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Brothers Willet; Warwick and Thompson win Papa Ray’s Birthday Scramble
Dennis and Larry Willet, Ian Warwick and Bill Thomspon
played an exceptional team round to win Papa Ray’s 90th Birthday 4 Ball
Scramble at Pattaya Country Club on Monday May 9.
In what has become one of main events in the local
golfing fraternity, a total of 104 players turned up at 9 a.m. on a fine
morning, for Papa Ray Rogers’ birthday scramble. This year with special
significance as Ray was celebrating his 90th birthday.
 Gary
Rogers (right), receives a gift on behalf of Ray from the Pattaya Sports
Club, led by Gerry Carpenter (left), PSC president.
The first groups teed off at the 1st and the 10th, to be
followed by another 12 groups on each tee.
The course was in pretty good condition, considering the
weather of late, and with it being a scramble, the teams moved along very
well. It was however pretty hot, so much water was consumed.
This is an enjoyable event as the teams are usually
comprised of friends, so they can have a good chat and laugh on the way
around, and this usually continues on to the later function.
After a short break, this day was to finish at Ray’s
House as it used to do for so many years, with his family here from the
States to oversee the celebrations. After all Ray has what all the
‘young’ 60 and 70 year olds aspire to, he’s 90.
After zooming around, and maybe after a quick snack in
the restaurant, all jumped into transport and joined the crowd building up
at Ray’s house for the food and presentation.
Winning
Team Bill Thomspon, Larry and Dennis Willet minus Ian Warwick, who had ‘To
Go’ accept their prizes after winning with a net 55.4 a Pattaya Country
Club.
From the cooking area appeared a hot and bothered Bjarne,
thanks for his and his family’s help, so all could be told shortly by
Diamond Dave that the food was ready, wise men avoided the stampede. The
food was laid out, and was an excellent buffet style meal, enjoyed by all,
as it has been for years past.
Before the prize presentations got underway, a special
presentation was made by PSC to celebrate Ray’s 90th Birthday. Dave
proceeded in announcing the team winners, and there were some good scores.
In fifth place with net 58.5 was the team of Bob Dibben,
Marilyn Dibben, John Horton and Kevin Fitzgerald. In fourth and only .3
ahead was the team of Dave Pittman, Graham Houston, John McMullen and Colin
Rowell with 58.2.
So to third and half a shot ahead were the team of Wayne
Koch, Kevin Callaghan, J.C. Lhoste and Richard Kubinski with a 57.7. In
second, and comfortable, with a fine 55.6, were Dan Lundberg, Magnus
Johansson, Martin Hanfelt and Daniel Shamir, they could have won as on the
par 5, hole no. 8, all players put their ball ‘O.B.’ and had to play 3
off the tee.
The winners, with a net 55.4 Dennis Willett, Bill
Thompson, Larry Willett and Ian Warwick took the ultimate honour.
“Diamond” Dave Pittman thanked the sponsors and the
organizers, mainly Dave Richardson, George Bennison and Bernie Tuppin, the
staff and Bjarne and his crew. Then slowly people drifted away to let Ray
build his strength for his 100th. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: #5 Brendan Kelly, #7 Marilyn Hays-Dibbens, #12
Roy Pimblett, #16 Marie Rowles
Long Putts: #9 Al Rolnik, #18 Hans Kafka.
Everyone wins
in a health marathon
Suchada Tupchai
Admiral Vichai Yuanangkoon, Commander in Chief of the
Royal Thai Fleet, fired the starting pistol for the inaugural Sattahip
DAO, the Dongtan Bay walk-run mini-half marathon against drugs on May 8.
“Go!”
The inaugural Sattahip DAO, the Dongtan Bay walk-run mini-half marathon
had well over a thousand participants.
Pairote Malakul na Ayuthaya, Sattahip sub-district
administration organisation president, and thousands of residents joined
in the event aimed at promoting health awareness in the Dongtan Bay area
of the naval operations base in Sattahip.
