Tough Indon rider takes pole in AF3 race

GUANGDONG, China — Taking the best his challengers could muster, Indonesian series leader Ananda Mikola took pole position by a hairline Saturday morning and will go into round three of the Asian Formula Three Grand Prix as the driver to beat at the Zhuhai International Circuit here.

Mikola, however, braced for an expected four-cornered race despite fighting off the tough challenge put up by defending champion Christian Jones of Australia, James Winslow of Great Britain and Dado Peña of the Philippines in the qualifying session, which saw all four drivers giving their backers a preview of what was to be expected in the afternoon race.

Racing for Fastron Racing Threebond, Mikola logged the fastest time of one minute and 33.345 seconds to fend off Jones, lead driver of Christian Jones Motorsports, who checked in at 1:33:482. Complete results can be accessed at www.asianf3.net.

After submitting conservative clocking in practice runs on Thursday and Friday, Winslow, of Shell Helix Kinetic PCSO, finally made his move, clocking 1:33:487 and setting his sights for another podium finish. He checked in at third place in the second leg in Batangas last month.

Peña, 17, returned to the pits after just one lap to have his broken fifth gear fixed and returned to the 4.3-kilometer track after more than 10 minutes. The lead driver of Ambi Pur Team Goddard-Minardi Team Asia, Peña gave it his best and clocked a fourth-best time of 1:34.174.

Despite taking the pole for the third straight time in the series, Mikola said his crew needed to make necessary improvements on his Dallara F304 so he could keep his rivals at bay.

"I know Christian’s gonna be good for the race," Mikola said, sporting a weary look on his face. "I was good just in the first five laps but my car was a bit down soon after that. We need to improve on the car to win."

Macau entry Rodolfo Avila, driving for Fujitsu Ten Toyota Team Toms, checked in at 1:35.288 but even his fifth place spot on the starting was not enough to fire up his spirit.

"There will be no podium finish for me. My chance is not very good," said Avila. "I did not even come close."

Avila also said he is contemplating his future in the AF3. "I’m not very experienced in the AF3. I may change cars in the future because the one I’m riding now is not very good."

Filipino driver Tyson Sy, 17, of Speedtech Asia, was forced to return to the pits after just four laps with a busted engine although his best clocking of 1:36.036 proved good enough for seventh on the grid, just behind 2003 champion Pepon Marave who clocked 1:35.292 for sixth place.

It was not clear whether Sy would be able to compete in the afternoon race, with his crew battling against time to have his engine changed before the third leg. The results of the race will determine the starting grid for the fourth leg Sunday.

Mikola’s half-brother, Moreno Soeprapto of Denso Hanjin JF3, emerged as the best driver in the promotions class, clocking 1:36.136, good for eighth on the grid. He did better than John O’Hara of Fujitsu Ten Toyota Team Toms, the Irishman who finished first runner-up to Jones last year, who struggled to clock 1:36.175 for ninth.

Rounding up the starting grid for the third leg were AF3 newcomer Lee Farrell of Shell Helix, a native of Ireland who finished 10th in 1:36.514, followed by fellow Irishman Greg Murphy (1:37.663), Filipino Enzo Pastor (1:39.197) and another RP entry, JP Tuason of Tuason Racing School (1:40.206).

Yet another RP bet, Renan Morales, managed just two laps in qualifying and returned to the pits, his chance of starting on the grid doubtful.