Suriya leaves the championship

After participating in the first two events of 2010 Formula BMW Pacific season, Suriya Bala Kerisnan decided to move his career in a different direction. The 17 years old Singaporean driver withdraws from Formula BMW Pacific to join Asia Racing Team’s AFR Championship squad until the end of the year.

Suriya Bala took part in AFR Championship Round 1 in Zhuhai, claiming two third-places finishes. Now, with half the season completed, he is currently standing in seventh place.

Asia Racing Team will skip the Guangzhou race in preparation for Singapore Grand Prix from 23 to 26 of September.

Q & A with Suriya Bala

Q. As we are now nearing the middle of the year, what can you say about this season up until now?
A. I am happy that I have improved so much my racing skills and my physical fitness! I lost 13kg in 4 months and maintained it until now! I really have so much passion in this sport that I am ready to do whatever it takes to reach the top!

Q. Any areas where you and the team still need to develop?
A. I still need to get my head into the game in the first few laps off qualifying! I always do my fastest lap on the last lap, which is not ideal! I hope I can really change the game plan as the team is really working hard to give me the best possible car to drive! And I also need extra good LUCK!

Q. What do you expect from the next Formula BMW Pacific races?
A. I am hoping for a little bit more. Korea is a new circuit for everybody! It’s time for me to show that I’m capable of running top 5! In Sepang, we never had any time to get ourselves up to pace with the front-runners. This only pushed me really far back and it took me a while to get up to the standings. I know the other circuits that are after Korea as I had the chance to race in Singapore and Macau last season. I’m looking forward to my experience to play huge role in creating history for my Singaporean fans!

Q. Singapore GP is the most important race of the season for you. What is the feeling to race at home in such big event?
A. Last year I didn’t have any pressure, as it was my first Formula BMW race and people was not expecting anything for me. As I am the only Singaporean driver to race in the Singapore Grand Prix’s Formula BMW Pacific race I will to try my best to put the Singapore flag high up! I think it’s going to be eventful race, that’s my hunch.

Q. You did one Formula Renault race in May. How do you compare AFR Championship with Formula BMW Pacific?
A. Formula Renault was rather a big break for me to show that I am capable of running with the front-runners with knowledge from the team and track! That’s all I proved! That’s all I need to prove, as I never had time to get used to Sepang track.

Q. You met Asia Racing Team in 2009. How do you find yourself in the team?
A. The team is great! I can’t ask for any better as I really blend with the team members and they know me well. That’s the key for going into a season, the team knowing the driver and the driver knowing the team well.

Q. After 2010 season, what is next for Suriya Bala?
A.The ideal plan, like most drivers, is to move to Formula 3 or GP3. However it all depends how I finish in Macau and also how well my sponsorship go along. Plan “B” is to race with Asia Racing Team in Formula BMW Pacific or AFR Championship.

Suriya scores first points at Sepang

Asia Racing Team (ART Motorsports) and Suriya Bala finally got the first points of the 2010 season at Sepang. The Singaporean driver managed to finish 9th in both Saturday races of Formula BMW Pacific’s Asian Festival of Speed (AFOS) event.

Suriya started the weekend penalized by his poor starting position on the grid – 19th but he didn’t give up on Saturday’s Race 1 and Race 2. Bala did two spectacular getaways that helped him to secure a top-10 position in the first laps. In both races Bala early understood it wasn’t time to push out of his safe pace, and his smartness paid off.

There was no Malaysian delight for the Asia Racing Team on Sunday, and this time around luck was no lady for the 17-year-old Singaporean, and although he did his best to score points he failed to make it into the top 10 in both 10-lap races.
Speaking about his second Formula BMW Pacific event, Bala said, “It was a satisfactory weekend for me as I managed to score some points in the championship. However, I was a little disappointed when I was up in 8th place for Race 3 on Sunday only to be demoted because I wasn’t really pushing like how I did on Saturday. I hope I can really make a podium or a “Top-8” result Korea in August!”

Formula BMW Pacific continues in August with four rounds schedule for the brand-new Formula 1 track currently being built in South Korea. Meanwhile, Suriya will be back in action next weekend at the Zhuhai International Circuit for the AFR Championship season opening.

#5 Suriya  Bala (SIN)

Qualifying: 19th

Race 1: 11th

Race 2: 12th

Race 3: 17th

Race 4: 15th

ART and Suriya hoping to bounce back

Asia Racing Team (ART Motorsports) will be leaving this weekend for Kuala Lumpur for round two of the Formula BMW Pacific Series. After a tough season start, Suriya Bala wants to bounce back and savor some success at the Malaysian track.

In the first event of the season the 17 years old driver from Singapore qualified in eighteenths place but didn’t manage to cross the in line in Race  1. Determined to recover from his first disappointing race, Suriya had an eventful Race 2 in the middle of the pack to cross to finish in sixteenth place.

Speaking ahead of the second weekend of the season, Suriya Bala said “After realizing my mistakes in the first two races of the series I’m really looking forward to get back in the car to show what I can do. I have been training really hard on my physical fitness and now I feel even more fitter! I will make sure I will use the maximum of what I have got to make my weekend great for me and the team.”

Team Manager Philippe Descombes, added: “Everyone is highly motivated after the break and the main thing, as always, is that  we  focus  on  producing  a  strong,  consistent  weekend. We will work hard to score the first points of the season. I am sure Suriya has learnt from his mistakes and he knows what it takes to build up the weekend.”

Official Free Practice for the Formula BMW Series will be held at Sepang on Friday May 14th, and the qualifying session will be run on the morning of Saturday, May 15th. The first two 10-lap races will happen later on Saturday, and the further two rounds will be held on Sunday May 16th.

For more information please visit www.art-motorsports.com and www.suriyabkt.com

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Tough weekend for Suriya at Sepang

Asia Racing Team (ART Motorsports) endured a tough weekend at Malaysia’s Sepang circuit. Suriya Bala Kerisnan Thevar did not finish Race 1 but was able to make up for it in Race 2 in sixteenth place.

Last Saturday the 17 years old driver from Singapore qualified in eighteenths place after an unsatisfactory Free Practice session on Friday afternoon. He had a far-fetched race start that would end in a fall. In lap 3, when Suriya was already fighting for a Top-10 position, he lost the control of the car and crashed into an opponent.

Macau’s Asia Racing Team managed to repair the #5 car for Sunday’s 10 lap race. Determined to recover from his first disappointing race, Suriya had an eventful race in the middle of the pack to cross the finish line in sixteenth place.

Speaking about his first weekend of 2010 season, Suriya said, “I’m just disappointed from Friday as I did not drive how I should have. I am pleased that I am able to start well and gain places in the first laps. I still have plenty things to learn that I didn’t have time in testing to improve. However, to have improved with only limited days of testing was really good enough for the start. I am looking forward to the next weekend, hoping that luck will smile in our direction again. I am pushing myself to work towards being a lot better driver and I will keep improving my physical condition.”

Formula BMW Pacific returns to the Malaysia next month for four rounds as part of the Asia Festival of Speed weekend from May 13-16.