‘Season 5’ of Thailand Super Series (TSS) is now well underway in the North East of Thailand with a long afternoon of qualifying action yesterday which now gives way to two days of intensive racing across today and tomorrow. Buriram has reverberated to the sound of race engines for two long days and possibly the thing that has stood out the most – apart from the relentless heat – has been how close the action has been, tenths and even just hundreds of seconds separate the front runners in virtually every category. It shows that the focus on balancing performance is really working well now and that all bodes for an exciting weekend ahead.
In the new top category on the programme, Super Car GTM Plus, just a couple of hundredths of a second separated the front row sitters and a storming laptime in the dying seconds of the qualifying session gave late ‘substitute’ driver Narasak Ittritpong pole position in Vattana Motorsport’ Lamborghini Gallardo and edged out the Lamborghini Huracán Super Trofeo of the reigning champion Saran Sereethoranakul. In Super Car GTM former champion Kantasak Kusiri laid down his marker for the new season but he has the two factory Toyotas snapping at his heels and fourth tenths cover that trio with a couple of new young hotshots right behind them.
In Super Car GTC debutant driver Dechathorn Phuakkarawut grabbed pole in the KTM X-Bow, but by just a tenth of a second, and that’s the story right down the categories with possibly the most interesting and romantic story being the pace of the factory supported Mazda2s in Super Compact where the experienced Mana Pornsiricherd is returning to TSS after a hiatus of a few years and he promptly planted the little Japanese hatchback on pole but by just three hundredths of a second from his teammate Michael Freeman.
Meanwhile, Thailand Touring Car, an evocative name in the history of Thai motorsport, also makes its debut on the TSS programme this weekend. And to the weather; it was blisteringly hot on Thursday – even by Buriram standards – yesterday however was a lot cooler but there has also been occasional rain and the circuit is starting this morning (Saturday) damp after light early showers. The weather as ever here is likely to play its part in proceedings.
Finally, in an official announcement the recently founded Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific office will join forces with TSS to introduce the new Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand. Featuring seven drivers piloting the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, an ideal model for both entry-level and professional competitions, the Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand will receive extensive technical and marketing support from the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific. The exciting new championship will make its debut on the TSS programme at the next round in Bangsaen at the end of June.
Qualifying: Super Car GTM Plus
This weekend sees the debut of Super car GTM “Plus”, a new category that slots over the top of GTM and allows for more freedom – that means more power, more dynamics and more excitement – and we’re very pleased that seven cars are on the entry list for its inaugural races, comprising of three Audis, three Lamborghinis and a Ferrari. That’s a potent mix and plenty of fireworks are expected when the lights go green.
Yesterday’s late afternoon qualifying session, kicking off at 1745 and running into the fading light, saw huge anticipation in the paddock as the big beasts thundered onto the track to slug it out for bragging rights and it was no surprise that the combination of the reigning champion Sarun Sereethoranakul and the fearsome Lamborghini Huracán LP620-2 Super Trofeo dealt the first blow of the new season as they went straight to the top of the timesheets and as the clock relentlessly ticked away they stayed firmly there.
But there was to be a sting in the tail. There had been a late change in the driver line-up at Vattana Motorsport as Chonsawat Asavahame withdrew from the event with an arm problem and Narasak Ittritpong was substituted in the #28 Lamborghini Gallardo FL2. That substitution was made so late in fact that Narasak was only able to part in the third and final session of Thursday’s long day of paid practice so he had very little time to get used to the car and set it up for qualifying.
That didn’t seem to matter too much though as during the dying seconds of the qualifying session he banged in a scintillating lap of 1:35.111 to go straight to P1. Sarun responded but he couldn’t quite match the time, his best time was a 1:35.132 which left him just a couple of a hundredths of a second shy of pole. It couldn’t set things up any better for this afternoon’s opening race, the front row of the grid, Lamborghini Gallardo vs Lamborghini Huracán with simply nothing between them.
Third fastest went to Voravud Bhirombhakdi who is having his first outing in Singha Motorsport Team Thailand’s newly acquired Ferrari 458 GT3; the 2014 Super Car GTM champion was only four tenths off the top two and should be on right their heels when the lights turn green.
