MALAYSIA CHAMPIONSHIP SERIES ROUND 4 - MIXED FORTUNES FOR FITRA ERI IN ROUND 4

 

SEPANG, 14 NOVEMBER 2016 – It was a day of mixed fortunes for Indonesian driver Fitra Eri, who had the best and the worst race at Round 4 of the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) on Sunday. Nevertheless, the Sakura Tedco Racing driver managed to maintain his championship lead in the Touring Production class.
 
Starting from pole position in Race 1, Fitra was involved in an incident on Lap 2 and was forced to pit to repair the damage. Despite his gallant effort in returning to the race and chasing his rivals, the time loss and car damage was too severe and he could only finish in 13th position in the class, finishing pointless in Race 1.
 
The race was won by Lai Wee Sing, who benefited from Fitra’s misfortunate to temporarily take R-Engineering to the summit of the Touring Production Championship with a total haul of 53 points, surpassing Fitra’s collection of 52.5 points.
 
“Lai and I touched when I was about to overtake him on T11. Unluckily for us, we got a punctured tyre, and because of that, I had to limp back to the pit. I managed to get back to the track and drove as fast as possible to gain the best starting position for Race 2,” Fitra said.
 
Backed the brilliant work of Sakura Tedco Racing in repairing his Honda FD2, the Indonesian driver bounced back superbly to win Race 2 and reclaim top spot in the leadership after Lai’s partner Abdul Kaathir could only finish seventh in Race 2 to manage four additional points.
 
Collecting 15 vital championship points with his victory in Race 2, the Indonesian driver now has 67.5 points, holding a 10.5-point advantage over the partnership of Lai and Abdul Kaathir, who have 57 championship points.
 
Unlike his Sakura Tedco Racing teammate, Mark Darwin was untouchable in the Malaysia Touring Car (MTC) class in his Proton Prevé, with the 2015 Touring Production champion cruising to a double victory in Round 4.
 
With the two wins recorded today, Mark further cemented his position at the top of the championship with 78 points. Nick Mah, who took second place in both races today, replaces Kenny Lee in second place with a total haul of 55 points.
 
Kenny Lee of Kegani Racing failed to start both races today, dropping from second to fourth overall. Goh Lee Heng, who took third place in both races today, climbed to third with 42 points against Kenny’s total haul of 38.5 points.
 
Round 4 is the penultimate round of the 2016 Malaysia Championship Series. The final round – Round 3, an endurance race, will be held on 2 to 4 December.
 
Malaysia Championship Series – Round 4 
Top Three Finishers
 
Touring Production Class 
Race 1 (10 laps)
1. Lai Wee Sing/Abdul Kaathir (Honda FD2) 25:11.446s
2. Damian Dielenberg (Honda Integra DC5) 25:16.163s
3. Pee Sau Peng / Pee Sau Fan (Honda FD2) 25:17.466s
Race 2 (10 laps) 
1. Fitra Eri (Honda FD2) 25:08.922s
2. M.Fahrizal Hasan (Honda FD2) 25:14.884s
3. Pee Sau Peng / Pee Sau Fan (Honda FD2) 25:14.990
 
Malaysia Touring Production Championship
Race 1 (10 laps)
1. Mark Darwin (Proton Prevé) 27:42.232s
2. Nick Mah (Suzuki Swift) 27:42.888s
3. Goh Lee Heng (Satria Neo) 25:27.284s (9 laps)
 
Race 2 (10 laps)
1. Mark Darwin (Proton Prevé) 27:41.076s 
2. Nick Mah (Suzuki Swift) 25:18.744 (9 laps) 
3. Goh Lee Heng (Satria Neo) 25:32.592 (9 laps)
 
ENDS
 
For more information, please contact SIC National Press Officer Nor Lina Ayob at norlina.ayob@sepangcircuit.com