Bangsaen, Thailand – The unforgiving streets of Bangsaen once again lived up to their reputation, delivering a weekend of high drama, heartbreak and heroics as Malaysia’s Wing Hin Motorsports emerged from Round 2 of the TSS The Super Series and Thailand Super Series with a race victory, four podium finishes and plenty of stories to tell.
Competing at the 20th Anniversary Bangsaen Grand Prix, the Malaysian outfit showcased both speed and resilience on one of Asia’s toughest street circuits, proving why it remains one of the region’s premier touring car teams despite a weekend riddled with penalties, crashes and mechanical setbacks.
GT4: Victory Slips Away Before Misfortune Strikes
Defending GT4 champions Wing Hin Motorsports arrived in Thailand determined to defend their crown with the #39 Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 shared by Hong Kong’s Ryan Wong and Malaysia’s Mitchell Cheah.
Race 1 was a masterclass in strategy.
Starting sixth, Wong kept the car clean through the opening stages before capitalising on an early retirement ahead. When Cheah took over during the mandatory driver change, the Malaysian unleashed blistering pace, recording the fastest lap of the race with a 1:39.030 and crossing the finish line first.
Celebrations, however, were short-lived.
A 15-second post-race penalty dropped the duo to second place, denying Wing Hin Motorsports what had looked like a well-earned victory.
Still, valuable championship points kept the team firmly in the title fight.
Race 2 looked even more promising.
Cheah made an aggressive launch from the front row, muscling past the pole-sitting Porsche into Turn 1 before stretching an impressive lead of more than eight seconds before handing the car to Wong.
With victory firmly within reach, disaster struck.
After briefly surrendering the lead to the #77 Supra, Wong suffered right-rear damage that forced the Toyota GR Supra GT4 EVO2 into retirement, ending what could have been another podium finish.
Super Touring: Triumph Amid Bangsaen’s Brutality
Wing Hin Motorsports fielded four cars in the highly competitive Super Touring category, with Malaysian ace Nabil Azlan leading the charge.
Race 1 saw Nabil grab the holeshot from second on the grid before controlling the race at the front.
A late Safety Car period reshuffled strategies, forcing Nabil to fight back from eighth after his pit stop. Displaying remarkable pace, he climbed back into second before inheriting victory when the leading Honda received a 10-second penalty for a pit lane speed infringement.
It was a deserved reward for an intelligent and determined drive.
Behind him, teammates Nick Teo and Ian Wong finished eighth, Jwan Hii and Dannies Ng claimed tenth, while Thai pairing Varunchit Wattanathanakun and Mekkaradkeeta Kalantananda completed the race in 14th.
Airborne Crash Ends Dramatic Weekend
Sunday’s second Super Touring race produced one of the most dramatic moments of the entire Bangsaen Grand Prix.
After fighting his way from third to second in the closing laps, Nabil was perfectly positioned to challenge for victory when the leading Honda CR-Z suddenly slowed with a gearbox failure.
With nowhere to go, Nabil’s Toyota Vios slammed into the rear of the stricken car, launching violently into the air before landing upside down in the middle of the circuit.
The terrifying accident immediately brought out the red flags.
Thankfully, Nabil walked away uninjured.
Race officials later rolled back the results to the previous completed lap, awarding him third place and another valuable podium finish.
Elsewhere, Varunchit and Mekkaradkeeta finished tenth, Nick Teo and Ian Wong crossed the line eleventh, while Jwan Hii and Dannies Ng retired after contact with the concrete barriers.
Eyes Now Turn to Sepang
Despite enduring penalties, mechanical failures and one of the biggest crashes of the weekend, Wing Hin Motorsports leaves Bangsaen with:
- 1 Race Victory
- 2 Second-place finishes
- 1 Third-place finish
- Strong championship points across both GT4 and Super Touring
With Round 3 heading to Malaysia’s Petronas Sepang International Circuit from 21-23 August, Wing Hin Motorsports will be looking to convert its undeniable pace into another dominant home performance.
