The two races at Chang International Circuit in Buriram that inaugurated the era of international car racing in Thailand were a success, and delivered results that leave the battle for the first TCR International Series title as open and excited as possible.
Macau will see a grand finale, with Stefano Comini and Pepe Oriola separated by only two points, and Jordi Gené still in contention a further 32 points adrift.
In Buriram, Oriola and Comini took a win apiece, in a weekend that saw the SEAT cars dominate their rivals, with the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil team posting a 1-2-3 in Race 1 (Oriola, Gené and Afanasyev), and Target Competition signing a 1-2 in Race 2 with Comini and Hezemans. The young Dutchman shone and brilliantly took his first TCR podium, after an epic duel with Oriola.
The two SEAT teams will fight in Macau for the Teams’ title as well, as Craft-Bamboo Lukoil has only 13 points of advantage on Target Competion.
It was a weekend to forget for the Honda, Volkswagen, Opel and Subaru cars, all victims of technical issues or race incidents; notably Gianni Morbidelli was inflicted a drive-through for jump-start in Race 1 and was stopped by an engine failure in Race 2, his hopes to stay in contention for the title washed away.
Two young Thai drivers drew attention in front of their home crowd, as Munkong Sathienthirakul (Craft-Bamboo) and Tin Sritrai (Asia Racing Team) shared victories in TCR Asia. And on the podium they proudly sported the King’s portrait.
The TCR International Series will resume on 19 to 22 November at Macau, for its maiden season’s final.
Race 1 – Craft-Bamboo Lukoil SEAT boys make it 1-2-3
It was a perfect race for the Craft-Bamboo Lukoil team in Race 1 at Buriram, as Pepe Oriola, Jordi Gené and Sergey Afanasyev took a resounding 1-2-3, the second of the season, after the one in Race 1 at Valencia.
It was a linear race, defined after poleman Gianni Morbidelli, who led during the opening laps, had to serve a drive-through penalty for a jump-start. The WestCoast Racing Honda driver managed to finish in the points (10th) despite the setback.
Oriola’s second win of the season comes at a key moment and allows him to retake the lead in the Drivers’ Championship by 8 points ahead of Stefano Comini, who finished 5th right behind the Honda of Kevin Gleason and ahead of teammate Loris Hezemans.
Lorenzo Veglia took 7th after winning the nicest battle of the race ahead of Tomas Engström and René Münnich, while local driver Munkong Sathienthirakul confirmed himself as the best of the Asian contingent, winning in the TCR Asia and crossing the finishing line in P11.
Key moments
Start – Morbidelli takes the best start, ahead of Oriola and Gené, while Grachev and Valente stall, prompting a contact that results in Holland spinning
Lap 1 – Morbidelli leads from Oriola, Gené, Afanasyev, Gleason, Comini, Hezemans, and Veglia, with Engström and Münnich fighting right behind.
Lap 2 – Sathienthirakul and Galiana overtake Menu for 11th; Grachev pits with transmission problems
Lap 4 – Sritrai and Menu swap positions while fighting for 13th
Lap 5 – Morbidelli serves the drive-through and rejoins in P16; Oriola takes the lead ahead of Gené and Afanasyev.
Lap 6 – Veglia and Engström have a close fight for 8th, with a light contact; Münnich and Sathienthirakul are very close behind; Holland pits for bodywork repairs
Lap 7 – Morbidelli moves up to 13th
Lap 9 – Engström is chased by Münnich.
Lap 11 – Galiana stops at the end of the pit lane with a flat tyre
Lap 12 – There is smoke coming out Menu’s car
Lap 13 – Valente pits with overheating problems, while Menu eventually stops along the track; Morbidelli climbs to 10th passing Sathienthirakul.
Lap 14 – The Craft-Bamboo Lukoil cars finish 1-2-3.
Race 2 – Comini and Hezemans on… Target
Target Competition drivers dominated a lively Race 2 in Buriram, with the Italian team signing a brilliant double win. Stefano Comini took a lights-to-flag victory, his fifth of the season, claiming back the leadership in the standings, by only two points.
Loris Hezemans finished second after a great performance, which saw the young Dutchman defending fiercely his first TCR podium from the attacks of Pepe Oriola and Jordi Gené.
The excellent performance of the SEAT cars was completed by the fifth position taken by Lorenzo Veglia, again after a close battle with Tomas Engström and Sergey Afanasyev.
Machines of other brands had a much bitter Race 2: the Honda cars of both Gianni Morbidelli and Kevin Gleason were put out of contention (the Italian was fighting for the podium); the pole-sitting Opel of Hugo Valente was pushed off the grid with the engine stalled after the warm up lap while Robb Holland’s Ford was excluded because the driver did not serve a drive-through for unsporting behaviour and later ignored the back flag.