The black and yellow Audis aren’t up to the GTM Plus pace yet and Daniel Bilski was the fastest of the trio – B-Quik Racing has expanded to run three R8s for this season – but his best lap of 1:37.142 puts him a strong fourth in the category while Henk J. Kiks and Shaun Varney are right behind in fifth and sixth place. Shaun was in fact just a couple of hundredths of a second ahead of the second Lamborghini Huracán of Saravut Sereethoranakul and both drivers are getting to grips with their new cars this weekend and working their way onto the pace.
Super Car GTM Plus: The engineer’s view
GTM Plus seems to be ticking all the boxes so there is no better person to ask an opinion of than Gianluca Soli, Race Engineer for Singha Motorsport Team Thailand, as he’s engineered the Ferrari 458 Challenges that have delivered GTM titles to Voravud Bhirombhakdi (2014) and Kantasak Kusiri (2015) while before that he looked after the Ferrari 458 GT3 of Pasin Lathouras who was vice champion in the former Super Car GT3 class in 2013.
With Voravud recently acquiring an MY2013 Ferrari 488 GT3 to enter the new GTM Plus class, Singha Motorsport Team Thailand is represented in the new category from the off – and the team leader has been at the pointy end of the timesheets so far this week. “We’re happy to have a new class, GTM Plus,” says the Italian. “It’s very good to find a home for the old GT3 cars which have raced before but are now sitting in garages so it’s good to use them. This is very nice for the championship, it’s one step forward and especially for the gentleman drivers it’s a step forward.”
Gianluca is also pleased with how his driver is adapting to the car and the pace he has shown straight from the off. “For Mr Voravud it’s a very good experience, he’s reacted well to his first time in the car,” he notes. “For sure I think we need to wait a couple of races to see all the drivers get their feelings in the cars and we see the real performance of this category but like always we hope for our best for the podiums and for the championship.
“Overall we are okay, still have a job to do, like I think everybody else has to do,” Gianluca adds. “It looks nice the grid with many more cars and with different performances everybody is trying to find the best way to drive the new cars.”
Qualifying: Super Car GTM
In Super Car GTM’s Pro-Am class the 2015 champion Kantasak Kusiri is already laying down his marker for the new season by grabbing pole position with a best lap in 1:37.306 set during yesterday’s late afternoon qualifying session. But it was oh so close, he is only a tenth ahead of the fastest of the factory Toyota 86s, the #39 of highly experienced former champion Nattavude Charoensukhawatana and he was in turn only three tenths up on his teammate Nattapong Horthongkum as the Japanese racecars seem to be enjoying a real resurgence here.
Fourth and fifth fastest in GTM Pro-Am were two young hotshots, Kantadhee Kusiri, the younger brother of Kantasak, who is making his Super Car debut here this weekend driving a Porsche 991 GT3 Cup and Tanart Sathienthirakul in a similar example of the latest generation racing German sportscar – and emphasising their pace and talent the pair were separated by just a hundred of a second. Kantadhee is on something of a career roll at the moment. He’s worked his way through the TSS ranks, winning in Super 1500, Super 2000 and TCR Thailand but last year he raced with distinction in EuroFormula, the single seater series for Formula 3 cars that runs across Europe, and is currently impressing in TCR Asia Series. Now he gets the chance to show his mettle in Super Car and he’s seizing it with hands.
Tanart also has raced in EuroFormula 3 and is now returning to racing in Thailand, he also driven the 991 GT3 Cup at Bangsaen in February for his debut in GTM and is much more used to the car now. Expect real fireworks from both these fast young drivers this weekend. It didn’t stop there as another hundredth further back was Pitsanu Sirimongkolkasem in another Porsche 991 GT3 Cup, he looked quick and after a difficult couple of seasons when things haven’t always gone his way he will be raring to demonstrate exactly what he’s capable of during 2017. Aekarat Discharoen (Porsche 991 GT3 Cup) and Craig Corliss (Holden Commodore) wrap up the GTM Pro-Am class.
The reigning Super Car GTM Am champion, Paul Kanjanapas, had to sit out practice and qualifying due to other commitments but he got plenty of testing kilometres in during Tuesday’s private test and chopped chunks of time off his personal best – so he’s in good shape for the weekend although he will start from the back of the grid. However, his Painkiller Racing teammate Naputt Assakul ably stood up for the team in Paul’s absence and produced a best lap of 1:41.725 to claim pole position in his Porsche 997 GT3 Cup, three tenths of a second ahead of GTM Am debutant Thanavud Bhirombhakdi who is driving a Ferrari 458 Challenge. The double winner of the GTM Am class at the Bangsaen Grand prix back in February, Thamrong Mahadumrongkul, was next fastest on the timesheets.
