Malaysian racer Weiron ends Pro Mazda season fourth overall

Malaysian race driver Weiron Tan won Round Four of the Pro Mazda Championship in Alabama in April. He won four races in the just concluded season to finish fourth overall.

PETALING JAYA: Malaysian driver Weiron Tan has ended his rookie season in the Pro Mazda Championship in overall fourth position.

In a thrilling final round at the Mazda Raceway, Laguna Seca in the United States on Tuesday, the Andretti Autosport driver crossed the finish line fifth in Race 1 and ninth in Race 2 – taking his overall tally to 282 points.

Weiron had an unfortunate start in the qualifying round, when his car made contact with a tyre barrier and causing it to spin.

That earned him a red flag and he had his fastest lap taken away from him, forcing him to start from 10th on the grid for Race 1.

There was more agony to follow in Race 1. His car was hit, causing damages to its front wing and suspension but he fought hard to secure fifth spot.

In Race 2, his car was again hit, causing him to go off the track momentarily.

Reflecting on his time in the championship, Weiron said: “We should have qualified on the front row for this round. We finally got the car to be where it needed to be during practice and we were confident it would be good. But then I had an accident in qualifying.

“I want to thank Andretti for such a wonderful year. We may not have achieved the results we wanted, but I still feel that with all that had happened this year, it has made me a stronger driver.

“I’ve made mistakes throughout the year and we’ve been unlucky as well ... but, as ironic as it sounds, I’m glad we made those mistakes because we can learn from them,” added Weiron, who won four races this year.

RESULTS

Race 1: 1. Garett Grist (Can) Juncos Racing 30:58.194, 2. Santiago Urrutia (Uru) Team Pelfrey 31:05.463, 3. Will Owen (US) Juncos Racing 31:07.977. Selected: 5. Weiron Tan (Mas) Andretti Autosport 31:09.170.              

Race 2: 1. Garett Grist (Can) Juncos Racing 29:15.842, 2. Santiago Urrutia (Uru) Team Pelfrey 29:16.271, 3. Neil Alberico (US) Cape Motorsports 29:17.089. Selected: 9. Weiron Tan (Mas) Andretti Autosport 29:19.797.

Final Standings: 1. Santiago Urrutia (Uru) Team Pelfrey 354 points, 2. Neil Alberico (US) Cape Motorsports 302, 3. Garett Grist (Can) Juncos Racing 294, 4. Weiron Tan (Mas) Andretti Autosport 282, 5. Timothe Buret (Fra) Juncos Racing 281.