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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The Grid.co.uk the national & club motor racing website - est1998 |
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The series can be followed at www.astonmartin-asiacup.com |
mail your news to editorthegrid@yahoo.co.uk
ASTON MARTIN ASIA CUP HOME GLORY FOR CHONG AS WILLIAMSON SEALS THE CHAMPIONSHIP Round 9 of the Aston Martin Asia Cup Saw Ringo Chong Take Victory In The F1 Singapore GP Support Event Whilst Mark Williamson Sealed The Championship
After qualifying the two Championship title contenders, Dilantha Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing) and Mark Williamson (Concord Motorsports) were level on points so everything was to play. However, it was to be local racer Ringo Chong, rejoining the series for his home event, who would lead the pack from pole position after a stunning qualifying lap saw him pip Malagamuwa into 2nd on the grid and Williamson into 3rd. In
warm and humid conditions, and with expectations high, the lights went
to green with Chong making a strong start. As he led into the first
corner, the Championship battle between Malagamuwa and Williamson(pictured
below) got off to an electrifying start with Williamson just able to
outdrag Malagamuwa to snatch 2nd place. For five laps the duo were nose
to tail as Malagamuwa tried everything to get ahead of Williamson’s
Concord Motorsports N24. On lap five, disaster struck for Malagamuwa
when he went into a spin on Turn 14 after clipping the kerb. Falling
back down the field, the Sri Lankan driver saw his title hopes slip away
but he ably fought back for an 8th place finish. Though the Championship title was grabbing attention, there was plenty of battles throughout the field to keep the crowd entertained. A tremendous scrap between Greg Teo (Singapore), George Ong (Singapore) and Eric Cheung (Canada) raged for the entire ten lap race. With Chong keeping command of the lead, the expectations of a home winner at this prestigious F1 support event was palpable, but there was further home grown excitement with the prospect of another Singaporean driver making the podium. Local driver Mok Weng Sun was in a fierce fight with Malaysia’s Tunku Hammam for the 3rd spot. It was on the last lap that Mok took advantage of Hammam running wide to dive into 3rd place which he just clung onto as the duo crossed the finishing line side-by-side. The podium was one of pure elation. In taking the win, Chong described the moment as “making a childhood dream come true”. Chong’s understandable emotion for such a result at his home event was echoed by his countryman Mok Weng Sun who revelled in his 3rd place finish. Australia’s Mark Williamson was more than happy with his 2nd place which saw him take the 2009 Aston Martin Asia Cup Championship driver. His victory was loudly cheered by his Concord Motorsport team-mates Nasrat Muzayyin, Simon Waters and Ryan Marsden, who all enjoyed good finished at Marina Bay, with the added bonus the Singaporean based team were awarded the ‘Best Supporter Of Year’ trophy. Whilst Malagamuwa could have been rueful over what may have been, he warmly accepted his position as 2009 Vice-Champion, a position he also took in 2008, and was gracious in defeat. Mark Williamson and Concord Motorsports proved themselves worthy Championship winners. A spectacular location lent itself to a fittingly spectacular end of season race.
ASTON MARTIN ASIA CUP: HIGHLY CHARGED RACES SEE A CHANGE OF LEADER Rounds 7 and 8 of the Aston Martin Asia Cup Provided Thrilling Racing in Support of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race, Malaysia.
Racing on the full GP circuit in hot conditions, the battle was set up in qualifying when Concord Motorsport’s Mark Williamson(leading right) (Australia) took pole just ahead of Championship leader Dilantha Malagamuwa (Sri Lanka, Dilango Racing). With Mark coming to Malaysia just behind Dilantha in the points, the gauntlet was thrown! Making a welcome return to the field, Singapore’s Mok Weng Sun took an impressive 3rd on the grid. Both the weekend’s AMAC races were held on Saturday (8 August) and in an exciting twist to proceedings the second race of the day would be a night race; a first for the Aston Martin Asia Cup.
