Successful debut for Wing Hin Motorsports Team in Idemitsu 10-hour race

Wing Hin Motorsports finished off its 2023 season with a class win in its debut at the 10-hour Idemitsu Super Endurance 600 Southeast Asia Trophy at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand.

All 3 of its entries, among the 64 cars that started, successfully crossed the finish line, with the #438 Toyota Vios piloted by Malaysian touring car champions Boy Wong/Dannies Ng in the D4 Class taking victory and finishing 9th overall. The Toyota Yaris driven by Naquib Azlan/Mitchell Cheah finished fourth in the D3 Class and 10th overall, while a second Yaris crewed by 2023 Sepang 1000KM Endurance Race (S1K) winners Amer Harris/Nabil Azlan finished seventh in the D3 Class and 18th overall.

The win by the #438 Vios was the car’s second endurance race victory as it was the same car which the 2022 edition of the S1K, and finished 3rd in this year’s event. Wing Hin Motorsports also went on to win this year’s S1K with the #339 Yaris and clinched 4th with the #338.

In Thailand, victory in the Idemitsu Super Endurance 600 Southeast Asia Trophy also makes it a triple celebration for the all-Malaysian team across the border this year. It had earlier won the D5 Class in Idemitsu Super Endurance 400 Minutes race in September, and also took the overall Idemitsu Super Turbo Championship Junior (Normally Aspirated) Class championship.

“This weekend’s race saw us competing in the D4 Class for our engine segment as well as the D3 Class for the overall race and we extremely ecstatic with the results albeit so many uncertainties and nerve-wracking moments on the track,” said Wing Hin Motorsports Team Principal, William Loh.

“We were confident we had a good package in all 3 cars and we had extensively rebuilt and prepared the cars after success in the S1K, but we knew the road ahead was going to be a challenging one given the number of quality team entries in Thailand. Ending the year with a Class win, and to have all the cars finishing in the top 20 is nevertheless a great way to end the racing season. We will definitely be back, and even stronger!” Loh promised.

All the hard work and preparation by the team to ensure a reliable car that would last the entire 10-hour race paid off when the top 3 contenders began experiencing mechanical issues or were forced into making unscheduled stops an hour before the chequered flag. It was then that the #438 Vios surged ahead to complete 275 laps, one lap ahead of the #338, to finish 9th overall.

“It was also the result of our strategy throughout the race. It was decided from the very beginning that we would minimize our pit-stops in exchange for longer driving stints. Yes, it was incredibly exhausting but eventually that game plan paid off handsomely with a great result. This is definitely the best result for me in 2023,” said Ng.

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