YEONGAM, South Jeolla Province ― Excitement was in the air and adrenaline was pumping at the Korea International Circuit of Yeongnam, South Jeolla Province, Saturday and Sunday.
About 2,000 motor enthusiasts and indusry insiders ― according to the event organizers ― flocked to the circuit to enjoy the Asian Festival of Speed.
Composed of three major events ― GT Asia Series, Porsche Carrera Cup Asia and Audi R8 LMS Cup ― top-notch racers from around the world gathered to flaunt their skills and compete for important points for the 2015 race season. GT Asia is the first event to open up this season that will conclude in Shanghai in November.
A total of 28 drivers paired up and participated in the GT Asia races held on both Saturday and Sunday. Some of the most luxurious supercar brands in the world, including Aston Martin, McLaren, Lamborghini, Ferrari, Bentley, Porsche and Audi ruled the circuit.
Aston Martin’s Vantage V12 GT3 enters the finishing line at the GT Asia race on Sunday.
They were heavily covered with their sponsors’ logos, pictures of dragons or other playful characters and were surrounded by scantily-clad race queens on the grid. Before the race the drivers and mechanics invited the audience to look, touch and feel the world’s finest sports cars and their good luck charms.
If fact, the cars on the circuits were beyond supercars. The Aston Martin vehicles, one of which came in third on Saturday and gained 12 points for the season, have a maximum capacity of 760 horsepower after several enhancements, only to be restricted by the GT3 rules to less than 500 horsepower.
Despite the remarkably small audience ― Russell O’Hagan, project manager of Craft Bamboo GT Asia Team, confessed, “Drivers love to drive in front of large crowds, surrounding by yelling.” ― the race itself was thrilling and full of drama.
On Saturday’s GT3 session, Ferrari F-458 GT3 driven by James Calado and Mok Weng Sun ruled the circuit but was later caught by Richard Lyons and Frank Yu driving Aston Martin Vantage V12 GT3. But it was Ferrari F458 GT3-driven by Davide Rizzo and Anthony Liu who grabbed the golden plaque at the last minute.
“I tried to get hold of the tire but there wasn’t much I could do about it. I did the right thing and didn’t give Anthony a hard time,” Yu joked at the press conference held shortly after the race.
On Sunday, Aston Martin beat Ferrari and Bentley, proving it ain’t over till it’s over.
But racing isn’t always glamorous at the super car event.
Darryl O’Young and Jonathan Venter driving another Aston Martin had to give up after several laps from the start because of a minor contact with another car inflicting substantial damage to their vehicle. Though in extreme distress, the duo decided to play it cool and stay at the paddock eating snacks. When cheered by colleagues, Venter, 19, just shrugged.
The race itself has many issues to tackle. Its distance from Seoul and Incheon International Airport is a hurdle not only for attracting crowds but also for the logistics of transporting goods for the event, not to mention the lack of entertainment or other fun things to do while drivers and the crow are not engaged in the race.
Still, the Asian Festival of Speed is probably the largest speed race events in Korea with all the super cars out in the market. McLaren launched just couple of weeks ago in Korea, introduced its FFF driving team, while Audi set up a large VIP box. “Just listen to the engine of the cars … this is why I come here every year,” a motor enthusiast at the GT Asia said.
By Bae Ji-sook (baejisook@heraldcorp.com)