In
Race One, Mark used his pole position to good effect and was pursued
into the first corner by Dilantha, Mok and French newcomer to the
series,
As the battle between Mark and Dilantha raged at the head of the field, it was equally as fierce further into the pack with Mok and Malaysia’s Tunku Hammam fighting for the third place spot on the podium. Elsewhere there was the age old battle of England versus with Scotland with Ryan Marsden and Stewart Seatter having a close tussle throughout. As the end approached, Dilantha made a move for the lead at turn 14, his and Mark’s car making contact and it looked as if both may be eliminated but both managed to keep going. And whilst Dilantha held on until the chequered flag, a 10 second penalty imposed by the stewards for the move at turn 14 saw him relegated to 2nd behind Mark, with Tunku grabbing 3rd position. The night race looked set to light up the sky! At the start of Race Two Dilantha got the jump to take the lead from Mark who fought hard to win back the spot, eventually doing so with a brave move into turn 5 which saw the cars kiss once more. The train behind featured a nose to tail battle between Mok, Tunku and Alain, who were being kept in check by Ryan and Stewart. History was about to repeat itself out front with Dilantha making a move into turn 14 but this time the contact made was to see Mark’s rear suspension damaged and he fell back in proceedings, eventually nursing the car home to 5th place. Whilst Dilantha took the chequered flag, Mark’s protest to the stewards was upheld and Dilantha was disqualified from the results. This moved Tunku into 1st place, in his home race, with Mok and Alain in 2nd and 3rd respectively. Dilantha has lodged an appeal and the adjudication will be made shortly. However, as the results stand at the moment Mark takes the Championship lead by just 1 point from Dilantha as the series heads to one of its most exciting dates of the season – round 9, in support of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix on 25-27th September.
ASTON MARTIN ASIA CUP: MALAGAMUWA TIGHTENS HIS GRIP AT THE TOP OF THE TABLE Sri Lanka’s Dilantha Malagamuwa Takes Another Double Victory in Sepang in the Fifth and Sixth Rounds of the Aston Martin Asia Cup.
Qualifying took place in searing heat with the track temperature reaching 60°C! Sri Lanka’s Dilantha Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing) took pole position by just 0.191s from Australia’s Mark Williamson. Third on the grid was Williamson’s Concord Motorsports Pte Ltd team-mate and fellow Australian, Simon Waters. Sadly, local driver Tunku Hammam was plagued by with intermittent gear selection problems and would start from the back of the grid. The first race of the weekend took place on Saturday and despite a heavy downpour in the morning, which washed the track clean, the hot sun dried the track completely by the time the AMAC grid formed. Malagamuwa made good use of his pole position to stay ahead of Williamson into turn one and the two fought hard over the 10 lap distance with Malagamuwa just managing to hold on for the win with an ecstatic Simon Waters coming in third for his first ever podium finish and completing a 2-3 finish for the Concord Motorsports Pte Ltd team. Behind the top three there was a train of cars fighting for position with Greg Teo and TJ Chin putting in strong drives for fourth and fifth. Lee K Kwan was going well until he was forced to pit with brake problems. Tunku Hammam had made a superb start and was up to fifth in the first lap but after contact with TJ Chin was forced to retire on lap 4 and so would again start race 2 from the back of the grid. Sunday morning and before race two all eyes were on the skies . A heavy thunderstorm flooded the track in the morning but just as the track had dried out and the cars were assembled in the paddock the rain came back causing a rush for the hard working mechanics to change the cars to wet tyres. Once again Malagamuwa got the drop on Williamson to lead into turn one. Somehow everyone got through safely despite the lack of visibility and set off in pursuit of the leader. Tunku Hammam had again produced a superb start and would eventually finish a fine third to the delight of the home crowd after Waters spun exiting turn ten. There were several spins and offs in the treacherous conditions as the track dried and the wet tyres overheated but thankfully no major incidents. Once again it was an entertaining race for participants and spectators alike.
Round 5 Results 10 Laps
Fastest Lap: Dilantha Malagamuwa, 2.22.355 Round 6 Results 10 laps
Fastest Lap: Mark Williamson, 2.35.905
DOUBLE TOP FOR DILANTHA MALAGAMUWA IN SEPANG Sri Lanka’s Dilantha Malagamuwa Takes a Double Victory in Rounds 3 and 4 of the Aston Martin Asia Cup.
