With all the minor adjustments now done to tailor-fit the #86 and #88 Toyota 86 race cars to their 12-hour occupants after the practice sessions, the drivers of Wing Hin Motorsport are now ready to put the hammer down for the qualifying session. Although Sepang is beginning to turn the heat to full blast, the intense training that the drivers had undergone meant that they are more than ready to take on the challenge.
Since the qualifying session will be involving all drivers in the team, the average time of the drivers will determine their spot on the grid. Kenny Lee, William Ho and Chris O’Shannessey are no stranger to the 5.543km Sepang International Circuit, having competed in various competitions along the years. Kenny went out first for the qualifying run of car #86.
While the weather was in his favour, his first timed lap was interrupted by one of the cars warming up. He then gave a go for the second time but again met traffic at Turn 9, which had costed a lot of time loss. Kenny managed to post a best time of 2:28.126.
William however got better luck in his qualifying run as he managed to post up a best time of 2:27.665. Couple that up with Chris’ best timing of 2:27.400 despite running into some traffic, they managed to post up an average timing of 2:27.730, slotting them into the fifth spot on the grid.
In car #88, we have Tomoya Kato from Japan, Chris Tan from Pentagon Racing and Zerotohundred.com’s own Tom Goh mashing the pedal to the metal for a shot of a sweet spot on the grid to start the 12-hour race. In the first session, Chris went out and a little drizzle greeted him on the track.
“It wasn’t the ideal condition and the track was quite slippery. The traffic was not too bad, it was only on the first attack lap that the tires were spinning because of the oily track,” said Chris. He managed to post a best time of 2:34.819.
In the second session, Tomoya went out for his qualifying lap. Being a first timer in Sepang, he has been learning the track in every session available. With dry conditions greeting the Japanese driver alongside a clear traffic, thanks to the excellent team management, he posted a best timing of 2:32.175.
It was then Tom’s turn to take the wheel and post his best time on the board. Having testing and practised with the team tirelessly throughout the week, he was practically prepared for the qualifying session, especially where the session allows the use of fresh slicks.
“I was pretty happy, although I was expecting it to be just slightly faster. But overall I’m happy and glad to be able to secure a grid spot for the team,” said Tom.
Offering fantastic grip and a good track surface, he managed to clock a fastest time of 2:32.221, totalling the average timing of 2:32.819, earning them the ninth spot on the grid.
Obviously this is yet the time to celebrate and the team still has a lot of preparation to be done before the 12-hour endurance race takes place. Stay tuned to Zerotohundred.com as we bring you the outcome of Wing Hin Motorsport’s journey at the 2014 Sepang 12 Hours!