We’re also pleased to welcome Chairat Sangtong back into the Super Car paddock. The former Super 2000 ace appeared briefly in GTM with a Ferrari 458 Challenge a few years ago but now he’s back for a full season. The car is also being prepared by Innovation Motorsport, the team best known for running the factory-backed Mazda2 programme in Super Production and Super Compact in recent years as well enjoying a long winning spree in Super Pickup. Team, driver – and a long laid up car – were all bedding in and getting into the groove and the early signs look promising. Indeed, very promising as he posted a time good enough for P4 in the Amateur category.
Re-joining Super Car GTM is Supachai Weeraborwornpong in the Lamborghini Gallardo Super Trofeo he raced in the second Buriram round last year. Supachai has also been in Lamborghini Super Trofeo Asia action earlier this month at Sepang Circuit so he’s blown the closed season cobwebs away (albeit that was driving the newer Huracán Super Trofeo version) but he knows the Gallardo model very well having previously raced it in the series prior to upgrading to the newer car. He posted the fifth fastest time in GTM Am.
The final time in GTM Am was set by Chinnapol Jongprasert who is debuting in Super Car driving a Ferrari 458 Challenge; he was knocking on the door during the qualifying session to finish just three one hundredths of a second off Supachai in front.
Qualifying: Super Car GTC
The name and the number on the side of the cockpit might have changed but its place on the timesheets hasn’t. There is a new driver in the Vattana Motorsport KTM X-Bow GT4, Dechathorn Phuakkarawut, but the position on the grid is exactly the same, P1. The newcomer put in a best lap of 1:44.847 and that was a tenth of a second quicker than Manat Kulapalanont could wring out of the factory Toyota 86; these two will start from the front row of the grid and look very evenly matched.
Just half a tenth off them is Thomas Raldorf who is returning to Super Car (see separate story) while Tosaphol Phamyai in the Nissan GT-R moves to GTC after running in GTM last year and here the striking Japanese monster car should better thrive, it certainly looks like it as it will line up on the second row of the grid.
The third row this afternoon will comprise of Charvanin Bunditkitsada in the Porsche Cayman GT4; he took a win on his debut in GTC in Bangsaen back in February and should be on the pace again here. Charvanin was just 1 second off pole position meaning that the top five in GTC are very evenly matched which should provide for some exciting racing. Alongside the Porsche on the third row will be the fastest of the Mazda RX-7s, the #17 of James Runacres. The English driver is starting his second season in the bright yellow machine and this is his best performance yet, the fastest laptime a rotary car has posted here so far – he looks like he’s getting to grips with Mazda and the potential is ready to be unlocked.
The top ten in qualifying was rounded out by the Ginetta G55 of Hong Kong driver Rudolf Yu, he’s back in the Painkiller Racing machine for another season, the now mostly blue liveried Mazda RX-7 of U-tain Pongprapas who was pleased to shatter his personal best time in Buriram, the B-Quik Racing Porsche 996 GT3 Cup of Attapot Sriprom and the second factory Toyota 86 entry of Team Manager Suttipong Smittacharch. The final car to set a time was Sontaya Kunplome (Porsche 997 GT3 Cup) with the Mitsubishi Evo X of Prateep Tunprasert, which has had its all-grey livery brightened up with new flashes of yellow, failed to appear out of its garage for the qualifying session.
Super Car GTC: Back to sportscars for Thomas Raldorf
It seems to be a week that has seen many returning faces and not the least of those is Thomas Raldorf who is joining GTC for a fully season in a Porsche 997 GT3 Cup. The Dane used to be a Super Car regular during the 2011-2012 seasons and he includes a sensational win in the rain at Bira Circuit in a Subaru on his racing CV as well as the 2011 Super Car Teams’ title. In the last few seasons he’s made sporadic appearances in B-Quik’s roster of Porsches, but now he’s back with a serious programme so expect him to be at right the business end of the action.
Thomas only got to grips with the car for the first time during Thursday’s Paid Practice sessions so he will be in ‘learning mode’ all weekend although that shouldn’t stop him pushing hard and after a few runs in the car he’s feeling pretty happy with how the week is shaking out. “The car feels good, and is easier to drive with the setup we have now and although this is my first weekend in the car it’s looking competitive,” he said. “Having B-Quik look after the car and setup is a big help for me and my guys who are trying to learn from them.”