“The run for health concept is currently in vogue for
individuals, families and communities in Thailand, promoting a healthy
lifestyle and caring for one’s own health, rather than leaving it to
doctors and nurses,” said Pairote.
“This type of responsible thinking is the crux for
changing attitudes in Thai society, leading people to use their spare time
wisely as well as avoiding the dangers of drug use.”
The event saw over a thousand men and women take part in 21.1-kilometre
and 10.5-kilometre runs as well as a 3-kilometre walking event. The race
began beachside and went as far as the Sea Turtle Conservation Centre and
the Scout Jamboree site. Winners received gifts and prizes.
Kirkland sweeps Siam clean
PSC golf from the Three Sisters Bar
On Monday, May 9, a small gathering appeared for Monday
golf. As it was, Papa Ray celebrated his birthday, as usual on the May 9 and
most of the golfers were there to help him celebrate (Happy Birthday Papa
Ray!)
With just a few golfers it was surprising that one of the
best scores of the year was shot on this day.
Matt Kirkland, after a stint of work in the Middle East,
was back on form as he clobbered the field with 44 points. He stated that
his driver was working and he hit most of the greens to make it an easy day.
In second place with a respectable score of 38 was Chris
John. Chris won a few weeks ago but somehow the article got lost in space,
never to return. (Sorry Chris) - The rest of the field trailed off as the
next best scores were posted at 33 points. Five golfers got stuck at this
point.
Holding the bag this week was Dave Miller. He is normally
at the middle of the pack, but with so few players, Dave managed to shove
Kenny Mau out of the way to take the cellar position. Dave managed 25 points
as Kenny squeaked out of the cellar with 26.
By the grace of God Kenny managed to score on the last
hole to climb into the sunlight. With more participants next week, I’m
sure that the bag will be passed along.
Due to phone line problems over the past weeks, some
articles got waylaid - cheers Herbie.
Cyclists turn out in droves for first
Larn Island mountain bike challenge
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
Riders crammed the starting line for the first Larn
Island Mountain Bike Race, vying for the coveted Princess Soamsawalee Trophy
and a share of the 50,000 baht prize monies.
Thongchai
Piadnok (right), A class men’s winner and Rachanee Petchmark (left), A
class women’s winner, with Mayor Niran during prize giving.
Presiding over the start of the two-day event, held from
May 7-8, was Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn. Joining him were city
councilors, and organizers from the Pattaya-Chonburi Cycling Club, SMP Co
Ltd and Numchai Bicycles.
“Koh Larn is a tourist destination with a beautiful and
natural environment,” said Mayor Niran. “Pattaya City and Koh Larn
community leaders organised the Larn Island Mountain Bike Race 2005 to
promote tourism to the island and enable residents and children the
opportunity to exercise and stay away from drugs.
“Bicycles are an eco-friendly way to compete without
polluting the area as well as create and promote further awareness of the
island as a popular cycling spot.”
Competition racing was separated into two main
categories, cross-country and downhill. The latter gave racers a chance at
the Princess Soamsawalee Trophy.
The overall men’s winner was Sithichai Gatekaewmanee
and the overall women’s champion was Sattayanant Abdulkali. Both are
members of the national cycling team preparing for the upcoming SEA Games in
the Philippines later this year.
In the cross-country category A class men’s winner was
Thongchai Piadnok from the Payat Klaeng City team. The women’s A class saw
Rachanee Petchmark, also from Payat Klaeng City team, take line honours.
The overall men’s B class winner was Thadar Khumfubutr from the
Buraphakarn Klueng team.
Two weeks to go and the race heats up
Pattaya Sports Club Friday Bowling League
200
bowlers - Jim, Ooy, Somrak and Ken.
Quite a few teams are still in the race for the
trophies with only two weeks remaining and 8 points up for grab. Cafe
Kronborg looks like they will win at least one of the trophies after
taking four points from Q Cars. Three Sisters lost three points to
Mai’s Thai Restaurant and are slowly dropping down the ladder. They
are now tied for third with Shenanigans who are going up the standings.
