Wet tracks stall Pinoy riders in Zhuhai AF3

GUANGDONG — Frolicking in the steady drizzle, European riders led by Irishman Ali Jackson nearly completed a sweep of Rounds 6 and 7 Saturday as Filipino stars Dado Peña and Tyson Sy fell prey to a severe case of bad luck and inexperience in wet driving conditions in the Asian Formula Three series at the Zhuhai International Circuit here.

The 17-year-old Jackson, already the youngest driver to win a round in the circuit when he topped Round 5 here last month, showed a big crowd what daring and steely nerves could do as he swept to a pair of first-place finishes worth 40 points, in the process moving up to second overall in the drivers’ standings, just three behind Sy.

Briton James Winslow, driving a car with a new chassis, came all the way from the back of the grid in Round 6 to salvage runner-up honors and then saw his bid for a rousing win in the next round thwarted by a daring maneuver put on by Jackson of Aran Racing in the eighth lap, when the Irishman grabbed the lead for good going into a corner.

Another Briton, Dillon Battistini, finished third in Round 6, losing second to Fujitsi Racing with Threebond teammate Winslow when he drove into the grass just a kilometer from the finish line. He was later nosed out for third by Indon Moreno Soeprapto of Aran Racing at the checkered flag in the next race.

Peña, of Team Goddard, topped the qualifying for Round 7 earlier in the morning but a team oversight cost him dearly in Round 6 held at noon. Team mechanics failed to replace the battery of his Dallara 304 after the qualifying run and it conked out after the warm-up lap for Round 6, leaving his crew no recourse but to push him back to the pit.

He rejoined Round 6 from the pit but then failed to put on the brakes early enough coming out of a turn in lap 2 and drove into the grass. After trying vainly to start his engine, he walked back to the pit in disgust.

The steady drizzle continued into Round 7 held three hours later with Peña occupying the No. 1 spot on the grid and his problem with the car’s battery fixed. But a faulty clutch left him running second behind Winslow at the start and he was bumped from behind by fellow Filipino Roland Hermoso going into the first turn, yanking him out of the race for good.

"We were able to fix the battery problem but encountered a new problem — with the clutch — at the start. Despite a bad start, Dado was in there but he was hit from behind by Roland who missed his braking," explained Team Goddard principal Mark Goddard.

"We just hope the bad luck will end tomorrow," Goddard added, referring to Rounds 8 and 9 Sunday.

Sy continued to struggle with his rebuilt Dallara 304, and like Peña failed to finish in Round 6, being forced into the gravel in lap eight after a futile try to pass Bagoes Hermanto of Indonesia. The Speedtech Asia lead driver later finished fifth in the next round, coaxing what he could from his engine and earning eight precious points, just enough to keep him ahead in the overall standings.

Despite his misfortune, Battistini earned 22 points for 88 overall but relinquished second overall to the surging Jackson. Winslow amassed 30 points and moved up from fifth to fourth with 72, leaving Peña, previously tied with Jackson for third, in fifth with 52 points.

"Fifth is better than getting zero," said Sy. "We have to make a fight of it up the last race (in Batangas).

We still can’t pinpoint the problem with my car. I was off pace."

Only seven of 13 starters finished Round 7, and 10 survived the earlier race. Used to driving in the rain, the Europeans gamely negotiated every turn and curve at the 4.3-kilometer track while the rest either spun out or hit the gravel after speeding through severely wet portions of the track.