Meritus GP’s Aidan Wright achieved a trio of emphatic race wins at South Korea’s state-of-the-art Inje Speedium International Circuit (9-11 August) to snatch the championship initiative in the Formula Masters China Series (FMCS).
The Cairns-domiciled racer, backed by SLY Collective – an original Australian underwear brand that embodies the Gold Coast lifestyle – acquitted himself well on the ultra-modern Inje motorsport facility.
He faced the 4.2km circuit’s steep elevations, blind apexes and fast changes or direction with courage and determination, seizing pole position for Round 10 of the super-competitive Formula Masters championship.
The 18-year old hotshot was the first to breach the 1m32s barrier in the first qualifying session, pulling more time out of his pocket with every lap to keep the opposition at bay.
A heavy downpour saturated the South Korean venue during the build-up to Round 10. However, unfazed by the treacherous conditions, Wright produced a wheel-perfect lights-to-flag victory.
The rain returned for Round 11 and forced the organisers to start the race under the Safety Car. Poor visibility wasn’t enough to perturb Wright, the young Australian emerging from the spray in the podium places after Raj Bharath and Meritus GP team-mate Afiq Yazid were both handed 30-second penalties for overtaking under yellow flags.
Wright continued closing in on the championship lead in Round 12, held in dry conditions. Any attempts by pole man Akash Nandy to extend his lead were stymied by the tenacious Wright, who kept his Malaysian counterpart well within striking distance.
A Safety Car intervention closed up the pack and Wright continued applying the pressure at the restart before making a decisive move past Nandy on lap ten. From there, Wright never looked back and drove flawlessly to take yet another convincing victory.
Round 9 – rescheduled after a change to the race programme in Ordos – was held in scalding temperatures of more than 38 degrees on Sunday.
Nandy got a sensational launch from pole position but was chased hard by Meritus GP stable-mates Yazid and Wright until his demise on lap two.
Now in second place, Wright reeled in Yazid and finally made his move for the lead on lap seven. He showed remarkable pace thereafter to stretch out his advantage, thundering across the line at the end of the 11-lap encounter to seal his third victory of the weekend and at the same time shoot to the top of the championship standings.
“I went into the weekend with a few expectations, but I knew that it was going to very difficult as the competition is getting tougher,” said Wright. “It felt good to be back on the top step of the podium, although I didn’t expect to dominate at all! Winning is awesome, but the on-track battles are half the fun and a few drivers – including my team-mate – kept me honest throughout.
“I took a big sigh of relief in the knowledge that I achieved what I set out to. Inje is a real driver’s circuit that requires controlled aggression and, with it being a new venue, only the most adaptable of drivers were going to win there. I feel the ball has only started rolling and we will have to see in Malaysia whether or not the momentum is on my side. For the moment I am feeling confident, although I have to remember that my points advantage is tiny and there’s still a lot of mileage to cover.”
Wright has a five-point cushion between himself and team-mate Yazid in the overall Drivers’ standings with six races to run, plus the end-of-season invitational at the Macau Grand Prix.
The battle for the inaugural FMCS title resumes on Meritus GP’s home soil at Malaysia’s Sepang International Circuit next month (13-15 September).
To keep abreast of Formula Masters China Series’ race results, visit thewww.formulamasterschina.com website.
For more information on Aidan Wright and his racing activities, please visit the officialwww.aidanwrightracing.com website, ‘like his Facebook page or follow @aidanwright_94on Twitter.