Thomas also had some input from Porsche Carrera Cup Asia front runner Will Bamber who jumped into one of B-Quik’s Porsches on Thursday to provide some back to back data. “Will stepped up and gave me a few driving tips also which straight away helped me too,” he says. “It’s a long weekend with two races so we will see how it goes but I feel very good about it so far.”
Qualifying: TCR Thailand
TCR Thailand starts its second season this weekend and there’s been quite a changing of the guard at the top. Chariya Nuya made a one off appearance in TCR Thailand last season at Bira Circuit in the Billionaire Boys Racing Honda Civic where he instantly impressed by winning the AM class and he proved that was no fluke yesterday afternoon with a best lap of 1:45.758 that was good enough for overall pole position.
Second place on the grid went to last season’s AM class vice-champion Nattachak Hanjitkasem who was nine tenths of a second back to make it an all front row for the AM class runners as well as for the Civic TCR.
Third quickest was Pasarit Phromsombat who is making his TCR Thailand debut this weekend in one of the RMI Racing Team’s two newly acquired SEAT Leóns, he bashed in a 1:47.254 to set the fastest time in Pro-Am. This season Pasarit is aiming for an unprecedented four titles in four different categories in TSS over four consecutive years, having won crowns in Super Production (2014), Super 2000 (2015) and Super Compact (2016). Now he’s taken on the TCR challenge.
Three more AM class drivers are next up, Rattanin Leenutaphong will complete the second row of the grid while Malaysian Douglas Khoo was fifth fastest during qualifying and he will have Nattanid Leewattanavalagul alongside as she becomes the first ever lady driver in TCR Thailand; all three are in the SEAT León.
Finally, there is a provisional late entry for Super 2000 champion Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya in the Singha Motorsport Team Thailand SEAT which Carlo Van Dam used to clinch the inaugural TCR Thailand title last season. He won’t sit in the car before Race 1 this afternoon so the touring car ace is going to have a lot of work to do to get up to speed – but if anyone can get into the groove it’s Kittipol, although probably expect more fireworks from him during tomorrow’s second race.
Qualifying: Super 2000/Thailand Touring Car
Pattarapol Vongprai is making waves in Super 2000 at the moment, the double winner at the Bira Circuit round last season emphasised his enduring pace with a 1:50.923 best lap during the combined half hour Super 2000 and Thailand Touring Car qualifying session yesterday, which no one could match, to set the black and grey Vattana Motorsport Honda Civic FD up on pole position for this afternoon’s Race 1 of the weekend. Just over three tenths adrift was Munkong Sathienthirakul in his aero-enhanced Civic FD, but that was good enough to claim the final berth on the front row and the fight between this very evenly matched pair should be intense when the lights turn green.
A big performance from the reigning Super 2000 champion, Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya gave him the third fastest time – but more significantly the first ever Thailand Touring Car pole as part of TSS, he leads out the new category that is focused on affordability and careful car performance balancing. Next to him will be Rudolf Yu in Painkiller Racing’s Civic FD; he’s also third amongst the Super 2000 runners but nabs Class B pole position.
Two established names, Ekprawat Petcharak and Chayut Yangpichit, will occupy the third row, the latter claiming second place in the Thailand Touring Car qualifying. Then comes Toyota’s Naoki Kawamura (see separate story) and debutant Kittitat Vongprai, are also third and fourth in Super 2000 Class B respectively. The top ten is wrapped up by Thamrong Mahadumrongkul, who was fastest in Thailand Touring Car Class B, and Wijak Lertprasertpakorn. Thirteen cars posted a time during the combined Super 2000/Thailand Touring Car qualifying session.
Super 2000: Prize winner looking to make his mark
There’s a new name to look out for in Super 2000 this weekend, Naoki Kawamura. The Japanese driver is the ‘latest star of the future’ to be promoted by Toyota Team Thailand to its factory operation thanks to his success the previous season in its popular ‘One Make’ series – and as Naoki says, that was the big attraction of joining up. “Because I win the Altis Cup last year I can join Toyota team Thailand as the prize,” he says. “That was my main reason to enter the Cup to get this drive.”
So he’s made the step up to Super 2000 where he joins Class B and it’s the first time Toyota have entrusted this sought after prize drive winner with one of its 86 entries, rather than the Altis. However, Naoki knows the 86 sportscar already have raced it previously so this weekend isn’t going to be too big of a stepping stone. “It’s my first time in Thailand to drive the Toyota 86 but in Japan I join the 86 Cup,” he explains.
