TURBO TIMES: ASIAN FORMULA REVISITED
Credit to Author: MIKE POTENCIANO| Date: Sat, 27 Apr 2019 16:19:42 +0000
(Final part)
From hero to zero! If you read the first two installments of this series, you would know that was how I felt after the disastrous Sepang, Malaysia, leg of the 2002 Asian Formula 2000 (AF2000) Championship. Here is the penultimate story on that very memorable and tragic experience that I will never forget.
Hala Bira
Going to Bira, Thailand, for the seventh and eighth rounds of the AF2000, I knew that was going to be our make it or break it rounds. I was so frustrated after the previous Malaysian leg that gave us pole position but we lost all chances of winning with a dying engine.
We then ordered a newly refurbished AF2000 spec, Ford Zetec 2.0-liter engine to give us a fighting chance. We also got lighter body panels and changed many suspension parts that needed replacement. My team also promised to rebuild my formula car to the best of their abilities, which was very important for me to know.
The Bira track is very short and is less than three kilometers long. It is tight, twisty and has good elevation changes. The track’s designers were able to put in a very fast sweeping, flat right-hander going downhill after a hairpin, which would show who had the skills and big balls!
So, it would be very hard to overtake and qualifying would be very important. However, the organizers said that my engine wasn’t broken in yet and I had to do it during practice. Since we didn’t have time to complete the car earlier, I said to myself there goes my chance to win. I needed all the time I can get to master the track in race pace. But that wouldn’t happen. In hindsight though, it proved to be quite a blessing.
Magnificent poles
While everyone was trying to explore the limits of the track, I slowly ran around the track, breaking in my engine. This made me learn the track in a slow and controlled pace that gave me more confidence. Even though I was a bother to a lot of drivers, I was exploring lines that I wouldn’t dare do in race pace.
Come qualifying day, no one was paying attention to my car as we were so slow in the practice time sheets. When we made our first qualifying lap on new slicks, everyone’s jaws dropped, as we took pole position in Thailand! That really floored everyone, including myself, as I never knew we had the right set up from our slow practice sessions.
To confirm that it wasn’t just a flash in the pan, we got another pole in the afternoon qualifying session. We became the darling of the press again like when we took pole in Sepang, Malaysia.
Since my team also handled Singapore’s Denis Lian, and Japan’s Keiko Ihara and Tohru Jitsukawa, under one manager, Richard Smith, my teammates were all shaking their heads in disbelief! Some even asked me how I did it. The pressure was now on them to find ways to catch us, and that was a really good booster for all the hard work we had put in before qualifying.
My first win
I was brimming with confidence on Sunday as my car was the best out there. The weather was great and the sun was out for the first morning race. But there would be nothing that would stop my opponents from catching me. They just didn’t know that I really wanted the race and wasn’t going to give it up easily.
When the green flag dropped, I was able to make a good start and went ahead of Indonesia’s Meckel Ali. We battled all the way for eight laps then he made a mistake in the chicane and spun out. He was really trying very hard as he was glued to my tail all the time before that incident. He lost another place to Lian in the end and no one was close to me when I crossed the finish line.
A sense of enormous joy and achievement came over me and I behaved like a teen again on the podium! I imitated my racing idol, Michael Schumacher, by jumping on the awarding podium with the trophy. I sprayed and got sprayed with champagne by second-placer Lian and third-placer Malaysian Zarith Alfian, who were all happy to see my reaction. Our Filipino mechanics and team manager Smith soon joined in the celebrations. That was definitely the best time ever in my racing life!
Second best
Having such a big celebration in the pits, I noticed that a downpour came to bless us during lunch. This made the track wet for the second race and my pole position was actually not the best place to be in. The racing line was on the other side of the track and it would be better to start there as it would have more grip. I was praying the track would dry up before the second race.
When we came to the starting line, the track was still slightly wet and the other side was dry. My tires started sliding at the start and Ali was able to overtake on the hairpin to take first place. We battled all the way but I couldn’t find a way through the tight track and we finished second behind him. I was very happy with my first- and second-place finishes that day, and I was still above the moon after finally getting my first win.
In the end, all my doubts of becoming a formula champion were thrown out the window. I was confident that I could fight for the championship! We had climbed to second place overall behind Indonesia’s Ali, who was 19 points ahead of me and Singaporean teammate Lian in third overall, only three points behind. We were the only three drivers that could win the AF2000 title and it was important that I had the momentum going into the final four races.
Hala Bira part 2
For rounds nine and 10, the Asian Festival of Speed returned to Bira again. I was very happy after our great outing but I missed the first two practice sessions from problems in our bus company, the BLTBCo. I had hoped that our racecar was the same as I remember how we won in my mind.
Unfortunately, my new engine was suddenly overheating in practice, even though it had gone through only two races in the last leg. We couldn’t do more laps in the final practice and the mechanics frantically checked what was causing the high engine temperature. We couldn’t find the problem and we qualified a low sixth place. I was feeling the pressure building up before the race.
In the first race of the day, I had to back off the throttle when the temperature went up. The car then suffered another problem as the rear was getting loose on the track. Later on, we saw the rear sway bar broke after cutting the berms on the tight rack. I was able to climb one position to fifth after a clash with two cars that threw one into the gravel.
Luckily, Japan’s lady driver Keiko Ihara came back to the series and drove flat out to take first place. This pushed everyone down, including Lian who ended up in second and Ali finishing only in fourth place. Ali had handling problems after a big accident three days before the race. I knew we were both feeling the pressure!
Lucky second win
The threat of rain for the afternoon race would be a big help for my engine problem. Richard Smith, my chief mechanic, changed the sway bar and adjusted the suspension settings to give the car more stability.
Starting in sixth again, I felt the car much better than before. The race was comfortably led again by Ihara up to the middle part when suddenly her throttle cable broke. Ali inherited the lead and then almost immediately, broke his drive shaft and had to park it. That left Lian in front and I was catching him fast.
With three laps to go, I dove under Lian in the hairpin and we almost touched when he tried to defend his lead. Fortunately, Lian opened up and I took the lead till the end. No one ever thought we could win after our lackluster first race and I was the happiest driver again on the podium for this very lucky win! Thailand was truly a lucky place for me and my unbelievable second win just proved it.
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