Franklin racer back at Sepang

Bombay’s Taylor Cockerton made his way back to Malaysia on Tuesday in preparation for the second round of the 2017 Formula Masters Series.

After a strong result in the opening round earlier in April, Cockerton will look for more race wins and podiums during the second round, which will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on May 5 and May 7.

Cockerton, who is also a Waikato University student, claimed his first win and two podiums during the first round.

‘‘I’m really excited to be heading back to Sepang,’’ said Cockerton.

‘‘After finishing third overall a couple of weeks ago, I really think we have the potential to improve.’’

The series is a four-race program, which means Cockerton is currently sitting third behind Daniel Lu and Daniel Frost.

Having made two trips to Malaysia for both testing and racing, Cockerton has an understanding of the Sepang circuit and the weather conditions that he will have to contend with.

‘‘Sepang is a track that requires patience. The straights are long and the corners are wide.

‘‘It is very easy to over drive the car, to push too hard into the corners that in turn means you lose speed on exit,’’ said Cockerton.

‘‘In the first round the weather changed quite a bit. On the Saturday, the weather was very hot while Sunday was cool. This plays a big part in track conditions as hot conditions really wears the tyres.’’

Cockerton said that the team’s main focus for the second round was to improve on their podium position and to dial the car in for ‘dry’ surface conditions.

‘‘Qualifying is very important for this series; it worked for us in round one. We also need to work on improving our ’dry’ setup,’’ said Cockerton.

’’There are four or five very good drivers who have shown they are very quick.

‘‘They know how to qualify and race well, so my target is to beat them.’’