Autopolis presented the team with a unique challenge as the 4.7km long circuit and thunderous straight blend themselves in with the 18 difficult corners that range from high speed sweepers to first gear hairpin turns. To add character and unforgettable charm the track sees over 10 storeys of elevation change, making it truly a roller-coaster ride for the drivers.

Practise sessions saw the team fighting hard to locate a good setup whilst the drivers got down to the task of finding the right lines and strategy around the track. The local racers have fabled that the last corner itself has over a hundred racing lines and this was becoming a reality for Team PSP as the gradually increasing pace saw the drivers continuously finding different and faster lines with each lap!

Qualifying for race 1 saw Fariqe sit his car second on the grid, with Mashlino a close third on the grid. Syahrizal was second in class during the first qualifying session, and third in the second session. Mashlino managed to secure second place on the grid for race two while Fariqe was unlucky and could not get a clean lap during his qualifying session as he continuously met with traffic on the track and this thwarted his efforts and he could only manage fourth place in qualifying session 2.

Race 1 got underway with a mild drizzle and strong winds but Fariqe got down to business and chased championship leader Franz Engstler for the whole 10 laps of the race, dominating his second place from start light to chequered flag in Division 1. Mashlino got tangled in traffic but found his pace back and finished fourth overall. Syahrizal had a good battle with series veteran Danny Stacy Chau and managed to overtake him for win in Division 3.

Race 2 did not hold out and heavy rains and stronger winds greeted the drivers as they made their start in truly appalling conditions. Despite this, Fariqe gained a position at the start and drove a determined drive that had him gaining on the leaders until he spun off the track during the heavy downpour.

Mashlino had great difficulty starting as his car was sitting on a very wet part of the track and as he got underway in regaining lost places his troubles continued when his windows fogged completely and had to pit for the crew to clean the windows. With a clearer view of the track Mashlino put the pedal to the metal and quickly gained back his places and finished in third position in Division 1. Syahrizal made a good start and despite the ever worsening weather found himself clinging tightly to his position and finished the race second in Division 3.

David Wong, Team Principal, said:” Japan has been extremely challenging for the team, we had several incidents as the drivers were pushing very hard to improve their pace, but nevertheless the team has managed some podium finishes making all the effort worth it! ”

Fariqe said,”I really enjoyed the challenge this week, Autopolis is so challenging and immensely rewarding when you get it right! I pushed very hard but was unlucky in race 2 and look forward to Zhu-Hai next month to try get further up the podium! ”

Mashlino said, “It was a very eventful week for me, I had a big crash in practise but somehow managed to go even faster after I mangled the car a little! My podium finish is a good birthday present for the team and myself!.”

Syahrizal said, “The competition was very close in Japan, making it even more challenging and rewarding. The win and podium finish help my championship chances a lot.”