There was a great battle among the TCR Asia drivers; eventually Tin Sritrai managed to win from his fellow countryman Munkong Sathienthirakul giving Thai fans a brilliant 1-2 finish. Sritrai’s teammate Kevin Pu finished third.
Key moments
Grid – The Subaru of Menu (differential) and the Volkswagen of Grachev (gearbox) don’t make the grid
Start – Valente’s Opel stalls at the end of the warm-up lap and is pushed into the pits; Comini takes the lead from Hezemans, Oriola, Gené, Afanasyev and Veglia.
Lap 1 – Morbidelli takes fourth from Afanasyev
Lap 2 – Comini, Hezemans and Oriola are very close, with Morbidelli and Gené not far behind.
Lap 3 – Gleason stops in the pits following a contact, with a broken wheel
Lap 4 – The first five are within two seconds, with some rubbing between Oriola and Morbidelli who manages to pass and takes third
Lap 5 – Münnich passes Sathienthirakul for 9th.
Lap 6 – Morbidelli gets closer to Hezemans; in the TCR Asia there is a great fight for 3rd between de Souza, Holland and Pu
Lap 8 – Oriola retakes third from Morbidelli with a great move on the straight.
Lap 9 – Veglia, Afanasyev and Engström have a close fight for 6th
Lap 10 – Morbidelli stops on the track with engine problems; Hezemans and Oriola fight for 2nd
Lap 11 – Sritrai overtakes Sathienthirakul to lead in TCR Asia
Lap 12 – Comini has pulled away a bit, as Hezemans and Oriola carry on fighting
Lap 13 – Oriola tries everything to pass Hezemans and they make contact a couple of times
Lap 14 – Hezemans resists, finishing second behind Comini and ahead of Oriola and Gené
Races 1 & 2 – What the drivers had to say
Pepe Oriola, winner of Race 1, 3rd in Race 2: “Not a bad weekend, although I would have liked to go to Macau as the leader in the standings. Race 1 was just perfect. I couldn’t follow the pace of Morbidelli, but the drive-through he got changed everything. To be fair, it was not difficult to jump the start, as the procedure was much longer than usual. After Gianni dropped it was just a matter of controlling things. Race 2 was ok too, to start in P9 and finish third is always a good result. I couldn’t pass Hezemans, despite being faster than him; we had a couple of contacts, but he defended extremely well. Now, the title will be decided in Macau, and knowing well the track will be an advantage for me, although I will carry maximum ballast.”
Stefano Comini, winner of Race 2: “It was a difficult weekend that ended better than it started. The car did not perform well in practice and qualifying, and we still don’t understand why. We changed everything we could change before the races: gearbox, intercooler, turbo… and things went better. In Race 2, I used the advantage of the front row. Still, I have to give a big thank to Loris (Hezemans), because he protected me very well. A two-point advantage before Macau is obviously very slim, but we will see. I have never raced there and this is a clear disadvantage. I’m training at the simulator, but it’s different when walls are real…”
Jordi Gené, 2nd in Race 1: “The SEAT cars were very good this weekend and I had a good pace. I’ve been doing good races and taking good points, but not shaving enough the gap in points, so I don’t think I have real chances for the title in Macau, unless Stefano and Pepe do very crazy things.”
Loris Hezemans, 2nd in Race 2: “I am super-happy with this second place, it’s a first TCR podium that I value as a victory. I really wanted to keep the second, so I tried to stay focused and get out everything I could in the fight with Oriola.”
Sergey Afanasyev, 3rd in Race 1: “It’s the best result for the team since Valencia, we can be very happy and proud. I was involved in fights in both races, especially in the second one when I was bumped from behind a couple of times. For the rest, I really want to praise Buriram for this great venue and the great welcome, it has been a real pleasure to be here.”
Sathienthirakul and Sritrai make Thai fans happy
The main grandstand of the Chang International Circuit was crowded of cheering fans during the TCR races. And local drivers gave them good reasons to cheer.
On their first appearance in the International Series, Munkong ‘Turbo’ Sathienthirakul (Craft-Bamboo Racing) and Tin Sritrai (Asia Racing Team) performed brilliantly and topped the TCR Asia competitors sharing the first and second positions in both races. They also managed to score points in the International Series, finishing 8th (Sritrai) and 9th (Sathienthirakul) in Race 2.
They celebrated the event proudly sporting the King’s portrait and national flags on the podium.
Munkong Sathienthirakul: “I felt more confident with the car day after day, it was nice to win in the TCR Asia in Race 1 and finish second in Race 2. I tried my best and it was really good to be driving with international drivers, it has been very competitive and exciting.”
Tin Sritrai: “It was the first time for me with a front-wheel driven, turbocharged car. I am very happy of this experience and the nice progression throughout the weekend. Of course, taking the win in Race 2 was a perfect end, although I benefitted from the engine problems encountered by Sathienthirakul.”
The circuit reported an attendance of 22,000 over the weekend.