Shenanigans beat first place Brother D four points to nil. Cafe Ole
stayed in the hunt as they too four points from Friends. Domicil are
also contending winning three points from VFW Post 9876. Most bowlers
are still having trouble figuring out the lanes at Pattaya Bowl and
scores are still low.
Best bowlers of the day were:
Ooy, House of the Golden Coin: games of 213, 178, 174 - 565 series
Nual, Cafe Ole: 507 series
Wade, Mai’s Thai Restaurant: 502 series (622 with handicap)
La, Three Sisters: 512 series
Somrak Mai’s Thai Restaurant: 214 game - 529 series
Ken, Shenanigans: 211 game
Tue, Shenanigans: games of 189, 175, 170 - 534 series
Dang, Cafe Kronborg: games of 179, 181, 192 - 552 series
Jim, Spare Bowler: 201 game
Lions table tennis contest a roaring success
Ariyawat Nuamsawat
The gym at Pattaya School No 2 was the venue for the
youth tournament Lions Pattaya Table Tennis Championship 2005, organised by
the Table Tennis Association, Lions Club of Pattaya and city hall
representatives.
The
heat of competition among the many competitors.
Mayor Niran Wattanasartsathorn, Chonburi MP for Pattaya
Chanyuth Hengtrakul, and Dr Yongwit Kewcharoen, Lions Club of Pattaya
president, presided over the opening of the tournament.
Held from April 29 to May 1, the event was aimed at
developing the sport among young people and providing new activities within
the community.
Competitors were within five main categories: boys under
12, the 15s and 18s, and the under 18s in singles, doubles and teams.
The results of a weekend of competition ended with the
under 18 team winners being Lions Pattaya A; The singles champ was
Theeradech Mekamporn from Lions Pattaya; in the under 18 boys singles
Thanwat Wipawaatankul from the Prasert Ping team won his class and in the
under 15 singles Tossaporn Wiharn from team Pichit taking the top prize.
The under 12s singles winner was Yossawan Paiwirote from team Yasaka.
At the end of the competition, prizes were awarded to
winners and their coaches in a small ceremony.
Riley & Jacks tie at Phoenix
IPGC Bunker Boys at the OK Corral
On Tuesday, May 10, the Bunker Boys from the OK Corral
chose Phoenix Mountain and Ocean nines as the venue for their weekly medal
shootout, under a hot and humid sky on a beautifully presented course. The
only drawback was the greens, uncut for two days and with the original holes
showing signs of distress. This belied the posted stimpmeter speed of 8 and
threw some of the golfers into confusion for the first few holes.
The large field was cut at eighteen and under and the
second flight golfers struggled as tees were back at their farthest points
and some of the pins remained cut on slopes. Barry Pethig and Les Hall dug
deeply to record scores of net 78 and share third place whilst Philip Jacks
took his first podium place with an admirable net 76. In-form Rob Heath had
taken a voluntary cut of three shots and his honesty was rewarded with the
flight’s best score of net 74.
In division one scores were better with Steve Nowell firing the best
gross of the day to take third place with net 72, whilst the mercurial Harry
Riley (“I don’t like medal play”) matched the former Olympian Brian
Jacks shot for shot, both going two-under to share the day’s major honours
with their net 70s. Brian also shared the rolled-over two’s pot with Steve
Nowell and Frank Pilkington leaving him as the day’s biggest winner,
whilst the newly returned Ciano Glavinia even brought cream to the
presentation, fully confident that he would be awarded the Bananas. He was
not to be disappointed. The day’s other highlight was the birthday
celebration of Mr. Denis, mine host at the OK Corral, and it’s always good
to see the venue owner turning out regularly on the golf course, the
enjoyment of the day surpassing any thoughts of business opportunities. Well
done Denis. Well done all.
