Last weekend’s Blancpain Super Trofeo Asia race saw a demonstration of raw power, finesse, and speed. While the first race commenced in the early evening where temperatures remained difficult to cope with, the second race was held during midday, presenting a massive challenge to the drivers, as temperatures in Sepang soared to agonizing levels. The drivers however, confronted this challenge unfazed, with the focus, determination and class personified by this series, and exemplified by both Lamborghini and Blancpain.
The weekend’s race was a thrilling spectacle with cars routinely contesting for spots on the podium, with close passing and extreme power through the straight-aways. Yesterday’s champions from both classes also remained in top-form today, with the Chinese #9 car driven my Max Wiser and Jiang Xin as well the #24 car driven by Dilantha Malagamuwa (SRI) and Manabu Orido (JPN) taking the top-two spots in the PRO-AM class respectively.
Despite recording the fastest lap-time of the competition (2:12:13), Champion Max Wiser noted that track conditions were extremely challenging, and understanding how to optimize tires under these conditions was a key element to success, “Today was even harder than yesterday – with temperatures rising to almost 70 degrees in the car and on the track, it’s very challenging and slippery – it’s not the g-force you need to worry about, it’s the heat.” He also mentioned that for climate like Sepang, drivers often train in the gym for weeks preceding the races to help cope with these types of conditions.
With two consecutive second-place finishes in the AM class, Andrea Garbagnati also echoed Wiser’s reaction to today’s conditions – “I love this track and I love Malaysia – but today was very hot meaning we had to take special care regarding our tires. I think the key to our success today was playing it smart and not pushing too hard at the start…I can’t wait to come back in November!”
The two Japanese cars driven by Toshiyuki Ochiai/Manabu Orido (#12) and Motoaki Ishikawa/Takuya Shirasaka (#5) also faired extremely well today, taking third-place in the PRO-AM class and second-place the AM class respectively. Hong Kong driver William Lok was elated today – after a DNF result during yesterday’s race, he battled back today with a third-place podium finish in the AM class.
The AM class Malaysian team of Zen Low and Dominic Ang delighted local fans with a very strong performance this weekend on their home-track. With a third-place finish yesterday, they barely missed the podium today with a strong fifth-place performance. Zen Low was happy with their performance – “The car performed really well this weekend. The track was so hot, so the races were quite challenging and it’s always a great experience when you can race in your home-country”
The 2014 Lamborghini Blancpain Super Trofeo Series will hold its second stop of the season in Sentul, Indonesia on 7th – 8th June, which promises to be just as thrilling as the awesome spectacle witnessed in Sepang this past weekend.
