Round 5 of the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) is about to take place and although the title may have already been claimed by Malaysian Touring Car (MTC) Class 2 champions Syafiq Ali and James Veerapan of Proton R3 Motorsports, they’re looking to bag themselves a double victory come this weekend.
Proton R3 Motorsports’ duo has had a perfect season thus far till Round 4 on 16th September where their winning streak came to an end, finishing fourth due to a collision with a back-marker who lost control and hit Veerapan in the right-rear, forcing him into the gravel – costing them both the lead and the win.
Thanks to the help of the track marshals, Veerapan was able to rejoin in the race to secure the 4th place finishing and 10 points to help them win the MTC Class 2 overall title.
Though they were looking forward to celebrating up on the podium in Round 4, they now look very much eager to have that victory dance on the podium this weekend at Round 5 of this year’s MSS 2012 season.
Round 4 was a one-hour endurance race with a mass start of all competing cars in four categories – the GT Class, the Sports Production Class, the Touring Production Class and the MTC category. Like in Round 2, where Syafiq and Veerapan took top honours, teams are given an option of having two drivers or driving solo for the race.
For this weekend’s Round 5, the event will be run in the form of sprint races with two 10-lap races around the 5.543-km circuit on Sunday. Free practice and qualifying will be held on this Saturday and entrance for fans to catch the event from the Main Grandstand is free.
Veerapan wants to push his car to the limits this weekend not entirely to have his victory dance, but to also help in their preparations for the upcoming Sepang 1000km (S1K) race to be held from 6th – 8th December 2012 at SIC since they may be utilizing the same car in their MSS charge, pending its performance for this weekend to help make the final decision.
Last year, their Proton Satria Neo failed to finish the S1K race after Veerapan paired up with Faidzil Alang, before retiring after 96 laps, but in another Proton Satria Neo, the duo of Syafiq and Syahrizal Jamaluddin did manage to finish fourth in class.
Though the champions have already been decided, the attention now falls upon the contenders for 2nd place, where only 5 points now separate the drivers and those vying for the 2nd step on the podium will be former MSS Supersaloon champion and winner of the inaugural S1K race in 2009, Soh Kee Koon with 65 points, Kok Pak Chiang and Sutan Mustaffa with 64 points and the duo of Ahmad Faizry and Juzaili Jasmay with 60 championship points.
In similar style, the championship title for the Sport Production Class has already been claimed former national jet skier Zen Low who took the crown during Round 4 with a lead of 52 points above the rest, leaving the rest more anxious for the second step with the likes of Bruce Lee and Tak Kok Ho, having garnered 78 and 64 points respectively.
The Touring Production Class will see Perajun Krishnan, a three-time Supercompact champion, holds a slim 7.5 advantage over Damien Dielenberg, a former MSS Supersixteen champion; setting the stage for an exciting final round battle as they both attempt to win this class for the first time.
However, they’re almost certain that a strong challenge from Japan’s Hidehatu Kutori and Fahrizal Hassan – the winners of this year’s Sports Production class in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race in August. With 57.5 points, Kutori is just 10 points behind Perajun; while Fahrizal trails the championship leader by 12.5 points.
The GT class looks set to be a straight fight between Vignesa Moorthy of VRD Motorsports and Noel Becker of Arrows Racing; with the Malaysian taking a nine-point advantage into the final round. Third overall with 50 points, Adrian d’Silva, who partnered Fahrizal to the MMER victory in August, is still in striking range for the title since a maximum of 50 points is on offer in Round 5.
MALAYSIAN SUPER SERIES CARS
Championship Standings After 4 Rounds
Top Five Leaders
Malaysian Touring Car Challenge
1. Syafiq Ali/ James Veerapan (Proton Satria Neo) 135 pts
2. Soh Kee Koon (Toyota Altis) 65 pts
3. Kok Pak Chiang/ Sutan Mustaffa (Proton Gen 2) 64 pts
4. Ahmad Faizry/ Juzaili Jasmay (Proton Satria Neo) 60 pts
5. Alvora Mourato (Proton Satria Neo) 36 pts
Touring Production Class
1. Perajun Krishnan (Honda Integra DC5) 67.5 pts
2. Damian Dielenberg (Honda Integra DC5) 60 pts
3. Hidehatu Kutoki (Honda Integra DC5) 57.5 pts
4. Fahrizal Hassan (Honda Integra DC5) 55 pts
5. A.Kesavamoorthy (Honda Integra DC5) 48 pts
GT Open Class
1. Vignesa Moorthy (Radical) 81 pts
2. Noel Becker (Lamborghini LP520) 72 pts
3. Adrian d’Silva (Porsche 997) 50 pts
4. Rocky Siow (Lotus Exige) 47 pts
5. Dedy Widiyanto (Lamborghini LP520) 30 pts
Sports Production Class
1. Zen Low (Lotus) 130 pts
2. Bruce Lee (Lotus) 78 pts
3. Tan Kok Ho (Lotus) 64 pts
4. Gerard Yap (Aston Martin N24) 45 pts
5. Harry Chai (Aston Martin N24) 45 pts
