Wins send Kahia to top of table.
Faine Kahia has shot to the top of the points table following his win at the Clark International Speedway the weekend before last.
Representing New Zealand, the Taupo-raised driver is racing in the FIA Formula 4 South East Asia championship.
The championship contains six rounds that run from August to January and each round has six races.
Kahia placed second, fifth, DNF, third and first in the weekend’s races, with the sixth race postponed.
Kahia was also presented with a Star Driver Award for placing second overall in Round 2.
So far in the championship’s eleven races, Kahia has had eight podiums. This performance pushes him to the top of the championship leaderboard.
The weekend’s sixth and final race was postponed to Round 3, which runs from November 11-13 in Indonesia, because of worsening typhoon rain on Sunday.
One of Kahia’s longtime supporters, Ken Bleakley, said he wasn’t surprised Kahia gained two podium finishes in the wet weather on Sunday.
‘‘It rained in the last two races and he just blitzed the place. But that’s his race-craft,’’ Bleakley said.
‘‘His car control is absolutely brilliant, wet or fine.
‘‘I know he looped it in the second race in the Philippines, but when you haven’t driven the circuit, even the best can do it – just look at Formula 1.’’
Bleakley said he recognised Kahia’s driving talent when he saw him racing Go Karts many years ago.
‘‘So I organised him into getting his license and in the Winter Series I let him race my old Honda.’’
The 1989 Honda Integra was an ex-rally car and had had a life from hell, but Kahia delivered, the Taupo resident said.
‘‘He’d never driven a manual car before, but he put that Honda into competition placings.
‘‘From there, the car club recognised his driving skills and they put him into the NZ motorsport academy, which he did extremely well in.’’
Bleakley said he encourages people who are passionate about New Zealanders succeeding in motorsport to get in contact with Faine and the Kahia family.
‘‘We really need donations and we really need people to put their hand in their pocket and give him a hand to get where he’s going.’’