Sy third as car crashes in heavy rain

GUANGDONG — Heavy rains that left visibility to a minimum cost Tyson Sy his bid for a second place finish, wrecked his car, and left him badly shaken even as Irishman Ali Jackson scored a breakthrough win Sunday in the accident-marred fifth round of the Asian Formula Three Series at the Zhuhai Circuit here.

Jackson, a 17-year-old newcomer who was on the way to victory in the fifth round last Sunday until his car got slowed down by faulty electrical wiring, grabbed the lead from the No. 3 spot on the grid right in the first lap and, thriving in wet conditions that bedeviled most of the other drivers, zoomed to victory for Aran Racing.

But the real story of the day involved Sy, the 18-year-old star of Speedtech Asia and Briton Dillon Battistini, 28, of JA Motorsport whose heated battle for second place in slippery and dangerous conditions led to a frightening and sickening crash in full view of the audience that braved the rains at the grandstand.

The accident also involved the car of Sy’s teammate, Gaby dela Merced, who had pulled up in the seventh lap in the right side of the grandstand due to gearing problems.

While Jackson was cruising trouble-free to victory in a double yellow flag situation (meaning there’s no passing allowed), Sy bore down on the right side of Battistini entering the long straightaway of the 4.3-kilometer track, with the Filipino star apparently anticipating the green flag just before the first corner past the grandstand.

But Battistini refused to give ground and drifted to the right, forcing Sy to go further to the right only to see Dela Merced’s stalled car blocking his way.

Fortunately for Sy, he managed to swerve his car to the left seconds before impact but, to the horror of everybody, the right rear side of his car slammed into Dela Merced’s car.

All hell broke loose. Sy’s car flew into air, preceding his right wheel, and debris flew all the over track. When Sy’s car slammed back into the ground, he careened into the cement barrier at the pit gate and bounced back out, leaving Sy suffering from a whiplash but, fortunately, generally unhurt.

"The back of my neck hurts," said Sy, who was immediately taken to the nearby clinic after the accident. At press time, it was unclear whether he and Dela Merced could race in the sixth round of the race backed by Yokohama and PLDT.

The drive shaft of Sy’s car injured an unidentified male spectator who was taken by ambulance to the medical clinic at the track facility. The spectator was later diagnosed to have suffered a broken right leg.

The race was immediately red-flagged after that, with Jackson being declared the winner with a time of 14 minutes, 32.428 seconds in just eight completed laps.

Battistini was second, 5.698 seconds behind, followed by Sy, fourth round winner Dado Peña of Team Goddard, Indon Moreno Soeprapto of Aran Racing, Macanese Cheong Loumeng of Team Goddard, Filipino Pepon Marave of Shell Helix Kinetic PCSO and Dela Merced.

"It was raining and I chose to drive safely. I prefer under-steering in wet conditions and went for the points. Fourth place isn’t so bad, especially after the accident. Sometimes it pays to be safe," said Peña, whose stint here is backed by PLDT, Mossimo, MOF, Hanjin and Manila Bulletin.

(Race enthusiasts can monitor the races by logging on to www.asianf3.net and www.pldtmypad.net).

Three others – Roland Hermoso of Speedtech Asia, Briton James Winslow of JA Motorsport and Indon Hermanto of R&W Team Indonesia Fastron – failed to finish, either spinning out or slamming into protective barriers due to poor visibility.

Menacing stares were directed at Battistini after the race but the Irishman said: "I was surprised to see Tyson trying to overtake me. We were aware of the yellow flag."

All cars were forced to change to wet tires when a drizzle just before the race developed into heavy rains as the teams prepared for the customary warm-up lap. Another warm-up lap was held after that, reducing the 12-lap race to just 11.

Lost in all the commotion was the feat scored by Jackson who said: "Dado started rather slow and I pounced on the opportunity. I just tried to do things quicker. I just stayed there and dealt with the wet track."

Even Dela Merced was shaken by the accident. Fortunately for her, she stalled one lap earlier, giving her plenty of time to get out of her car. Race stewards were already at the track trying to push her machine out of harm’s way when Battistini and Sy suddenly loomed out of the far corner, forcing them to scamper to safety.