With track temperatures of 50°C, qualifying was a true test of both man, machine and Michelin tyres around the sweeping Sepang circuit. Sri Lanka’s Dilantha Malagamuwa (Dilango Racing) was to take the honours of pole position less than eighth-tenths of a second from Mark Williamson of Australia in one of the three ConcordEnergy Racing cars competing. This set up an exciting front row, given Malagamuwa and Williamson came to the event with one win apiece after the opening rounds. They would have stiff opposition with ThunderAsia Racing’s Mel Choo just a fraction behind them on the grid in third position with Malaysia’s own Tunku Hammam in fourth. Indeed the 14-strong grid was covered by just a few seconds demonstrating how the AMAC series is becoming ever more competitive. AMAC Round 3 Review
A fierce battle in the group just shy of the podium places saw Jean-Marc Merlin (France), Peter Boylan (Australia), Stewart Seatter (Scotland), Azman Yahya (Malaysia) and JP Chin (Malaysia) running nose to tail. Held over the full GP circuit, the longer than normal 15 lap race in gruelling conditions was a superb challenge for the drivers all of whom rose to the contest. As the chequered flag fell it was strong victory for Malagamuwa, a joyous second place in his home race for Hammam and third for Choo. Aston Martin Asia Cup, Round 3, Sepang Result 1 6 Dilantha Malagamuwa, Dilango Racing Sri Lanka 35.51.660 2 51 Tunku Hammam Malaysia 35.55.801 3 69 Mel Choo, ThunderAsia Racing Singapore 35.59.920 4 64 Jean-Marc Merlin France 36.17.229 5 36 K L Lim Singapore 36.31.945 6 11 Stewart Seatter Scotland 36.41.806
Once again Malagamuwa made the most of his pole position and headed out into the lead at the start of the weekend’s second but Choo, Hammam and Merlin stayed in close contention as the podium battle got on the way. Starting from the back of the grid, Williamson was scything through the field, even contact and a quick spin was not enough to stop his charge! With Malagamuwa pulling out a clear lead, the fight behind him remained tight with Hammam eventually falling back with technical problems. Throughout the field it was very close racing with the odd scrape and it was never short of entertainment! At the end of another 15 strenuous laps it was another victory for Malagamuwa with Choo once more on the podium, this time a step up in second. They were joined by an elated Merlin in third. Williamson’s impressive fight back saw him take fourth whilst his ConcordEnergy Racing team-mate and fellow Australian Simon Waters took sixth. Aston Martin Asia Cup, Round 4, Sepang Result 1 Dilantha Malagamuwa, Dilango Racing Sri Lanka 35.38.694 2 Mel Choo, ThunderAsia Racing Singapore 35.54.401 3 Jean-Marc Merlin France 35.55.920 4 Mark Williamson, ConcordEnergy Racing Australia 36.11.247 5 Stewart Seatter Scotland 36.19.812 6 Simon Waters, ConcordEnergy Racing Australia 36.41.312
An excellent result Championship contender Dilantha Malagamuwa but not so for his rival Mark Williamson, however, he will soon have a chance to make amends with the fifth and sixth rounds of the Aston Martin Asia Cup once again visiting Sepang on 19th-21st June in support of the Super GT International Series.
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The
9th and final round of the 2009 Aston Martin Championship took place at
Marina Bay in support of the Formula One Singapore Grand Prix on Sunday
27 September 2009. The setting could not have provided a better end of
season crescendo as the title battle went down to the wire. 
The
7
Alain
Li. Sadly for Alain a clash with Hong Kong’s Eric Cheung(pictured
left) saw him retire from the race just one lap in.
The
Aston Martin Asia Cup (AMAC) returned to the glorious Sepang circuit,
Malaysia for rounds five and six. In support of the Japan Super GT
Series, AMAC put on an exciting display in challenging weather
conditions.
Aston
Martin Asia Cup, Sepang, 19-21 June 2009 Results
Scorching
hot weather greeted the drivers of the Aston Martin Asia Cup when they
arrived in Malaysia for the third and fourth rounds of the 2009 series.
Race
One saw Malagamuwa make a clean start, making the most of his pole
position and managing to stay just ahead of a charging Williamson who
slotted into second place before gearshift problems would see him fall
down the pack. As anticipated Singapore’s Choo and Malaysia’s Hammam had
a tough battle as they fought for second and third.
AMAC