This year’s F3 Asian Winter Series has drawn to a close as it held its 3rd and final round last February 22 to 24 at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia after a month of break time. Pinnacle Motorsport, an Irish-based racing team, together with its partner and sister team B-Max Racing, concluded the series with flying colors by garnering notable podium finishes and title wins.
Local hero Akash Nandy, together with newcomers Victor Martins and Christian Lundgaard from France and Denmark, respectively, led the team to its winning moments during the 3-day racing spectacle.
The 3 ace drivers gunned it all in the qualifying sessions for both Race 1 and Race 2, with Martins securing 7th and 4th places. Meanwhile, Nandy kept his pace on high as he would start the races in 8th and 7th positions, respectively. As for Lundgaard, he would secure 10th place.
Race 1
The series’ first race of the weekend went off on high gear, with a number of incidents happening early on that would prompt the intervention of the safety car. Among these was Nandy who unfortunately came into with another car, forcing the Malaysian to retire. This gave Martins the advantage to clinch several positions ahead. He crossed the line in 3rd place, while Lundgaard complete the race in 5th.
Race 2
The action pressed on to the 2nd race in the afternoon. Fresh from his commendable efforts in Race 1, Martins didn’t let up, gunning it all to finish the race in 4th. On the other hand, Nandy and Lundgaard would take home 7th and 8h places, respectively. It was still an action-packed race, but with less drama than the previous.
Race 3
Everyone was on full steam come Sunday, February 24. It was the 3rd and final race of the season. The said 15-lap showdown panned out with drivers up front collecting each other with only 4 laps to go. Martins sought this window of opportunity, thus making a mad dash to secure 2nd place ‘til the end. Nandy, meanwhile, earned another respectable 7th place, while Lundgaard sadly didn’t make it as he encountered a DNF.
Despite one of them not completing the race, Pinnacle Motorsport still had plenty of reasons to celebrate. That’s because its sister team B-Max Racing went on to collect valuable wins. The all-Japanese team led by Tairoku Yamaguchi, Motoyoshi Yoshida, and lady driver Miki Koyama braved the odds and reaped rewards during the weekend’s 3 races.
Yamaguchi checked off Saturday’s races with a 1st place victory in Race 2, more than enough to earn him the Master Class title. Meanwhile, Yoshida took the chequered flag in 1st place, twice while securing 2nd in the 3rd race. Lastly, Koyama crossed the line 10th, a remarkable feat for the newcomer.
Accompanying Pinnacle Motorsport on their F3 Asian Championship campaign are partners Teng Tools, Motorsport Ireland, B-Max Racing Team, and Seth Ascetic.