Formula Asia continues

Formula Asia continues

JAKARTA (JP): The Formula Asia auto racing championship will resume on Saturday and Sunday at the Sentul circuit in Bogor, West Java, with a strong performance expected from Indonesia's Roy Haryanto.

The 18-year-old driver, in a Humpuss Team racing suit, will join forces with teammates Stanley Iriawan and Ananda Mikola to finish among the top five in the second leg of the single-seater championship series.

Roy proved he was one of the men to watch after finishing third in Shah Alam, Malaysia, last year. He is now at the top of the drivers' championship list with 20 points, ahead of former European Formula 3 champion Niclass Jonsson of Sweden, thanks to his double victory during the opening leg at Sentul three weeks ago.

"We got off to a flying start this year, though we felt uneasy in the early race. I get bored with being the loser," said Roy, who finished fourth last season.

Humpuss has recruited Piers Hunnisett, the 1992 Formula 3 champion, as professional assistant and driver coach in its major bid to reign the Formula Asia this year.

Twenty cars are expected to compete in the Formula Asia races, the region's prestigious single-seater event scheduled to include 16 legs. Indonesia will host the first two and the final legs, while the others will take place in Malaysia, Thailand and China. A total of US$130,000 prize money is at stake this season.

Tickets for this weekend's races are on sale for between Rp 5,000 and Rp 10,000 (between $2.20 and $4.50). The tickets include the bus trip from Blok M bus terminal in South Jakarta to Sentul.(amd)