Tollitt flushes a net 62 for medal
IPGC Golf from Lewiinski’s
Sunday, May 8
Green Valley
Monthly Medal
1st A Flight: Simon Spaulding, net 69
2nd A Flight: Phil Mitchell, net 70
3rd A Flight: Simon Philbrook, net 72
1st B Flight: Colin Davis, net 70
2nd B Flight: An Kaesavane, net 72
3rd B Flight: George Jackson, net 73
1st B Flight: Bruce Tollitt, net 62 - Monthly Medal Winner
2nd B Flight: Stan Dismuke, net 69
3rd B Flight: Nat Meesuk, net 71
Near Pins: # 8 & #16 Nick Payne
2s: Nick Payne, Jim Wickstrom, An Kaesavane, George
Jackson, Jeff Johnson, Frank Pilkington, and Bruce Tollitt
Are they short on glassware across the street? Was there
a coup and the Mulligan’s players threw Bruce across the street? Well,
whatever the reason, Bruce Tollitt, Mulligan’s golf manager, strode across
Soi Pattayaland One and joined the lads for a Sunday outing, as he had in
several prior weeks and many times in years gone by, to try his hand at the
Monthly Medal Tankard. His humble past showings gave no indication of what
was to come on this day as Bruce tied the all-time net Medal low of 62 set
by Spot the Dog way back in December of ’02. He has hardly been seen this
week as he feels it is only safe to move amongst the shadows and is rumored
to be fleeing to the UK for his annual hiatus. International handicap police
have been alerted to his movements.
Seven shots adrift to Bruce, and tied for second best on
the day, was Stan Dismuke and his C Flight silver with net 69. The Nat(ural)
edged Mike “The Mechanic”, on count back, for the last of the C Flight
loot.
In the Premier Flight, Simon of Spaulding and Simon of
Philbrook bracketed yet another UK refugee, Phil Mitchell on the A Flight
podium. Simon of S had the second best net round of the day at 69 and the
best gross score of the day at 74. John McHugh joined the podium holders as
being the only players to shoot in the 70’s gross, but alas, a count back
victory by Simon of P left him but a footnote.
In the middle flight, The Donkey continued his fine play
with a winning, albeit relatively modest net 70 to take the day over the
possibly re-energized An Kaesavane and the redoubtable “One-Ball”
Jackson. Talk about a rose between two thorns!
Nick Payne, playing his last round of this visit, scored
a bit of an oddity by winning both near pins and scoring a valuable “2”.
Tuesday, May 10
Laem Chabang, B & C
Blue or White Tees
Stableford
1st Blue Flight: Rick Harris, 41 pts
2nd Blue Flight: Kuni Wakabayashi, 40 pts
3rd Blue Flight: Jeremy Masse, 37 pts
1st White A Flight: Kevin Fitzgerald, 40 pts
2nd White A Flight: Colin Davis, 39 pts
3rd White A Flight: Rick Sharp, 37 pts
A good sized field made its way to impeccable Laem
Chabang to take on the Lake (B) and the Valley (C) courses off their choice
of the Blue or White tees. The Blue Bangers were led by two impressive gross
76s, with Rick Harris’ being worth 41 off his 9 handicap and Kuni
Wakabayashi’s being worth 40 points off his 8 handicap. Jeremy Masse
(there’s that name again) lopped another stoke off his plummeting handicap
with 37 points off the 6721 yard blues.
One of the visiting Omani tribe, Kevin Fitzgerald rattled
the pay window for the first time in recent memory and relegated The Donkey
and The Hermit to second and third in the White Flight, the latter still
needing a count back over Gary Blackburne to achieve that.
Wednesday, May 11
Burapha,
American Wood & British Link
Blue or White Tees
Stableford
1st Blue Flight: John McHugh, 39 pts
2nd Blue Flight: Simon Spaulding, 39 pts
1st White Flight: Joe Mooneyham, 39 pts
2nd White Flight: Mike Gaussa, 38 pts
Well, Burapha didn’t re-name their A & B side
according to my recommendation, they chose American Wood and British Link
instead. But the course was as welcoming as ever. A couple of old hands won
the two flights with Johnny McQ leading the Blue and Joe “I’m in the”
Mooneyham taking the White. McQ needed a count back to eek out a victory off
mate and friend of all, Simon of Spaulding. Mike Gaussa got his nose wet
early in what is to be a 3-4 month stay, which he has dedicated to improving
his game. It looks like that improvement is well on its way.
