Weather: Sunny and dry (Saturday, Road course). Rain and wet (Sunday, OvalSpeedway)
Kuala Lumpur / Tokyo (Japan), Monday, 17 November 2008 – It was the perfectending for the PETRONAS Syntium Team at the season finale round at the Twin RingMotegi on Saturday. Claiming their third win of the season at the Motegi 500kmrace was the team’s No. 50 BMW Z4M Coupe with its trio of drivers – JapaneseMasataka Yanagida, Malaysian Fariqe Hairuman and rookie driver Hiroki Yoshida.The win has helped to secure the No.50’s second place in the championshipstanding behind their teammates in the No. 28 BMW Z4M Coupe.
Coming second in the race were teammates Nobuteru Taniguchi and TatsuyaKataoka in the No. 28 car, who were crowned the 2008 Super Taikyu EnduranceSeries champions at the previous round in Sugo. The pair was joined by theteam’s development and rookie driver Malaysian Johan Adzmi, who took to thewheels of the BMW Z4M Coupe in the final stages of the race.
Meanwhile, Sunday’s “special stage” race on the Oval speedway of the Motegicircuit added to the team’s celebration as the double race win by the trio ofFariqe Hairuman, Masataka Yanagida and Hiroki Yoshida in the No. 50 made it aperfect 8 out of 8 races for the PETRONAS Syntium Team, though the stage was nota points-scoring race. In addition to the landmark 1-2 championship finish, thedouble race win at the season finale round has rounded off a season that hasseen the PETRONAS Syntium Team score 8 race wins, 15 podium finishes, 6 poleposition starts*, 7 fastest laps and only one retirement en route to becomingthe first Malaysian team to secure a 1-2 championship finish in a major Japaneserace series.
David Wong, Team Principal, PETRONAS Syntium Team:
“Another 1-2 finish in Saturday’s race and a win in the “special stage” on
theOval speedway on Sunday have made it a perfect ending for the PETRONAS SyntiumTeam at the season finale! After all the difficulties we had in our debutseason, we were able to take the lessons and worked to improve on all thedifferent areas and set ourselves ambitious targets for 2008, which was to takethe series title and bring home a 1-2 championship finish. Through the hard workand dedication of everyone on the team; the incredible support and encouragementfrom our partners PETRONAS, BMW and ADVAN Yokohama we achieved the first ofthese targets at Sugo two weeks ago. This weekend we claimed a landmark 1-2championship finish for the team. I am extremely proud of every single person onthe team for their contribution, hard work and sacrifices in working towardsachieving our goals!
“The drivers have done a fantastic job throughout the entire season! Theyhave all been very competitive, pushing each other and this is reflected in theresults they have produced. It was a joy to watch the duo of Tatsuya Kataoka andNobuteru Taniguchi on track and both are well deserved champions. Meanwhile,driving alongside Masataka Yanagida, Fariqe has really proven his mettle upagainst some of the best racing drivers in Japan. As for the junior drivers,Hiroki Yoshida has come a long way from Suzuka and in that time grown andmatured into a great racing potential. The youngest of the lot, Johan Adzmi wasgiven the opportunity to race in both races and he rose to the challenge. Thetesting and development work has really paid off as he put in competitive laptimes and demonstrated that he has the pace is race-ready!”
BMW Z4M Coupe No. 50 – Race Winner (2nd in Series Standing)
Fariqe Hairuman (MAS) – fastest lap (Saturday race): 1.59:896min (Lap 36):
“Saturday’s race was actually quite good. I was the starting driver and I was
upagainst (Nobuteru) Taniguchi. Time-wise I tried to match Taniguchi but opted tomaintain a good pace, especially with the heavy traffic from the cars in theother classes. But I am really happy with the win and that we were able to meetthe team’s target of a 1-2 championship finish! Although we finished second inthe series standing, I have to say that it has in all been a really great seasonfor the team. Sunday’s special stage was also a special race, despite the wetconditions all throughout.
“With all the problems we faced last year, to come away with this result isawesome. On a personal note, I have really learned a lot in the two seasons Ihave been racing here in Japan. My Japanese teammates have really taught me alot, particularly (Masataka) Yanagida who has been exceptionally supportive.Thank you! To be honest it is very difficult to find teammates who are willingto share and teach one another. This helped to create an incredible familyatmosphere as there was always a great spirit of teamwork, which I believe isreally important. This is what I think has contributed towards the results andsuccesses we have achieved this year.
