Fired-up Sy snares golden double in AF3

BOGOR, Indonesia — Batangas is now waiting for the Tyson Sy show.

Proving his Round 9 victory was no fluke, Sy kept the Philippine flag fluttering proudly Sunday at the Sentul International Circuit by ruling Round 10, completing a golden double in the Asian Formula Three series here.

The twin wins gave Sy a big chance of pulling the rug from under overall leader Ananda Mikola of Indonesia when the last two rounds are held at the Batangas Racing Circuit in November.

"I will win in the Philippines. I will prove these victories are no fluke," declared Sy, 17, of Speedtech Asia, after clocking 17 minutes and 7.595 seconds in the last race for the day, worth another 20 points.

Along with the 20 points he won in Round 9, Sy jacked up his total to 101 points in the nation-hopping series, moving up to second from third and closing in on Mikola, of Fastron Racing with Threebond, who salvaged third place, good for 12 points, and 127 overall.

Briton James Winslow of Shell Kinetic PCSO finished second anew, clocking 17:16.244, and slipped to third from second with 100 points. After failing to finish in Round 9 earlier Sunday, Mikola salvaged a podium finish, coming in third in 17:20.392.

Mikola, who spun out of the track in the heat of battle in Round 9 after hitting a tire wall, frustrated another Philippine bet, Dado Pena of Team Goddard-Minardi Team Asia, who took it easy after nearly colliding with the Indon while they were negotiating a tight corner.

"I almost touched (cars) with Ananda. I had to pull down quite a bit," said Pena, who finished fourth in 17:24.002. Frustrated in his bid to clinch the driver’s championship before his home fans at the 3.9-kilometer Sentul Circuit, Mikola later said there is a chance he would not race in Batangas.

He is set to race next in the opening leg of the A1 Grand Prix in Britain along with AF3 defending champion Christian Jones of Australia.

"I have to know next week if I can get permission from the A1 Grand Prix whether I can still race in the Philippines," said Mikola.

"I am still unsure. I still want to come back to the Philippines, but after here nothing is sure," Mikola added. "In fact, I really wanted to win here. This is my last race here, but I had a tough luck."

Sy, however, refused to take Mikola’s statement seriously.

"With or without him, I have to win both races in Batangas," he declared.

Sy put on a show that even Mikola’s Indonesian fans loved, surrendering the lead to Winslow in the first lap and regaining it in the third.

Like a mad racer, Sy slowly but surely opened a big gap, leaving the field competing for a view of his car’s tail-end.

"I didn’t have a good start, I have to give it to Winslow," said Sy. "But I knew I must win, so I gave it my best. When I managed to retake the lead, I knew I had it."

Pleased with the outcome of the race, Asian Formula Three chairman Ed Pena predicted an even tighter race when action resumes on Nov. 5-6 at the Batangas Racing Circuit, saying: "Even with or without Mikola, we will have a grand finale. Remember, Tyson leads Winslow by just a point. Anything can still happen."

Moreno Soeprapto of Indonesia also posted a golden double, ruling the Promotions Class anew for Denso Hanjin Joson F3. Soeprapto clocked 17:34.187 while Lee Farrel of Ireland, racing for Shell Kinetic PCSO, was second in 17:34.982. Another Irish driver, Greg Murphy, of Team Goddard- Minardi Team Asia, was third in 18:11.936.

Irishman John O’Hara entered the race running third overall with 79 points after a third-place finish in Race 9 but spun off the track in the ninth lap and damaged his car. He failed to finish.