Photo: TCR Media

Carlo van Dam wins TCR Thailand title in delayed Bangsaen finale

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Singha Motorsport Team Thailand driver Carlo van Dam has won the inaugural TCR Thailand drivers’ championship during the season finale at Bangsaen this weekend, an event which was delayed for five months due to the nation’s mourning period after the death of King Bhumibol Adulyadej.

Van Dam finished second in the first race of the weekend in his SEAT León Cup Racer behind Kantadhee Kusiri’s Billionaire Boys Racing Honda Civic TCR, drawing level with title rival Jack Lemvard in the Vattana-run SEAT on points going into Sunday’s race.

Although Jack Lemvard made a strong getaway from the reversed-grid second race to lead in the early stages, leaping ahead of the Kratingdaeng SEATs of Chen Jian Hong and Grant Supaphongs, Kusiri carved his way first past van Dam’s SEAT on lap five and then Lemvard’s car on lap six to take another victory in the JAS Motorsport-prepared Civic.

Although Lemvard finished ahead of van Dam in the race, after taking into account dropped scores, which was introduced when TCR Thailand shared the grid with the International Series last October, 30-year-old van Dam comes out on top by seven points in the standings to win the first TCR Thailand drivers’ championship ahead of Lemvard.

The 2017 season starts in a little over two months’ time at the Chang International Circuit at Buriram.