Tin Sritrai wins dramatic first race at Bangsaen

Team Thailand’s Tin Sritrai took his second win of the season in the first race of the TCR Asia Series at the Bangsaen Grand Prix, with the race red flagged at the first start due to a multi-car pile-up.

At the first start, the two Phoenix Audis had completely different getaways, with Jasper Thong seemingly jumping the start from ninth on the grid, while third-placed Shaun Thong stalled.

It was the front row starters that caused the main drama however, with pole-sitter Engstler’s Kantadhee Kusiri driving straight across the track in his Volkswagen Golf to try and cover off Tin Sritrai’s Team Thailand Honda, with the two making contact. Kusiri spun across the track, and the Thai driver was collected by Abdul Kaathir’s R Engineering Honda, and bounced back and spun the SEAT of Kittipol Pramoj Na Ayudhya across the circuit, with almost half the field involved in the incident.

The race was immediately red flagged with repairs undertaken to the damaged field, with 11 of the 16 cars making the restart 15 minutes later. Kusiri’s Golf was absent from the front row with significant damage, and also under investigation for his part in the accident.

Sritrai therefore started from what was effectively pole position, albeit off the racing line from the second position spot, with the pole position spot left clear.

The #39 R Engineering Honda of championship leader Lai Wee Sing made a great start from behind Sritrai’s car on the grid at the restart, slipping through the gap left by Kusiri’s absence and took the lead, with Sritrai following with Shaun Thong running in third in the Phoenix Asia Audi RS 3 LMS on the first lap.

Sritrai made a move on the Malaysian on lap two and grabbed back the lead, muscling through at Turn 13, and quickly began to pull away, with Lai now defending against the chasing Audi of Thong and the lone remaining Engstler Volkswagen of Diego Moran.

On lap three, a mistake by Thong saw him run wide at Turn 18, and as he tried to continue on, he collected the Golf of Diego Moran who was already set to hit the barriers in what was more of a clumsy accident. Both cars were able to continue on, but now much further down the order, leaving Lai now in a safe second position.

Sritrai went on to win the race by over seven seconds ahead of Lai’s Honda, with Pasarit Promsombat finishing third in the RMI Racing SEAT.

Jasper Thong had a quiet run to fourth in his Audi RS 3, with Nattanid Leewattanavaragul fifth in the second of the RMI Racing Team’s SEATs.

Chariya Nuya was sixth in the Billionaire Boys Racing Honda Civic TCR, with Shaun Thong recovering to seventh in the Phoenix Audi, with Nattachak Hanjitkasem eighth in the TBN MK ihear Racing Team Honda.

The Elegant SEAT of Eric Kwong finished ninth, with Diego Moran, second in the standings going into the race, picking up a single point in tenth position.

Lai continues to lead the standings heading into tomorrow’s race, which starts at 13:05 ICT (local time).