Friday, May 13
Century Ban Chang, White Tees
2-man Betterball
Stableford
1st Place: John McHugh/Joe Sebastian, 44 pts
2nd Place: Joe Mooneyham/Rick Sharp, 43 pts
A two person better ball was the order of the day as
irate wives and girlfriends provided only a limited number of kitchen passes
to the Sodom and Gomorrah down south. John McHugh, rounding up this 4-month
rotation to Pattaya, teamed with Joe Sebastian(i) for a winning 44 points, a
scant point ahead of the team of Joe Mooneyham and The Hermit and the team
of Simons (Philbrook and Spaulding). The former put a count back on the
latter to earn the second spot on the short podium.
Tight scoring at The Haven
IPGC Golf from The Haven
Monday, May 9
Phoenix Country Club
Stableford
1st Norman Isherwood, 37 pts - cb9 20
2nd Peter Johansson, 37 pts - cb9 18
3rd Bob Lindborg, 32 pts - cb9 18
4th Roy Thornton, 32 pts - cb9 17
Phoenix is always a delight to play even when one is
tackling the hardest two nines over the Mountain and Lake Courses. And the
scores reflected the new difficulty now that the changes are starting to
grow into the course.
Norman Isherwood claimed the day’s top spot by virtue
of an exceptional back nine, which garnered him twenty points against Peter
Johansson’s best effort of eighteen,
However they were both four shots clear of the chasing
group headed by Bob Lindborg, also being successful on the last nine but
only by a margin of one shot over Roy Thornton.
There were no two’s in the second division and the pool
was carried forward but Roy Thornton had the only one in the first division
to sweep the pot including the previous carry over.
Prior to the presentation of the prizes and in the
absence of Richard Livingston, taking the week off to have all his remaining
teeth and stumps removed, Roy welcomed back Roar Berger for a short
rehabilitation from the snowy climes of Norway.
Friday May 13
Royal Lakeside
Stableford
1st Kuni Wakabayashi, 38 pts
2nd John Desmond, 37 pts
3rd Glynn Nicholas, 36 pts - cb9 19
4th Micky Moore, 36 pts - cb9 17
The long trip up the motorway to Royal Lakeside was made
even longer when the course management insisted on putting out a five ball
in front of the speedy Major Roy and his group, which inevitably meant that
the whole course played an extra one and a quarter hours longer. When will
‘the powers that be’ finally get to understand that five and six balls
mean that the rounds are played slower and especially in the high season,
fewer players can get on the course?
Kuni Wakabayashi was the least affected as he cruised to
a fine two under to claim the day by a single shot from the “Pin Up Boy”
John Desmond who slipped straight back into the groove after a trip away
earning a few goats to finance his exotic life style in The Kingdom.
Glynn Nicholas was a further stroke behind taking third
place on count back ahead of Micky Moore, who again put in a solid
performance in an Order of Merit qualifier.
There was only one two in the first division and that was
achieved by Chris Davisson and there was also only one in the second
division and that was taken by Toy Theobald to sweep the pot which included
three carryovers.
Before presenting the prizes Roy welcomed back John
Desmond.
Moonshine wane under the stars of Bolaget
Jomtien 8 Ball Pool League
Most effective win this week was by previously bottom of
the table Twilight Zone, their narrow home win (5 - 4) over lowly visitors
S&N Palace lifted them off the bottom by four places. S&N remain in
last position in the league table.
Country
Club hosted Moonshine Place, with the home team defeating the visitors 7-2.
Hide-a-Way were heavily defeated at home (1 - 8), by
visiting top of the table San Snack Bar, severely denting H-a-W’s hopes of
fighting it out at the top of the table. What happened John; did your magic
soup not work this time?
Lying second in the table, Simple Simon visited
Paweena’s and came away with a 2 - 7 win over their hosts to maintain
their league position behind San Snack Bar.
