TEAM PETRONAS SYNTIUM GRABS DOUBLE MME 2009 JOY

2009-08-13 17:49:04 Author: admin Source:

The recent tenth edition of the 12 hour Merdeka Endurance Race (MME) at the Sepang International Circuit featured yet another classic spectacle and the country's best talents in real motor racing action. The race started with 46 cars, 15 in class O, 10 in class A1 and 19 in class A2. 17 cars did not finish the race with the last classified entry completing only 140 laps in the 12 hour race.

Victory went to the trio of Tatsuya Kataoka, Manabu Orido and Johan Adzmi from Team Petronas Syntium in a BMW Z4 with a best lap time of 2:13.560 and 306 laps completed. Nobuteru Taniguchi, Masataka Yanagida and Fariqe Hairuman in the second Petronas Syntium Team and Mok Weng Sun, Darryl Hayden O'Young and Craig George Baird were classified second and third overall respectively.

“It was a real honor to be able to race with the two experienced Super GT drivers (Tatsuya and Manabu) as they thought me a lotthrough the race,” said J. Adzmi.

He added, “Our strategy was to take it easy on the car and complete the race and that’s what we did and it pulled through for us.”

Second place N. Taniguchi, M. Yanagida and F. Hairuman in car No.15 were on course for the overall Championship but a puncture with less than 20 minutes left in the race denied the trio that dream.

At the conclusion of the event, only 22 Teams finished a required 75% of the race or 230 laps. Some of the major Malaysian motor racing figures; TJ Chin, Firhat Mokhzani, MME '07 Champion and SIC Chairman Datuk MokhzaniMahathir, Jeffrey Wong, and several others failed to make the cut into the final MME 2009 classification. 

The event was filled with plenty of thrills and spills as promised by the organizers which began at the very start of the race when defending Champion Team Porsche Club Singapore stalled at the start and failed to go for the formation lap, defaulting its pole position and degraded to start the race from the pit lane at the very back of the grid.

But, the fighting boys from Singapore was not about to let up and fought their way back to the leading pack to as high as second position during the early stint of the race. However, several laps into their comfortable second place with 45 minutes of racing completed, disaster struck and WS. Mok was forced to pit for quick repairs works.

Good coordination and efficient pitworks allowed Team Porsche Singapore to rejoin the race and resume their chase where they would eventually secure a podium place in third overall.

One hour into the race, '07 Champs Team Kencana Racing's Porsche 911 GT3 driven by Sven Herberger, Tunku Hammam Sulong and Mokhzani Mahathir was in the overall lead with 29 laps completed ahead of the chasing Team from LKM Racing featuring TL. Siu/YL. Siu /K. Sawa.

At the second hour and 53 laps completed mark, the lead car was Team Petronas Syntium (No. 28) driven by T. Kataoka, M. Orido, J. Adzmi who never relinquished their lead from then on. In second and third respectively were; the second Z4 of N. Taniguchi, M.Yanagida, and F. Hairuman (No.15) and Mokhzani led Team Kencana Racing.

Into the middle stint of the race, Team Kencana Racing had already dropped out after completing only 68 laps due to a terminal car problem while Team Porsche Club Singapore showed their prowess on the tracks as they climbed the ranks lap on lap. Eventually, the trio of MW Sun, D. O'Young and CG. Baird would take third overall.

Elsewhere, at the height of the night, the grandstands were virtually empty and silent as if we were on a desert. On the track, the race assumed without much of the earlier dramas and pitlane activities. Of course, all Teams had their mandatory pitstops for fuel, new tyres and driver changes.

In the closing moments, Team Petronas Syntium crossed the line for 1-2 while Team Porsche Singapore snatched the final spot on the podium of the 2009 MME overall classification. 

In class A1, Team Fugazi Racing driven by Alex Yoong, Wira Dani and Faizal Zelman took victory after completing 284 in their Radical race car. In class A2,  Team Type R racing headed by Wong Yew Choong, Soh Kee Koon and Lai Wee Sing was declared the victor with 279 laps accumulated.

On to next year's MME...

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