Kiwi driver Faine Kahia already had two podiums and fastest laps under his belt when he managed an outstanding win in race 5, despite typhoon rain at Round 2 of the FIA Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship (F4SEA) Philippines, 15-16 October 2016.
Saturday’s racing saw a mixture of both wet and dry conditions in which Kahia took out 2nd place in race 1, but by Sunday morning typhoon rains had well and truly settled in at Clark International Speedway. Undeterred however, Kahia managed to pick up another podium for 3rd place in race 4.
But the accolades for the day’s fifth race belonged to Kahia who outwitted the competition with a superb start from grid 2, getting into the lead and pushing hard to maintain the lead through to the end. “I am super stoked to finally get the win I have been working so hard towards!” said Kahia, who was also presented with a Star Driver Award for 2nd place overall at this round. “It was extremely tough out there and at times just keeping the car on track was a struggle.” With the weather deteriorating Kahia played it safe, making sure to bring the car home in one piece.
Due to the torrential rain worsening, circuit officials decided not to proceed with the sixth and final race but it will be incorporated into the next round to be held at Sentul Indonesia, 11-13 November.
The Clark circuit was a brand new challenge for the F4SEA drivers, particularly for Kahia who had the least amount of testing there. “I made a few mistakes here and there while trying to get to grips with the track, but once I found my middle ground I felt much more comfortable and began to increase my pace to the point of getting the fastest lap times in a couple of races”, said Kahia. “Also the Renault-powered F4 car performed beautifully all weekend with no technical issues, so I was able to just concentrate purely on my driving. The Meritus team of mechanics, data technicians and coaches were a great help and this is where the one-make, one-team concept is highly valuable to F4SEA drivers. We are able to learn a lot in a very short amount of time.”
With the New Zealand driver’s phenomenal tally of eight podium finishes from the eleven races contested so far in Rounds 1 and 2, Kahia now moves to the top of the F4SEA Championship Leaderboard.