Fariqe Hairuman
Masataka Yanagida (JPN) – fastest lap (Saturday race): 2:00.256min (Lap
42):
“To be honest, it was a difficult race for us on Saturday! It was actuallyreally close with No. 28, as they almost won the race. Fariqe started the raceand I did the second stint and I decided to save the brake pads and fuel butkept pushing to get good lap times. I am happy that I was able to manage the carand maintain a competitive pace. Although Fariqe and Yoshida had traffic to dealwith in their stint, everything worked out as we planned. The oval race was alsovery exciting and we were able to be quick even with the wet conditions! I amhappy that we managed to win this race to make it a perfect 8 out of 8 for theteam!
“Overall, it has been a good year for the team, with both cars being verycompetitive. The team has done a great job and as a result, we have managed toget a 1-2 result from almost every round and now we have achieved also a 1-2finish in the championship, which is perfect. Last year, there were all sorts ofproblems with the car. This year, the team improved many things and has done aperfect job. Thank you to the team! Also, today our junior driver Johan got hischance in the race and I think he had a good experience. From Thursday, heimproved a lot and today he managed to produce good lap times. I am very happyfor him!”
Hiroki Yoshida (JPN) Fastest lap: 2:00.810 (lap 27 of stint)
“First of all, I want to thank the team for what has been an amazing season
forme! I have learned a lot from the beginning thanks to my teammates and our raceengineer who have been willing to teach and guide me throughout the year! I alsowant to thank David and the team management for giving me this opportunity torace with this amazing team.
“Getting the win today was really special for me and for the team as wemanaged to get the team’s seventh win of the season, also secure our secondplace in the standings to add to the series title that Kataoka and Taniguchialready achieved at Sugo. Thank you also to the team partners who have been verysupportive and given us the encouragement all year.”
Tatsuya Kataoka (left) and Nobuteru Taniguchi (right)
BMW Z4M Coupe No. 28 – 2nd Place (Series Champion)
Nobuteru Taniguchi (JPN) Fastest lap: 1.59:011 (lap 3) – fastest lap of
race
“Congratulations to our teammates Yanagida, Fariqe and Yoshida for the win
andcompleting the team’s target of a 1-2 finish in the championship! It was a goodrace on Saturday as we were really competitive with each other. In the firststint I was able to lead from the start, and I pushed to create a gap fromFariqe. However, his lap times matched mine, so we knew that it was not going tobe easy. By the time Kataoka took over, Yanagida had already managed to closethe gap to us and eventually the No. 50 took the lead away from us. Although wefinished second today, overall it was a really good race and I am happy for theteam! The special stage race was also a good one. The conditions did make itreally hard but we are happy to have managed to finish 3rd (first heat) and 2nd(second heat) to lose only to our teammates! All in all, it was a really goodweekend for the team!
“After taking the championship at Sugo, the result from this weekend isdefinitely the icing on the cake! 2008 has been an extraordinary season for theteam and also for me! Thank you to everyone on the team for a great job, themanagement and partners, ADVAN Yokohama and my sponsors, PETRONAS and BMW fortheir support all year.”
Tatsuya Kataoka (JPN) – Fastest lap: 2.00:482min (lap 61)
“Overall, the race was really good! From qualifying on Saturday morning, bothTaniguchi and I were able to post fastest times and pole position for the race,our third this season! Taniguchi drove the first stint and he was quick off theblocks and did a great job to create a good margin to the No. 50 and the othercompetitors in the class. I drove the second and part of the third stint and thefight was close with Yanagida. It was a good fight. A few laps before the end, Ipitted to give the drive to Johan, our youngest teammate. We wanted him to driveand gain as much experience and race mileage. I think it was a good experiencefor him and he did a good job! It would have been nice to get the win today, butwe got another 1-2 finish, which I think is the team’s sixth in a row! Moreover,to top it off with the results from the special stage race at the Oval made itan incredible weekend!
“Actually, 2008 has been a really nice season overall! The team has beenreally strong with almost 100% reliability, so I am naturally delighted withresults we have been able to produce! Thank you to our partners for all thesupport this year. Now, I’m ready for next season!”
