Grimes Brothers blazed through F4SEA
to roll out the barrel guys! Our Filipino- British brothers, Ben and Sam Grimes, had taken race wins and podium finishes in last weekend’s Philippine leg of the F4 South East Asian Championship at Clark International Speedway.
Everyone that witnessed the international formula race felt proud when the fast, 19-year old Ben took 2 wins out of 6 races during the weekend. Ben ended up 2nd overall behind the consistent and very talented Daniel Cao of China, who won 4 races and the leader in the F4SEA series after topping the Malaysian leg.
The younger 17-year old Sam was able to get 2nd and 3rd places in 2 races and showed the right pace to fight for Rookie honors in future races. Thailand’s Kane Shepherd was the top Rookie and placed 3rd overall last weekend with three 3rd places.
We were not only proud of the Grimes brothers but also how our very own oil company, Petron, was now part of an international race series. Anyone who loves motor sports know that Petron was very active in local Offroad Rallies, Circuit Races and Motocross before. When they supported the F4SEA Championship, we know the real winner will be the Filipino drivers and Philippine motor sports!
I was able to get the inside stories of Ben and Sam and I dedicate this column to them. This is really going to be a big revelation to racing fans out there. I remember that by Wednesday, 1 day before the F4SEA practice sessions, there was still no confirmed Filipino entry as confirmed by F4SEA President Peter Thompson. I felt sad because there will be no one that Filipinos can cheer and rally to win.
Then the miracle happened! According to Ben, he had a 40-minute talk with Peter and agreed on a deal. Ben just had to convince his father to support him and his brother. Their father just put up one condition-for Ben to win it! It was pressure that Ben can do without and will be his goal for the weekend.
The last time I saw the 2 was in the Toyota Vios Cup last year and they were doing well. Both started in karting only in 2012 and Ben immediately took the Rotax title in 2013 in Thailand. These two had a monumental learning curve and they all passed with flying colors! The practice sessions didn’t go too well for both, as they had to acclimatize themselves with the F4 car since it was their first time in it. Ben had been racing in the China Formula Masters series and was more advanced than the F4 car.
Sam, though, was out of racing for more than a year and had a harder time to get on terms with the car. In the final practice session, Ben improved by more than a second and was the fastest against leader Cao. Sam also improved to get within the top 4. This made the Filipinos in the paddocks excited and expected a great qualifying time the next day. In Saturday’s Qualifying session, it was going to be a grand battle between Cao and Ben. Cao was posting very good times and lead most of the way. Then suddenly, Ben pulled out a terrific lap and took pole by 0.030 seconds! Ben said that this was his best and most proud moment in the race.
Sam got 4th overall and he was also very excited about it. They both wanted to be together on the podium in any of the 6 races and they had the right 1st and 4th positions to make it happen In the first race on Saturday, Ben took a lights-to-flag finish in 1st place. Cao was always pressuring him and Ben kept it all together. The crowd was ecstatic and it was the first time ever for Ben to score a victory in formula cars!
With Ben on a high, Sam’s limited time on a formula car showed when he understeered in turn 5 in the first lap and his car got ditched in the sand trap. He didn’t finish the race and was a big damper on the family’s celebration.
The 2nd race saw a reversal of their luck. Ben felt more confident and led the race at the beginning. On lap 7, turn 17, Ben went off the grassy area at the exit and his car snapped and propelled him into the opposite wall! Big damage and definitely, he would not see the finish flag.
Sam though, started from last and climbed all the way to 2nd place! It was a drive worth all the praises and showed everyone that he had the pace. Another Grimes had made his mark in F4SEA!
In Race 3 on Sunday, Ben started from last in a different car, as his first one wasn’t finished on time. He had to work his way up to 2nd place and kept up the momentum for overall awards. Sadly, Sam spun out from 4th place to avoid hitting another driver and just ended his race early to conserve his tires. Another DNF for Sam and he was still luckless!
Race 4 ended with Ben in 2nd, the same position that he started in. Sam suffered a mechanical failure of the air compressor that shifts the transmission while running comfortably in 3rd. His duck was still on his back. The next race saw the dreams of both being on the podium, at the same time, a reality! Ben had a slow start when his foot slipped off the throttle but took first place in turn 11 on the first lap. He registered the fastest lap to dominate Cao by more than 5 seconds! Sam also conquered Shepherd and took 3rd overall. This was the race that made everyone believe Ben had a chance to take the overall win.
The final Race 6 turned out to be a wet race and the Grimes were uneasy about this. Both had not run their cars in the wet and now they had to do it in a race. The start was under a pace car for 4 laps to clear the flooded track. When it pulled off, Sam was hit from behind in the Acacia turn and fell to last place. Ben played it conservatively as he still remembered the accident bills of Race 2. He went up to 3rd after starting in 4th and that was his position in the shortened race due to time constraints.
The 2 brothers are now looking forward to competing for the rest of the series if they can get enough support. Let’s pray that they do, as they are deserving of carrying our Philippine and British Flags in F4SEA. Congratulations again Ben and Sam and you really made us proud!