All is set for the Formula 4 Southeast Asia (F4 SEA) racing event happening at the Clark International Speedway in Pampanga this weekend from October 15 to 16.
The six races will mark the first ever Federation Internationale de l’Automobile (FIA)-certified racing event in the country with the F4 discipline being the link between kart-racing and F3.
“Formula 4 creates a synergy between the FIA and the training of the talent of tomorrow, in a championship which matches control of costs with the highest levels of engineering safety,” said federation president Jean Todt.
The F4 SEA is a single-make championship with all vehicles used by the drivers following the same specifications. Each race car will carry a homologated Renault F4R four-cylinder engine with a two-liter naturally aspirated displacement in an F4 Mygale carbon monocoque chassis which is FIA F3 crash test certified.
The F4 SEA also upholds an open data system which makes all vehicle and race data available which further levels the playing field and pushing drivers and race teams to improve through driving and not other enhancements.
The speedway will be a challenging track for the young drivers with its 18, mostly left-handed turns.
“Compared to the previous race, I think this track is really tricky because you have so many tricky corners, you have to be very precise. Otherwise, the minute you overdo, you’re just gonna spin, the minute you do less, you’re not fast. So you have to be on the edge of this track to be the best,” said 18-year-old Akash Gowda, one of the drivers participating at the event.
The top seven drivers for the Formula 4 SEA series of races will earn FIA super license points which will contribute to their 40-point requirement to secure a super license.
“What the FIA has done was not to just create a path to the F1, but to create a path to a professional career in motor sport,” said Peter Thompson, Chairman and CEO of AAA, and Founder and President of Meritus.GP, the exclusive race engineering services provider for F4 SEA.
Official fuel partner
Petron has partnered with Asian Autosport Action (AAA), the licensed promoter of FIA Formula 4 SEA, as the official fuel-provider for the whole event.
The race cars will use the new Blaze 100 Euro 5 fuel which was officially rolled out yesterday, meeting the Euro 5 emission standards which significantly lessens Nitrous Oxide, Benzene and Sulfur levels in its tailpipe emissions.