Tin Sritrai makes it two-from-two in Thailand in second red flagged street race

Team Thailand Honda driver Tin Sritrai took his second win in two days at the Bangsaen Grand Prix, capitalising on an incident between early race leaders Jasper Thong’s Audi and Lai Wee Sing’s Honda, and assumed the lead of the championship.

Nattanid Leewattanavaragul started from pole position in her RMI Racing Team SEAT León courtesy of the reversed top ten grid, but dropped behind the Phoenix Asia Audi RS 3 of Jasper Thong at the first corner, with the Hong Kong driver making the most from second on the grid, with the R Engineering Honda Civic TCR of Lai Wee Sing making his way up to second from seventh on the grid.

At the end of the first lap, yesterday’s pole-sitter and the instigator of the first race’s starting crash Kantadhee Kusiri served a drive-through penalty for his part in that incident in his Engstler Volkswagen Golf, and dropped to the tail of the field.

Thong led the way chased by Lai’s Honda in hot pursuit, before the safety car was deployed on lap three after a three-car incident involving Chariya Nuya’s Billionaire Boys Honda Civic, Douglas Khoo’s Viper Niza Racing SEAT León and Eric Kwong’s Elegant SEAT. The race was suspended for five laps as the damaged cars were covered from the tight street circuit from the back straight.

The race restarted on lap nine, and Team Thailand’s Tin Sritrai was quickly on a charge in his Honda, passing the Engstler Volkswagen of Diego Moran at Turn 8, before passing Leewattanavaragul’s SEAT at Turn 13 to move into third, with Moran following him though up to fourth at the end of the lap.

A lap later, and the race leaders came to blows, with the Audi RS 3 of Jasper Thong hit in the rear by Lai’s Honda on the run down to Turn 18, with both cars ploughing into the barriers and into retirement, with Sritrai handed the lead.

The safety car was out again as Thong and Lai’s cars were recovered, but the race red was red flagged just two laps later, effectively called after just 11 laps.

Sritrai therefore won the race ahead of Moran, with Leewattanavaragul classified third and winning the TCR Thailand class.

Alex Liu finished fourth in the Elegant Racing Team SEAT, with Parasit Promsombat classified fifth in the RMI Racing Team SEAT León TCR.

Shaun Thong finished seventh in the Phoenix Asia-run Audi RS 3 LMS, with Kantadhee Kusiri picking up points with seventh in his Engstler Volkswagen, finishing ahead of the R Engineering Honda of Abdul Kaathir.

Nattachak Hanjitkasem was ninth and the last car runnning in his TBN MK ihear Racing Team Honda, with Jasper Thong classified tenth despite finishing the race in the barriers in his Audi RS 3 LMS.

Sritrai now leads the championship standings on 121 points, moving eight clear of Lai Wee Sing, with Diego Moran closing up in third, just five points behind Lai.

The next round of the TCR Asia Series takes place at the Shanghai International Circuit on 27th August.