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2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series
Tokachi 24 Hours Endurance Race
Round 3, 15th to 16th July 2007
Sunshine Greets Fariqe as the PETRONAS Syntium Team concludes first 24-Hours Endurance Series
Tokachi, 16 July 2007 – The PETRONAS Syntium Team on Monday successfully concluded its first ever 24-Hours endurance race for round three of the 2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series at the Tokachi International Speedway. The 5.091 circuit in Tokachi on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido played host to the Tokachi 24-Hours endurance race from a wet Sunday afternoon, finishing 24 hours later on a sunny Monday afternoon.
With feature drivers Fariqe Hairuman and Masataka Yanagida at the helm of the number 50 BMW Z4M Coupe were, the pair were joined over the weekend by three-time 24-Hours of Nürburgring winner Hans Stuck with his son Johannes. Experiencing the emotional highs and lows expected of a 24-hours endurance race, the PETRONAS Syntium Team finished fourth in the blue-ribbon ST1 class after concluding the gruelling 24-Hour event in 11th position overall.
DAVID WONG (Team Principal):
I am delighted that we managed to complete our very first 24-Hours endurance race in only the third race of our very first season of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series. We learned a lot from this experience, most we can use to improve and better the team’s performance. As is expected in any endurance race, we had some problems but over time I am confident that we can overcome these as we prepare for the future rounds. The four drivers performed magnificently, particularly Johannes Stuck, who was the star of the race! Having Hans Stuck on board was a priceless experience who was a fantastic mentor to the team. Yanagida was at his usual best, applying his prior knowledge and experience racing at Tokachi for the benefit of the team. Meanwhile, comparing Fariqe’s performance to the three more illustrious teammaters, we could see how far Fariqe has come, how much he has matured and improved this year.
GEN SUZUKI (Team Manager):
We had the two most fantastic guest drivers Hans and Johannes Stuck this weekend. The Japanese race fans and the racing industry here were so impressed with their performance. For instance, although he is 56 years-old, Hans is still very much on top of his game and at only 20-years old Johannes is so mature and consistent. In so many ways the two team drivers Masataka Yanagida and Fariqe Hairuman as well as the team learned a lot from our guest drivers, which is great! As for the car, I believe we demonstrated the performance of the BMW Z4M Coupe this weekend, which is fantastic. Unfortunately we did suffer some technical problems, but the crew did a great job to solve these problems to allow us to carry on racing. These are problems that we can work on and learn from to prepare for the next race at Fuji.
http://www.petmos.com.my/images/stories/syntium/STES2007JPN/150707_big.jpg
MASATAKA YANAGIDA (Driver):
This was my first time racing in this class but I think we performed really well in the team’s first 24-Hours endurance race, although we had technical problems along with the difficult track conditions, we can learn a lot from this race for the next race. Any 24-Hours race is always going to be difficult with many challenges, especially here at the Tokachi speedway and it is very difficult to predict what the outcome of the race would be but I think we learned a lot from the experience to help us get better results in the future. The car is very good, and I am confident for the next race and for a win, as I know we can do it! It was a lot of fun racing with Hans and Johannes Stuck as well as my teammate Fariqe. The atmosphere was really good and we got along really well with each other which made the race really fun. I learned a lot from them and it was a fantastic experience!
FARIQE HAIRUMAN (Driver):
It was a tough race all the way through from the beginning on Sunday right through to the finish on Monday afternoon as we were always fighting for position. We were a little unlucky with the problems we faced, which I think would have otherwise put us comfortably in the top three. However, it is impossible to foresee what can happen in these long endurance races, especially 24-Hours races. I am really happy with this result, especially as this is my first 24-hours race and the fact that I was the last driver to take the car home to the chequered flag on the 24th hour was amazing. I want to thank David, my teammates Yanagida, Hans and Johannes Stuck for all that they have taught me! I also want to thank everyone on the team and everyone involved for a great job in preparing a beautiful car for the race.
http://www.petmos.com.my/images/stories/syntium/STES2007JPN/150707_big6.jpg
Johannes (left) and Hans Stuck (right)
HANS STUCK (Guest Driver):
I am very happy to have finished this race. I would like to thank the PETRONAS Syntium Team that we were a part of the team for this event. We did have problems during the race and were let down by the materials technically, which would need to be overcome for the future. But, overall the team has gained a lot of experience from this race, which will help the team prepare for the coming rounds.
JOHANNES STUCK (Guest Driver):
I am worn out and exhausted. I did two double stints in the night which was about four and half hours worth of driving in six hours, which was quite hard. But I am happy that we finished the race after all the problems and the team finished fourth in the class. This is the first time for me racing here in Tokachi, and I really like the track and was pleasantly surprised how much grip the car had in the wet. There was a lot of tough competition during the race with a lot of competitive and fast cars in the race, so it was difficult to overtake the “slower” cars as they were all quite fast. I had great fun and I hope I can come back.
The PETRONAS Syntium Team now head to the Fuji Circuit for the fourth round of the 2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series next month on August 5th.
