The TWPro Racing – TEZ Tour Thailand team experienced an enormously successful debut in the Thailand Super Series Championship Race 1 on 25 May 2013 when the driver Andrey Snetkov took third place on the podium in the Super Production 1500 class.
The weekend began smoothly for the team as their Toyota Vios was perfectly prepared and tuned for the race on the Sepang F1 Circuit in Malaysia, and that gave them the chance to record a fast time in qualification and be ranked seventh. It was a great result for Andrey, considering that it was the first racing qualifying of his life and on a technically difficult circuit.
Andrey (standing right rear) takes third place on the podium in Race 1.
For Race 1, Andrey, who is Marketing Director of the TEZ Tour Thailand company, considered one of the leaders in the tourism industry, had a difficult grid position on the curve and this prevented him from making a fast start. But he persevered and gradually picked off the cars in front of him one by one until he was up to third place. On the final lap he had to fight off a determined challenge from the orange Toyota Vios before the safety car came out to end the race.
Andrey commented afterwards, “We knew that our car would be competitive in our first Thailand Super Series and a big thanks to our great engineers from Sa Ing Garage and the tuning done by Lim Garage, who gave us a fantastically reliable and fast car, but we were worried by my lack of race driving experience, as it was my first race. Finally, I was able to control my emotions and we obtained a good result.”
Andrey Snetkov (right) steers his TWPro Racing – TEZ Tour Thailand Toyota Vios during Race 1 of the Thailand Super Series Championship at the Sepang racetrack in Malaysia, Saturday, May 25.
Andrey continued: “Also, I would like to thank all our sponsors – TEZ Tour Thailand, Long Beach Resort and Spa, Top Well Property and all our friends who supported us.”
Thumbs up from Andrey on the starting grid.
In the Race 2 held on Sunday May 26, there was drama right at the start as a multi-car accident at the end of the first straight left Andrey with a punctured rear tire and he was forced to negotiate a complete circuit on three good wheels before entering the pits for repairs. With the time lost on the opening lap and in the pit lane, the TEZ Tour racer was unable to make an impression on the top positions in the final shake-up.
Following a successful debut weekend, the team is now looking forward to 6 more races ahead in the Thailand Super Series Championship and the TEZ Tour Thailand team and mechanics are working full time to achieve even more impressive results in the future.
The next races will take place at the Bira Circuit in Pattaya on July 13-14.