He’s also been able to slot straight into Toyota Team Thailand and is confident of the support that surrounds him – that’s going to be invaluable as he chases results to take his career up to the next level. “The car is very good and it’s done in the proper way,” Naoki says. “I have a very good feeling to drive this car, the team is professional with professional mechanics and lots of information, they can explain a lot so it’s all going very smoothly.”
Super 2000 is always competitive and in Class B he going to be going head to head with experienced and quick drivers such as Pattarapol Vongprai and Rudolf Yu, he’s going to have to work hard if he wants to grab the top step of the podium – but Naoki’s confident he will be able to mix it up with the established front runners. So is he aiming for the title? “Absolutely, I want to win but this series isn’t that easy, all the racers level is very high,” he says. Still he’s raring to go and clearly is a driver to look out for this weekend – and all season.
So far so good as well, Naoki posted a best lap of 1:53.695 during yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session to claim the third fastest time in Super 2000 Class B.
Thailand Touring Car: Familiar name returns to the fold
Another driver returning to the racing cockpit this weekend is Poramin Meesamanyont, although he hasn’t been absent from TSS for too long. Back at the heart of touring car racing and back behind the wheel of a Honda Civic FD puts him straight into his comfort zone – certainly he’s happy to be out racing again. “I want to be part of a very good racing event, it’s also the thing I like the most,” he says.
This weekend though is all about bedding in a brand new racecar, getting the bugs ironed out – and getting himself up to speed. “I started building the car about three months before the race,” Poramin said after Friday’s Qualifying session. “Yesterday was the first time the car has driven on the racetrack, so it’s a new thing.”
His team certainly a few bugs to iron out during Thursday’s Paid Practice sessions, but they worked through the development programme and the new car looks to be in steady shape for the races. “The gear ration isn’t matching the track, it’s too long, and the exhaust system, the flex tube, something melted inside it and blocked the exhaust for no reason and we lost the power,” explains Poramin. “We spent half the day searching for that cause, but now we’ve found it so it’s good and we’re all good.”
During yesterday’s qualifying session he got down to business with a 1:59.651 that puts him third in Class B in Thailand Touring Car, a very respectable performance after so few laps in practice, but clearly there is a lot more to come from this driver/car package.
Qualifying: Super Pickup
Pole time went to Akasit Kriengkomol (Chevrolet Colorado) with a 2:02.818, but he was just a tenth of a second ahead of the Isuzu D-Max of Samrit U-songham, the pair also nailing down Class B and Class C pole positions respectively.
Row 2 will see the Mitsubishi Triton of Pheerawat Pajeeyachart (also second in Class B) lead out the new-generation Toyota Hilux Revo of Songsak Kornsirisuepsakun. Demonstrating the healthy diversity of Super Pickup that equates to four different brands occupying the top four places on the timesheets. Eleven trucks posted a time during yesterday’s qualifying session.
Qualifying: Super Compact
Expect to see a lot of the two factory supported Mazda2 racecars this season. After an unrewarding first year in Super Production during 2015 the cars swapped to Super Compact last season and that brought them to life, the red machines steadily working their way towards the front before they hit the top of the timesheets for the first time in Bangsaen.
Underlying the fact that Mazda plans a very serious challenge for the Drivers’ and Teams’ titles this year has been the recruitment of the proven Mana Pornsiricherd to drive alongside Michael Freeman. Mana is regarded as one of the most talented truck racers of his generation and in fact he’s a highly versatile driver having even competed in the legendary ‘Dakar Rally’ a few years ago.
The little turbodiesel cars looked blisteringly quick as soon as the hit the ground during yesterday afternoon’s qualifying session; they went straight to the top of the timesheets and stayed there until the chequered flag waved. In the end it proved a real slug fest as Mana and Michael hammered in the times to keep cancelling each other out – and when the dust settled there was just three hundreds of a second between them! Mana’s best time was a 1:59.647 compared to Michael’s 1:59.675. The car looks on the pace now, the drivers are win proven – all the ingredients seem to have finally fallen into place.
The driver that you always expect to be pushing for pole – Kajornsak Na Songkhla – didn’t have quite the answer albeit he was only four tenths of a second off the front row, although the #4 Ford Fiesta usually shows a faster race pace so expect last year’s championship runner up to be right in the mix. Completing the second row will be Silapa Teeraniti who also bagged Class C pole.
