Liqui Moly Team Engstler’s rapid fresh recruit Kantadhee Kusiri has continued in order to dominate the timesheets during his TCR Asia Series release at Sepang International Routine, the young Thai star ultimately wrapping up pole position both in legs of passing, to take the top recognize from new team-mate Gustav Moran.
The day had started with the final practice session around cooler conditions immediately after 11:00am where Staff Thailand’s Tin Sritrai and Moran travelled head-to-head for the top recognize before Kusiri put in a dazzling lap as the wall clock wound down to 0 %, his 2:15.516 the fastest of the few days, although still half a second shy of Sritrai’s 2017 qualifying best of A couple of:16.006.
From the opening clapboard of qualifying it was clear that zero records would slide in the 34 stage humid conditions – a circuit touching Second thererrrs 55 degrees as the cars rolled out, times inside the opening qualifier more than two seconds slower versus cooler morning period.
Local hero WS Lai proved value of infinite laps regarding Sepang to top a charts early, choosing his new 3rd r Engineering Honda Civic TCR to the top spot which includes a 2:19.953, nonetheless Kusiri hit back right away to better the mark to your 2:18.629.
Tin Sritrai begin to improve, but was initially clearly suffering a difficulty, the #9 Volkswagen a bit of time in the pits using the team investigating your gearshift issues that kept him from successfully down-changing under heavy braking.
In the tip Kusiri improved to a best of 2:18.629, although Lai’s Honda team-mate Abdul Kaathir – the leading Goblet driver – set an impressive 2:19.186 to take second, Kusiri’s team-mate third together with Audi Hong Kong’s Jasper Thong an impressive 4 ..
Sadly both Alex Liu (Empress Sports Group Seat Lon) and Douglas Khoo (Viper Niza Rushing Seat Lon) both would not make it into Q2, Khoo discouraged at being unable to capitalise on his extraordinary form from ultimate practice which spotted him classified last.
Kusiri wasn’t hanging around throughout Q2, the new Liqui Moly Team Engstler hire charging to a 2:17.359 on his / her first lap to place pole position from question, the British driver ultimately nine tenths of a second a lot quicker than WS Lai, with team-mate Senke Moran third. Kaathir made it a pair of Liqui Moly Volkswagen’s and two R Industrial Hondas on the front only two rows, with Sritrai dealing with around to a frustrated fifth.
Audi Hong Kong rookie Jasper Thong claimed sixth, frustrated by too little pace in the tests third sector, when Eric K was 7th in the leading Hold. Sadly for SK Tong, the particular Phoenix Racing Indonesia driver ended his or her second qualifier in the transform one gravel snare after running with too deep within brakes on his first hot lap.
Frustratingly though prior to the established release of the results, both equally R Engineering Hondas ended up being excluded from the program after a parc-ferme infringement, bringing up Moran to a front row start alongside his team-mate, with Sritrai now categorised third and Jasper Thong – the best Cup driver – lastly.
