(Beijing, China - September 25, 2005) Twice this weekend Hanss Lin and Jim Kato finished one and two for rounds 11 and 12 of the Asian Formula Renault Challenge.Person’s Racing Team FRD + Winds drivers Takuya Nishitani and Yoshihisa Namekata both received 3rd places, Nishitani for Race 11 and Namekata for Race 12.
Qualifying took place Saturday afternoon.Hanss Lin from Champ Motorsports took another Pole Position while Jim Kato for the Shangsai FRD Team took 2nd.Nishitani and Namekata were close behind as well as Henry Lee Jr. also driving for the Shangsai FRD Team.Sixth fastest was Michael Ting from ART Motorsports.
During the race Saturday evening, it was Jim Kato that got the jump and took the lead from Turn 1.All the cars were very close but there were no accidents during the first lap.As Kato had the lead, Hanss Lin was close behind and just waiting to attack at the right moment.That moment came a few laps later when Kato got a bit loose coming out of a couple of corners, and put a rear wheel in the dirt.This led him to get in the grass after the chicane, and Lin passed Kato for the lead before the last corner.Kato got back on the track to hold on the 2nd place, but not Nishitani was close behind.
It stayed quite calm for a few more laps till Michael Ting in 5th place started making Namekata his next target.Ting got the pass right before the chicane, but Namekata repassed and the two went side by side in the chicane only to have Namekata get his place back.
Then again, the drivers seem to have gotten tired, and not much happen on the track till Henry Lee Jr. in 7th place started challenging Zhang Jin for ART Motorsports in 6th place.Henry Lee Jr. was looking to make the pass into the 1st hairpin, a place where very few drivers pass.The first time it did not work, Jin got back around, but the 2nd time it worked and Henry Lee Jr kept 6th place till the finish.
Last two laps of the race Ting started closing in on Namekata again.This time Namekata protected his line with more aggression, and Ting did not have enough time to get by.With all the lap traffic they started hitting, it worked more in to the favor of Namekata than Ting.
At the checkered flag it was Hanss Lin and Jim Kato one and two again.Nishitani and Namekata took 3rd and 4th, while Michael Ting took 5th and Henry Lee Jr. took 6th.
This being the starting order for Race 12, the top 4 cars started in the exact same places as the previous race.Hanss Lin took the lead this time, but Kato snuck down the inside of Turn 1 so the two were side by side.By the end of Lap 1, it was Kato back in front while Lin dropped back to 3rd place and Nishitani up to 2nd.Namekata and Henry Lee Jr. had small accident on the last corner.It sent Henry Lee Jr. into the gravel with a broken front suspension.Namekata continued and finally finished 3rd.
Hanss Lin started attacking Kato right away.It did not seem like a planned attack, but more like a constant attempt to get passed him where ever he could.Finally Hanss Lin dived down the inside of Kato to take the lead out of Turn 1.They were side by side on the exit, but Lin got the lead eventually.
Hanss Lin started to pull away and teammates Nishitani and Namekata started fighting each other letting Kato pull away also.In the end it was Namakata on top and Nishitani that finished 4th.
Around the rest of the track, the action was quite calm except for just a few drivers.Zhang Jin and Wayne Shen from the Shangsai FRD Team were fighting quite a bit near the end.Shen finally got around Jin after many attempts, but Shen then spun on the last corner giving the place back to Jin.At the end it was Hanss Lin again, as well as Jim Kato again 2nd on the podium.Namekata and Nishitani took 3rd and 4th, and Zhang Jin and Wayne Shen took 5th and 6th.
The next and final round of the Asian Formula Renault Challenge will take place at the Macau Grand Prix thanks to FRD Motorsports, the Asian Motorsports Pioneer.There will be over 34 Formula Renault cars on the streets of Macau on November 20.With so many cars on such a narrow street circuit, there will be plenty of action for everyone.Mark your calendars, as this is surely a race not to miss.
By Vinay Basavaraja
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