Look out too for Thanasit Bhunyatharanonth who has switched over from Super Production where he’s been an established front runner. He qualified in seventh place yesterday two places ahead of the RMI Racing Team’s Phongthep Wachirarungruang who has taken over the 2016 Super Compact overall title winning Honda CR-Z for his debut in the category this weekend; he’s running in Class C and is going to be one to look out for as he starts to unlock the machine’s capability. Twelve cars posted a time.
Qualifying: Super Production
It was close in Super Production with two tenth covering the front row and just eight tenths covering the top five. When the chequered flag was waved there were a couple of established front runners who had planted themselves on the front row as they seek to build up dominance going into a new season: always a fast qualifier, Anusorn Asiralertsiri (2:01.319) just had the edge over Sirisak Manthugumphol (2:01.988).
The second row was led out by another proven Super Production winner, Yotsarun Sansuk, but then the established order gave way as he will have young hotshot Kmik Karnasuta, who has swapped to a Honda Jazz this year, alongside. Underlying his skill, Kmik claimed Class C pole.
The top five was completed by another experienced Super Production driver, Pong Trakulthong, and he was 0.826 seconds off pole position meaning it’s all shaping up for the usual ding dong battle for glory in Super Production when the lights go green for Race 1 this morning. That’s helped by the fact that Hideharu Kuroki who throttled the life out of Super Production last year is absent from the entry list this time.
Sixth went to a newer name who will be looking to stamp his mark on the category, Nattapong Kaewkanjanasat, he will round out Row 3, while there are a few Super Eco ‘graduates’ – that emphasise the clearly defined ‘staircase of talent’ in TSS – to look out for, Sittiron Phromsombat, Paveen Dangsa-nga and Jakrapan Davee finished in eighth, ninth and twelfth position overall during the qualifying session which also equated to fourth, fifth and sixth in Class C respectively.
Qualifying: Super Eco
Pole in Super Eco, which kicked of yesterday’s long afternoon of qualifying sessions in Buriram, went to Chanakan Lertwichai in the Alpha Factory Racing Team by Pulzar Honda Brio with a best lap of 2:12.024, a shade over two tenths ahead of the RMI Racing Team’s latest debutant Thanaroj Thanasitnitiket who made it an all-Brio front row. The first Suzuki Swift led out Row 2 courtesy of Thanawit Aphiphunya, a second adrift of the pole time, while Danuwat Worakitichai will line up alongside. Also look out for lady racer Natyakarn Rungpedchararat who is making her Super Eco debut this weekend in a Toyota Yaris.
28/04/2017 PORSCHE MOTORSPORT PRESS RELEASE
The recently founded Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific office will join forces with the Thailand Super Series, one of Southeast Asia’s largest motorsport competitions, to write the latest chapter in Asian motorsport as they introduce the new Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand.
Featuring seven drivers piloting the Porsche Cayman GT4 Clubsport, an ideal model for both entry-level and professional competitions, the Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand will receive extensive technical and marketing support from the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific. The new trophy will be held alongside the Thailand Super Series’ 2017 season, which will see its opening rounds in Chang International Circuit, Thailand this weekend as 6 different classes of cars compete in 8 rounds lasting until October.
“We are grateful for the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific’s continued support and effort in helping further expand what is already Thailand’s biggest racing series. This Trophy will bring a whole new layer of action to the Thailand Super Series. It is another reason for drivers and fans to look forward to the exciting new season to come,” President of the Thailand Super Series Sontaya Kunplome said.
Kunplome is actively involved with Asia-Pacific motorsport as both the President of the Thailand Super Series and a regular competitor in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, the region’s top one-make series based out of Shanghai, China – home of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific.
The unveiling of the Porsche Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand comes exactly one week after the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific was announced during the Shanghai Auto Show last Friday.
With the aim of bolstering and developing motorsport culture in the Asia-Pacific, this is the second competition to be supported by the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific in the short time it has been operating. Technical and marketing support will also be provided for the inaugural Porsche GT3 Cup China, which will join the China GT3 Cup as it begins its 2017 season on May 12 -13.
“The Cayman GT4 Trophy Thailand is another great addition to the flourishing motorsport scene we see happening across Asia at the moment, we’re proud to be playing a strong role in what looks like a very promising addition to the Thai Super Series. This is just one of the plans in store for the Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific – it’s going to be a big year for motorsport in Asia,” Head of Porsche Motorsport Asia Pacific Alexandre Gibot said.