Johan Adzmi (MAS, development driver), fastest lap: 2.02.333min (lap 6 ofstint)
“It was truly an amazing experience! To finally get my chance to race was
like adream come true for me. It was a something completely new to me! To be honest, Iwas actually a bit nervous but I managed to control my nerves and bring the No.28 BMW Z4M Coupe home in second position for the race on Saturday. When the teammentioned that I would also race the special stage, I was really excited. Itfelt really good as I grow more and more comfortable with the car!
“Although I am still on a very steep learning curve, my teammates Fariqe,Yanagida, Kataoka and Taniguchi have all been really supportive, coaching andhelping me learn the ropes, how to handle the car and everything else. Thank youso much for their encouragement! Thank you also to David Wong, Gen Suzuki andTetsuo Suzuki and PETRONAS for putting their belief in me and their invaluableguidance throughout this season. This has given me the motivation to learn more,push myself and work harder so that I can look forward to more opportunities torace!”
The No. 50 car celebrates a win at the gruelling Tokachi 24hours. TatsuyaKataoka (left), Fariqe Hairuman (centre) and Masataka Yanagida (right) celebratewith the team
Stats and facts
2008 Super Taikyu Endurance Series – Team statistics*
| Super Taikyu Debut | 2007, Sendai Hi-Land Circuit (JPN) |
| Pole Positions (2008) | 6 pole positions
– 3 x No. 28: Sendai, Sugo, Motegi – 3 x No. 50: Suzuka, Fuji, Motegi Special Stage |
| Race Wins (2008) | 8 wins
– 4 x No. 28: Suzuka, Sendai, Okayama, Sugo – 4 x No. 50: Fuji, Tokachi, Motegi, Motegi Special Stage |
| Podiums (2008) | 15 podiums
– 8 x No. 28: all races – 7 x No. 50: all races except Suzuka |
| Fastest Laps (2008)** | 7 fastest laps
– 5 x No. 28: Sendai, Fuji, Tokachi, Okayama, Motegi – 2 x No. 50: Suzuka, Sugo |
* Statistics includes of the non points-scoring Motegi Special Stage race,excluding data on fastest lap. ** Statistics excludes fastest lap for the MotegiSpecial Stage
Head to Head Season statistics (inclusive of Motegi Special Stage)
| Car | Car No. 28 | Development Driver | Car No. 50 | Development Driver |
| Drivers* | T.Kataoka (JPN) N.Taniguchi (JPN) | J.Adzmi (MAS)** | M.Yanagida (JPN) F.Hairuman(MAS) | H. Yoshida (JPN) |
|
Round/Circuit/Format
|
Qualifying | Race | Qualifying | Race |
| Rd. 1 / Suzuka Circuit / 500km | P2 | Winner | Pole Position | DNF |
| Rd. 2 / Sendai HiLand / 500km | Pole Position | Winner (FL) | P2 | 2nd |
| Rd. 3 / Fuji Speedway / 4Hours | P2 | 2nd (FL) | Pole Position | Winner |
| Rd. 4 / Tokachi Speedway / 24 Hours*** | – | 2nd (FL) | – | Winner |
| Rd. 5 / Okayama / 500km | P3 | Winner (FL) | P4 | 2nd |
| Rd. 6 / Sportsland Sugo / 500km | Pole Position | Winner | P2 | 2nd (FL) |
| Rd. 7 / Twin Ring Motegi / 500km | Pole Position | 2nd (FL) | P2 | Winner |
| Special Stage / Twin Ring Motegi – Oval Speedway**** | P2 (Heat 1) / P3 Heat 2) | 3rd (Heat 1) / 2nd (Heat 2) | Pole Position (Heats 1 & 2) | Winner (Heats 1 & 2) |
Notes:
* Driver line-up for Rd. 4 of series, the 24Hours of Tokachi included theappearance of guest drivers Manabu Orido and Johannes Stuck. The line up was –M. Yanagida / T. Kataoka / F. Hairuman (No. 50); N. Taniguchi / M. Orido/ J.Stuck (No. 28)
** Development Driver Johan Adzmi made race debut at Motegi
*** There was no qualifying for the fourth round of the series at the 24Hours
ofTokachi. Start positions were determined on the series ranking up to the thirdround of the series.
**** Special stage race featured 2 “heats” each lasting 50 laps of the
Ovalspeedway
FL – Fastest Lap
For details on the championship, full race results and additionalinformation, please visit the official series website at
www.so-net.ne.jp/s-taikyu.Information on the team and the series is also online at
www.teampetronas.com or
www.petmos.com.my
