PETALING JAYA: British sportscar manufacturer, Caterham Cars, expanded its Caterham Racing series to Malaysia on Saturday, with a new championship starting at the Sepang International Circuit.
The inaugural event was won by 420R driver Adrian D’Silva and was the first race in a new 10-round series.
Caterham’s brand-new, standalone championship will feature up to 12 racers competing over five weekends at the twisty Sepang circuit.
The racers, driving six Supersport and six 420R models, completed 10 laps of the track with Pye Tan Sen and Azman Yahya completing the podium places in second and third respectively. The Supersport class was won by Halim Mu’Azzam, ahead of Asian drift phenomenon Leona Chin, with rookie Sidqi Ahmad rounding out the top three.
The top three in both classes were all Malaysian drivers, though the grid includes drivers from Singapore and as far afield as Sri Lanka.
Caterham’s new series will use the full GP circuit, which is also used for the Malaysian F1 Grand Prix, is the first combined Supersport and 420R race series for Caterham.
The brand-new 420R model, launched in April 2015, is making its first appearance in a Caterham race championship in the Malaysian series.
While the Supersport is powered by Ford's 1.6-litre Sigma engine tuned to deliver 135bhp, the 420R uses a 2.0-litre Ford Duratec unit producing 210bhp.
“The Malaysian race series is a hugely exciting expansion for us, as it offers the opportunity for Asean race drivers to experience the essence of Caterham Cars; an exhilarating racing experience ensuring the best value and fun for participants,” said Caterham’s chief motorsport and technical officer Simon Lambert.
