTRs in GT class are also very qucik. But the drivers and the modifications are not up to the high level yet. In the dry the GTRs may have a better chance.

At 11:40, the red lights are off and the race begins. Wei Chao-Yin makes a poor start and he is overtaken by the black GTR32 at turn 1, while the other GTR follows him closely. But all this is only temporary, as Wei Chao-Yin makes his move between turns 7 and 8 to take the lead. Back to the start-finish line, he already enjoys a 5 car length advantage and pulling away.

Also on lap 1, no. 10 Li Qing-Ru's race car oversteers at turn 9 and spins onto the grass. He then finds his rear tyre stuck into the sand and is not able to continue.

The race soon turns into a Porsche demonstration run. On lap 3, he leads second placed Sun Tit-Fan by 3 seconds. But veteran Sun Tit-Fan keeps pushing and soon he is on the tail of Wei Chao-Yin, who seems a little too relaxed. On lap 4 the gap is down to 1 second. The two cars are almost nose to tail and Sun Tit-Fan is ready to make a challenge for the lead. Right at this moment, the no. 68 car blows its tyre, fortunately it has not resulted in any accidents.

On lap 5, Wei Chao-Yin suddenly loses control and runs off track, probably the result of pressure piled upon him by Sun Tit-Fan. He re-joins the race but now down in 8th position. Sun Tit-Fan now leads with Kenneth Ma in second place. Wei takes his car back to the pits and retires. On lap 7, Huang Fu-Rong's GTR is suddenly smoking, his engine cooked.

The remaider of the race becomes Sun Tit-Fan's solo performance. At the finish line, Sun Tit-Fan wins by 40 seconds with a fastest lap of 1:41, much improved over the wet qualifying yesterday. Kenneth Ma is second and Chong Fa-An is third.