2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series
Tokachi 24 Hours Endurance Race
Round 3, 15th to 16th July 2007
Sunshine Greets Fariqe as the PETRONAS Syntium Team concludes first 24-Hours Endurance Series
Tokachi, 16 July 2007 – The PETRONAS Syntium Team on Monday successfully concluded its first ever 24-Hours endurance race for round three of the 2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series at the Tokachi International Speedway. The 5.091 circuit in Tokachi on Japan’s northernmost island of Hokkaido played host to the Tokachi 24-Hours endurance race from a wet Sunday afternoon, finishing 24 hours later on a sunny Monday afternoon.
With feature drivers Fariqe Hairuman and Masataka Yanagida at the helm of the number 50 BMW Z4M Coupe were, the pair were joined over the weekend by three-time 24-Hours of Nürburgring winner Hans Stuck with his son Johannes. Experiencing the emotional highs and lows expected of a 24-hours endurance race, the PETRONAS Syntium Team finished fourth in the blue-ribbon ST1 class after concluding the gruelling 24-Hour event in 11th position overall.
DAVID WONG (Team Principal):
I am delighted that we managed to complete our very first 24-Hours endurance race in only the third race of our very first season of the Super Taikyu Endurance Series. We learned a lot from this experience, most we can use to improve and better the team’s performance. As is expected in any endurance race, we had some problems but over time I am confident that we can overcome these as we prepare for the future rounds. The four drivers performed magnificently, particularly Johannes Stuck, who was the star of the race! Having Hans Stuck on board was a priceless experience who was a fantastic mentor to the team. Yanagida was at his usual best, applying his prior knowledge and experience racing at Tokachi for the benefit of the team. Meanwhile, comparing Fariqe’s performance to the three more illustrious teammaters, we could see how far Fariqe has come, how much he has matured and improved this year.
GEN SUZUKI (Team Manager):
We had the two most fantastic guest drivers Hans and Johannes Stuck this weekend. The Japanese race fans and the racing industry here were so impressed with their performance. For instance, although he is 56 years-old, Hans is still very much on top of his game and at only 20-years old Johannes is so mature and consistent. In so many ways the two team drivers Masataka Yanagida and Fariqe Hairuman as well as the team learned a lot from our guest drivers, which is great! As for the car, I believe we demonstrated the performance of the BMW Z4M Coupe this weekend, which is fantastic. Unfortunately we did suffer some technical problems, but the crew did a great job to solve these problems to allow us to carry on racing. These are problems that we can work on and learn from to prepare for the next race at Fuji.
http://www.petmos.com.my/images/stories/syntium/STES2007JPN/150707_big.jpg
MASATAKA YANAGIDA (Driver):
This was my first time racing in this class but I think we performed really well in the team’s first 24-Hours endurance race, although we had technical problems along with the difficult track conditions, we can learn a lot from this race for the next race. Any 24-Hours race is always going to be difficult with many challenges, especially here at the Tokachi speedway and it is very difficult to predict what the outcome of the race would be but I think we learned a lot from the experience to help us get better results in the future. The car is very good, and I am confident for the next race and for a win, as I know we can do it! It was a lot of fun racing with Hans and Johannes Stuck as well as my teammate Fariqe. The atmosphere was really good and we got along really well with each other which made the race really fun. I learned a lot from them and it was a fantastic experience!
FARIQE HAIRUMAN (Driver):
It was a tough race all the way through from the beginning on Sunday right through to the finish on Monday afternoon as we were always fighting for position. We were a little unlucky with the problems we faced, which I think would have otherwise put us comfortably in the top three. However, it is impossible to foresee what can happen in these long endurance races, especially 24-Hours races. I am really happy with this result, especially as this is my first 24-hours race and the fact that I was the last driver to take the car home to the chequered flag on the 24th hour was amazing. I want to thank David, my teammates Yanagida, Hans and Johannes Stuck for all that they have taught me! I also want to thank everyone on the team and everyone involved for a great job in preparing a beautiful car for the race.
http://www.petmos.com.my/images/stories/syntium/STES2007JPN/150707_big6.jpg
Johannes (left) and Hans Stuck (right)
HANS STUCK (Guest Driver):
I am very happy to have finished this race. I would like to thank the PETRONAS Syntium Team that we were a part of the team for this event. We did have problems during the race and were let down by the materials technically, which would need to be overcome for the future. But, overall the team has gained a lot of experience from this race, which will help the team prepare for the coming rounds.
JOHANNES STUCK (Guest Driver):
I am worn out and exhausted. I did two double stints in the night which was about four and half hours worth of driving in six hours, which was quite hard. But I am happy that we finished the race after all the problems and the team finished fourth in the class. This is the first time for me racing here in Tokachi, and I really like the track and was pleasantly surprised how much grip the car had in the wet. There was a lot of tough competition during the race with a lot of competitive and fast cars in the race, so it was difficult to overtake the “slower” cars as they were all quite fast. I had great fun and I hope I can come back.
The PETRONAS Syntium Team now head to the Fuji Circuit for the fourth round of the 2007 Super Taikyu Endurance Series next month on August 5th.
