Singapore – Racecraft Infinity hosted the final round of the popular Tamiya Asia Cup Qualifying Series (Singapore) on Sunday, 15 August 2010. With over 50 entries competing for the final championship points in the Superstock, M Sports, Formula One and 4WD GT classes.
As usual, the weather in Singapore was unpredictable. Showers with high track temperatures dampened the first two rounds of heats, with many drivers struggling for traction and overheating their electronics. Fortunately, the sunshine returned for the third round of heats and all three rounds of finals.
The most contested class was Superstock, and table leader; Cecil Chua who recently signed with Acorn Racing was Team Acorn’s only representative. Unfortunately, Chua was a victim of the unpredictable weather, and failed to complete his first 2 rounds of heats with electronics failure.
Armed with a brand new ESC and Acorn Racing’s latest 5500mAh 36C 2S1P 7.4V Carbon Edition Lipo battery in the third round of heats, Chua clocked the fastest single lap of the day, but only managed third on the grid for the finals.
The final of the Superstock class was a nail-biting finale, with the first three cars on the grid contending for the overall championship title. Despite an impressive drive to take the lead, lady luck was not on Chua’s side again, as his TA-05 was knocked off the track by an overeager back marker in the final lap of the race. Now, the pressure was piling onto Chua, he had to win the next two finals to be crowned overall champion. Eventually, the remarkable consistent voltage of Acorn Racing’s latest 5500mAh 36C 2S1P 7.4V Carbon Edition Lipo battery prevailed for the Chua, as he clinched third position for the day, and was crowned first runner-up for the entire series.
Final Championship Standings Superstock (Top 3):
- Amos Koh
- Cecil Chua (Team Acorn)
- Javier Chng
Another Team Acorn driver, Allister Lim had a better than expected outing in the Formula One class. Despite having a bad season, and being out of contention for the series championship, Lim demonstrated why he was the 2009 champion.
Having only managed a seventh position on the grid for the finals, Lim had to outperform the usual suspects of Daniel Chee and Terence Ang for the final race. With the final championship podium position still up for grabs, Lim showed his class and experience as his Acorn Racing powered F104 overtook car after car to take the lead in the final minute of the race. A fierce battle for the lead was heart stopping as Lim and Ang exchanged the race lead. Unfortunately, both cars hit each other in the final lap, and allowed newcomer, Irving Tan to take the chequered flag. Finally, the championship was won by Chee who dominated all season, Ang second and Lim deservingly secured the final podium position.
Final Championship Standings Formula One (Top 3):
- Daniel Chee
- Terence Ang
- Allister Lim (Team Acorn)
Separately, in the 4WD GT class, a new racer, Jason Lee, emerged to win the fiercely contested finals. Round one was won by Chee Lip Keong, while RC veteran, P.Y.Tang secured round two with Jason Lee finishing second. It was down to final round where podium spots are up for grabs between Tang, Chee and Lee. Chee led the race with a blistering run from the first corner, with Lee trailing closely behind. The positions stayed unchanged until the final lap, when Chee ran wide at the right sweeper allowing Lee to take the inside line, and the race lead. This was Lee’s inaugural win in the Tamiya Asia Cup Qualifying Series in Singapore.
Final Championship Standings 4WD GT (Top 3):
- P.Y.Tang
- Chee Lip Keong
- Jason Lee
Finally, in the M Sport class, the usual dominance of Leonard Sim continued. Sim’s M-05 clocked the fastest single lap time of the day and started the finals from pole.
Sim won round one of the finals with ease. In round two, Sim made a mistake and hit the track divider. That incident caused his rear left wheel to come loose, and it eventually broke off after two laps.
With the podium positions unsettled, the top three racers gave it their all in the final round. Sim started well with Gerald Low and Goh Kee Choon chasing closely behind. The positions remained unchanged throughout, and Sim won the final round and the overall championship.
Final Championship Standings Mini (Top 3):
- Leonard Sim
- Gareth Foo
- Goh Kee Choon
The top 3 championship winners of the respective classes will represent Singapore at the 13th Tamiya Asia Cup in the Philippines next month.
