Pattaya Pro Racing Series, Rd 5, Bira Circuit, Chonburi - Pro Car paddock, pitlane & grid views

Last weekend the fifth and final double-header round of the Pattaya Pro Racing Series was held at the Bira International Circuit, located just 10 km inland from the popular Thai seaside resort, and after trips to two rounds of the Super Carchampionship at Bira in recent months it was time to venture back to this 2.41 km permanent course to see the action on offer from what is a relatively new motor sport championship. The weather was warm and pleasant which always a good starting point to a weekends racing.

The Pattaya Pro Racing Series Series offers a multi-layer programme much like the Super Car series, combining production cars, pick-ups and motorbikes in a rapid-fire programme. Like the Super Cars there is an itinerary of races on the Saturday and Sunday.

As I have mentioned previously the Bira circuit, which first opened in 1985, is Thailands only FIA approved track and is the countrys premier facility. After the shock of stepping away from an itinerary that involves the worlds biggest and most-modern tracks in moving to Thailand earlier this year and immersing myself into local motorsport life, Bira, does pose a decent challenge to the driver and engineer on a track that is actually quite demanding and technical. Named in honour of the famous Thai Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh who was by all accounts a sportsman of some repute, the circuit itself is reasonably tight and contains a bit of everything: a constant radius first bend that demands technical precision on entry, leading into short, sharp uphill rise that quickly twists to drop through a sharp 180-degree bend that needs to be taken with care, too much entry speed and the tyres will suffer as the driver scrabbles to correct, this altitude drop continues sharply into a kink from which the elevation rises back up before feeding into a pair of hairpins. The lap ends with a double apex with pit-in nestling between these precise curves. The main straight is a decent length; the circuit is a little bit narrow at many points while, especially with the mixture of driving skills on offer, it can get pretty dirty off line. There are also a few bumps and the kerbs need to be used precisely. There is only one grandstand but there are plenty of viewing points and from the infield the track can be easily accessed too.

Due to other commitments I am here on the Saturday, the build up to Sundays climax, with races being held on both days, and this mornings programme is given over to motorbikes, ranging from buzzing tiny mini-motors and monkey bikes ably ridden by excitable youngsters that show a good turn of speed not to say bravery, through a single-make series dedicated to the droning Click Honda scooter, no doubt also a popular machine with the tourists beating the Pattaya trail just down the road, to the howl of the top-end Pro Bike runners.

After lunch the four-wheel action kicks of with a rapid-fire afternoon programme that sees the racing cars and pick-ups rotating out on the track, through two practice/qualifying sessions apiece before the headlining races get underway. First its the sedans and hatchbacks that make up the Pro Car series and they are split into two classes: the combined A/B category and class C, with cars such as Toyotas Vios and Yaris, Hondas Jazz and Nissans Tiida all in evidence along with a few tidy-looking Protons and Mitsubishis. Some of the cars are driven to the track, and using the local highway for impromptu shakedowns during a meeting is also deemed the norm here. Grooved road-legal tyres are used, and according to the entry list, they are split between the Bridgestone, Goodyear, Yokohama, Toyo and Achilles brands.

Category:

Autos & Vehicles

Tags:

• pro
• cars
• paddock
• and
• grid