With the wait finally over, the brand new Formula 4 South East Asia (F4SEA) Championship – certified by FIA, got underway at the Sepang International Circuit with qualifying and six races taking place on over the weekend. Kiwi driver Faine Kahia was on the podium five times at the round and is placed third overall on the points table.
Race 1
With Jordan lined up on the front row for the late afternoon race, the start however, belonged to Singaporean youngster Danial Frost whose lightening start saw him outgun the Aussie ace into the first sequence of corners. Having taken the lead from Jordan, the stage was set for an epic duel between the pair. Taking full advantage of his speed in the first sector, the Singaporean rookie was able to keep Love in his rear mirror for several laps. However, a small but costly mistake on Lap 6 saw Danial leave too much room for Love, allowing the Aussie to mount a challenge for the race lead. A thrilling duel in the final sequence of turns on Lap 6 by the pair saw Love capitalise on his momentum to reclaim the race lead from Danial with three laps to go in the race. The young Australian was better able to take advantage of his pace enabling him to pull out a gap at the front through to the chequered flag for his first race win of the season.
Meanwhile, behind to dueling duo at the front, there was another battle royale between Kiwi Faine Kahia and Presley Martono (INA, Car #32) in the first half of the race. However, an error by Martono on the final corner on Lap 6 allowed Faine Kahia to pull away, who eventually finished in a comfortable third place. Finishing just outside of the podium in P4 after recovering from a poor start was Malaysian Nazim Azman. In fifth place and claiming the Rookie champion was India’s Muhammad Nalwalla (IND, Car #46).
Race 2
Having secured a hard-fought win in Race 1 on Friday, Race 2 on Saturday morning saw a determined Jordan Love out ensure a better start off the line to stay ahead of the field, and more importantly, keeping Danial Frost (SIN, Car #66) behind him. The strategy paid off for the Aussie ace with a clean start ahead of Danial, Presley Martono (INA, Car #32) and Faine Kahia (NZL, Car #55). Through his incredible pace in the second and third sectors, Love was already able to pull out a healthy gap to Danial midway through the opening lap, extending the lead to over a second by the following lap. Though Danial was able to record similar lap times to Love, the Australian’s quick succession of laps in the early part of the race was enough to ensure a comfortable gap to the Singaporean youngster through to the finish line.
Meanwhile, a good start by Indonesian Presley Martono did see him gain a position on New Zealand’s Faine Kahia who had to battle for the position on the opening lap. The young Indonesian driver would however suffer an unfortunate spin that allowed Kahia to regain third place. Behind the leading trio, there were exciting battles involving India’s Muhammad Nalwalla (IND, Car #46) and Akash Gowda (IND, Car #33) together with Malaysian youngster Isyraf Danish. Their on-track battle would prove a noteworthy one, especially with the reverse-grid positions for the next race. Though Nalwalla crossed the finish line ahead of Gowda and Isyraf, a post-race stewards inquiry into a starting procedure infringement led to Nalwalla being given a penalty. This meant the Rookie winner for the race was awarded to Isyraf.
Race 3
With the grid reversed for the top-five drivers’ results from the previous race, pole position went to Isyraf, ahead of Gowda. Kahia, Danial and Love in third, fourth and fifth on the starting grid, respectively. An unfortunate starting procedure mistake saw the pole-sitter Isyraf fall down the order, gifting the lead of the race to Gowda who managed a great start to successfully fend off the challenge from Love, Kahia and Danial to hold on to a slim lead into the first few corners. After storming through the field from fifth on the grid, the first to threaten Gowda’s lead was Love. Capitalising on his quicker pace and experience, it did not take long before the young Aussie made his move, overtaking Gowda on the final corner for the race lead. Demoted to second, the Gowda was then faced by increasing pressure from Kahia and Danial, allowing Jordan the space to pull out a gap to the rest of the field.
Unfortunately, the race leader would not have a comfortable race when a mechanical failure saw him pull to the side of the track ending his race prematurely at the start of Lap 5. The race then took another turn when an incident between pole-sitter Isyraf and Muhammad Nalwalla brought out a safety car period for three laps. The resumption of the race provided more action with Gowda and Kahia engaged in a duel for second position behind Danial Frost who inherited the lead following Love’s retirement. The battle would see Kahia claim second place with Gowda in third, his first F4SEA podium finish. Fourth place went to Indonesia’s Presley Martono who also collected the Rookie winner trophy.
Race 4
After suffering a mechanical failure in the previous race that prevented Love from claiming a third race victory, Jordan Love was back to his usual form with a great start for Race 4 early on Sunday morning. Pulling out an early lead through to the end of the 10-lap race, Love had left the rest of the field in his wake. The bulk of the action was thus mostly concentrated on the fight for the final two positions on the podium between Nazim Azman (MAS, Car #17), who had started on the front row and Faine Kahia. Meanwhile, a mistake by Race 3 winner, Danial Frost had seen the youngster drop down the order, though the youngster made the most of a safety car period to make his way back up the order, enough to start challenging by the second lap. Before long it had become a 3-way fight for the final podium spots between Nazim, Kahia, Akash Gowda (IND, Car #33) and Danial. Lapping consistently faster than Nazim, it did not take Kahia long to edge past the Malaysian, leaving Nazim and Danial to battle for the final spot on the podium.
Unfortunately, a drive-through penalty for an on-track racing incident involving Nazim effectively removed him from the fight, leaving Danial to inherit the position through to the chequered flag. A commendable fifth place finish for Muhammad Nalwalla also saw the young Indian on the podium to collect his second Rookie winner’s trophy of the weekend.
Race Results (Selected)
Race 5
With Love, Danial and Kahia again locking out the top three positions on the grid for the midday Race 5, proceedings did not go as scripted particularly for Love. Despite getting ahead and successfully defending his position from Danial, the Aussie ace was given a drive-through penalty for jumping the start. This allowed Danial to take the lead of the race, ahead of Kahia and Nazim, with the trio evenly spread out through most of the race. Towards the tail end of the race, Nazim did come under some pressure from rookie Presley Martono (INA, Car #32). With fresher tyres, the Indonesian had managed to close to within a second of Nazim, but was unable to pass.
With a comfortable win for Danial – his second of the weekend, Kahia finished second ahead of Nazim, who managed to defend his third place finish for his first visit to the podium. Martono’s impressive form saw the youngster finish fourth and claiming another Rookie win.
Race 6
With the grid positions for the final race of the weekend reversed for the top five finishers from the previous race, sitting in pole position was India’s Akash Gowda with Martono lined up alongside him from P2. Following a clean start by the drivers, the Indian kept his cool as he fought to defend the lead in what turned into a five-way fight on the opening lap of the 8-lap race. The young Indian did however find himself in the clutches of a charging Danial who eventually wrestled the lead off Gowda midway through the second lap. Meanwhile, a determined drive from Love saw the Aussie recover significant ground from his seventh grid position start to eventually find himself in contention by the third lap, pressuring first Kahia, then Martono. A supreme defensive effort by the Indonesian driver forced Love to work hard to gain the position, which he successfully did with three laps to go. After putting down a series of fastest laps, the Aussie was able to catch race leader Danial, as he began piling on the pressure for the lead of the final race of the weekend. The thrilling affair ended up being a sprint to the finish with the young Singaporean holding his nerve as he emerged victorious over Love, who had to settle for second place with Martono in third for his maiden podium finish in addition to collecting another Rookie win. The closely fought race was the closest finish of all six races with the top three separated by just five-tenths of a second, which proved to be a fitting conclusion to the first event.
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