Federal Tyres King of Nations Round 2 and Federal Tyres King of Asia Round 1 in Melaka, Malaysia saw 49 drivers from 9 Nations go up against each other in front of the capacity crowd packed into the Melaka International Motorsports Circuit. With some of the best drivers from around the World up against each other to fight for the crown in the 40+ degree heat, this was certainly a round to remember.
Qualification took place on the Saturday afternoon, which saw drivers given plenty of practice and seat time to perfect their skills and get used to the challenging layout which had been presented to them by the judges.
Australian driver Luke Fink would take pole position in qualifying, scoring 88.58 points in a 2JZ Nissan S15 which he was driving for the weekend. Local driver Kamarudin Alias placed second, with fellow local driver NBoy finishing third. French driver Nicolas Delorme would increase his points collected from the previous round with a 6th place finish. Michael Prosenik, also participating from Australia would place 7th in a brand new Nissan S15 build. Winner of both 2016 divisional series rounds, Indonesian driver Emmanuel Amandio achieved 9th position despite initially impressing during practice.
International drivers Andre DaSilva from Brazil and Nasser Almutairi from Kuwait would be unfortunate to fall just outside of the Top 32 rankings, proving just how fierce the competition is.
With the sun beating down on the track once again, making conditions extremely challenging for drivers, teams and cars, Sunday saw the Top 32 get underway. With such impressive driving on show throughout the Saturday combined with such a tough layout, it was undoubtedly going to be an interesting outcome.
People had undoubtedly been expecting Emmanuel Amandio to shine given his recent performances, however he would find himself running into serious car issues during the Top 32. Despite the initial score of 5-5 for the first run, he would exit the round with 10-0 scoring to his opponent for the second.
After impressing during Federal Tyres King of Asia in 2015, Singaporean driver Benjamin Chiam would this time bring along another brand new S15 build. He would progress against fellow countryman Geoveen Hi to make his way into the Top 16.
Luke Fink, Nicolas Delorme and Michael Prosenik were amongst those who managed to dismiss their opponents in order to progress into the Top 16.
After suffering car issues, Luke Fink’s Top 16 opponent Kenny Chew was unable to make it to the start line, immediately placing Fink into the Top 8.
Tan Tat Wei would find himself up against a determined Benjamin Chiam in his Top 16 battle, but unfortunately Wei would find himself straightening in his second run leaving Chiam to progess with a 10-0 scoring in the second run.
After clinching 3rd place during Round 1 in Fujariah, UAE, Nicolas Delorme would go up against Lee Mun Hong. With the scoring 10-0 each way in their initial battles, Delorme would eventually progress to the Top 8 after a one more time had taken place.
Another driver who had impressed during the 2015 series was Amirul Taufek, who would bow out to on-form Michael Prosenik who was proving that he adapting to his S15 and determined to push his way to the finals.
As Top 8 arrived, it would see Luke Fink defeat Lawrence Lim after hard-fought one more time battle to take his place in the Top 4, showing an increasing chance of an all-Australian final.
Benjamin Chiam would continue his form to knock out Daus Pan and mark his place against Fink in the Top 4.
With the heat and track proving a challenge for Nicolas Delorme’s LHD BMW E30, he would be forced to forfeit his Top 8 battle, handing a pass to NBoy who would find himself up against Michael Prosenik who defeated PD Tan.
Spectators flocked to the grandstand to ensure they didn’t miss the incredible Top 4 battles, Benjamin Chiam would push harder than ever in an attempt to leave behind Luke Fink. Sadly, he pushed too hard in the lead run, which would leave him with no option other than to hit the tyre wall. Despite winning his chase battle, the 10-0 would be impossible to recover from as Fink took his place in the final.
Michael Prosenik would go head-to-head with NBoy in an extremely close-fought battle. It would be Prosenik who would edge through after some unfortunate minor errors rom NBoy. Prosenik had now set the stage for a much talked about all-Australian final which was potentially possible throughout the weekend!
As Benjamin Chiam undertook emergency repairs to his car, he’d manage to reach the startline just in time to face NBoy. After two great runs, Chiam would eventually secure his hard-fought place on the podium!
Next up was the battle that the crowd had been eagerly anticipating - Australian Luke Fink would be up against fellow Australian Michael Prosenik in an S15 final.
Both drivers would push their cars to the limits with some amazingly intense driving, and it would be a tough call for the judges but they’d reached a conclusion as the fans flocked to the podium to witness who would be the winner.
Michael Prosenik had achieved the crown for the second Round of the Federal Tyres King of Nations Drift Championship! In a hard-fought battle it would be a tough decision for the judges, but with Prosenik achieving a 6-4, 6-4 win it would be a unanimous victory.
Congratulations to Michael Prosenik and the GAIA Racingwheels Drift Team for creating an incredible brand new build for the series and pushing through to take the victory! We have no doubt that Luke Fink will be hunting down the top spot as we head to Pathum Thani, Thailand this weekend for Federal Tyres King of Nations Round 3, and Federal Tyres King of Asia Round 2!
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