Kahia takes two podium finishes
Taupo driver, Faine Kahia, continues to get his name known as he has claimed the overall win at the second to last round of the Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship.
‘‘We were super quick for most of the weekend but I had to be as consistent as possible while we worked through a couple of issues to get back on pace. So to come back and take the top spot was a great outcome,’’ Kahia said.
The latest round of the championship took place in Thailand over January 6-8.
The inaugural Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship has been fiercely contested since its commencement in 2016.
With Kahia’s impressive tally of 20 podium finishes so far, he is pleased to leave Event 5 with his Championship lead intact, but is cautiously optimistic.
‘‘It’s coming down to the wire now so we’ll have to wait and see how the final races of the season pan out, but if at the end of it I can say I won an FIA championship that would be a dream come true.’’
There are currently 12 Formula 4 championships worldwide (over 100 drivers collectively) and Kahia is the only New Zealand competitor.
Earlier on in the week, on January 6, round five of the Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship hit the track at Change International Circuit, Buriram, where Kahia managed to post top results on day one.
Kahia first topped the timesheets in the official practice and this was followed by setting the second fastest time in qualifying which put the only Kiwi on the front row of the grid for the first race.
By producing the fastest lap time in race one Kahia was positioned on pole for Race 2. The flying Kiwi created a comfortable lead in the opening stages of the 11-lap race and took the chequered flag in first place.
‘‘I’m very happy with how the first two races went with two wins but was just unfortunate to receive a penalty in race one,’’ Kahia said.
‘‘The #55 car setup felt superb and there are a lot of people behind the scenes who work very hard with the cars and drivers to achieve the best possible performance.’’
The Formula 4 Southeast Asia Championship drivers will return to Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia for the final event of the season being held 20-22 January 2017.