The very erratic form of Bolaget was in evidence again
this week. At home to visitors Lucky Bar, Bolaget gave in to lose 3 - 6.
Without some kind of consistency Bolaget are destined for only a mid table
position.
Elsewhere Moonshine Place visited Country Club and
managed to win only one singles and one doubles in the course of the
evening. Moonshine’s Ron was unlucky to lose when his opponent, Yat,
banked the black (twice) to miss the intended corner pocket and drop into
one at the opposite end of the table. The match was lost before the doubles
were even played due to some fine potting by the hosts and indifferent play
by visitors Moonshine. Final score was 7 - 2 for CC.
Next door at Woaw’s Pub visitors Rose & Thistle
suffered a torrid time going 4 - 2 down at the interval to their hosts. The
vociferous support for Woaw’s drowned conversations next door at CC. The
outcome (7 - 2) was in Woaw’s favour, bringing to a close visitors
R&T’ resurgence in form. Is this the end of R&T’s aspirations
for a podium finish? Certainly Woaw’s performances continue to impress.
Climbers and Fallers; first the fallers, dropping
steadily down the table are Hide-a-Way who were early table toppers but now
reside in sixth place. Similarly, podium seekers Moonshine Place have under
achieved to reach third from the bottom. Climbers; Woaw’s Pub have risen
from mid-table to third overall where they lie in wait for any slip up from
the contenders San Snack Bar and Simple Simon. Most impressive are Country
Club who were second from bottom early in the season and now sit in fourth,
a team for all to be wary of over the forthcoming fixtures.
Week seven, May 19 sees leaders San Snack Bar at home to
Paweena’s and Moonshine Place also at home to Twilight Zone. Both home
teams should run out winners.
Second place Simple Simon host avaricious Woaw’s Pub; expect a close
result here. Erratic Bolaget host equally unpredictable Rose & Thistle,
not even a “crystal ball” can give a result for this match. Visitors
Hide-a-Way should take the points when they are away to bottom team S&N
Palace. Country Club are away to Lucky Bar who would do well to get a
result.
Fourth Koh Samui Regatta: In the wake of excellence
Peter Cummins, Pattaya
Following the highly-successful Top of the Gulf Regatta,
held off the Ocean Marina Yacht Club two weeks ago, it is “all go” for
the upcoming Fourth Koh Samui Regatta, with a number of craft following the
trend to Samui, including Gulf keelboat champion Saranya Makinson, helming
Gary Baguley’s prize-winning Jeanneau 35, “Magic Roundabout”. Another
winner from the Gulf is John Vause, helming “Buzz 8”, also a winner from
last year’s 18th Phuket King’s Cup Regatta.
 Grenville
Fordham takes to the waterways, forsaking, momentarily, his IT
Already 26 craft have entered, a number of which will be
will be sailing to Samui from the Ocean Marina, Jomtien and several will be
transported by road. Other entrants are sailing in from Hong Kong, Malaysia,
New Zealand, Sarawak and Singapore,
The Thai yachts entered also span a broad cross-section
of nationalities such as Australia, France, Ireland, Italy and the UK.
Bill Gasson originally planned a “feeder” race to
Samui from Jomtien but it was not all that practical and, for even the
faster yachts, it could be a 30 - 40 hr beat into a strong headwind, if the
conditions remain the same as the past month or so.
By mid-week, however, a number of storm fronts were
hovering around the horizon and the skippers were prepared for some changing
weather patterns.
There is
fun “ashore” too, at the Samui Regatta.
The big craft from the Ocean Marina Yacht Club set sail
earlier this week: David Pollard’s “Foreign Exchange II”, Gary
Baguley’s “Magic Roundabout” and Kirati Assakul’s big catamaran,
“Sonic”. Gasson’s new power catamaran and the recently-launched
“Serenity”, a huge mono-cat, piloted by Jean Obry are motoring to Samui.
Gasson’s winning sportsboat, “Buzz 8”, David
Bell’s “Pink Pussycat”, Frankie Brancaccio’s “Vivace” and Radab
Kanjanavanit’s “Cedar Swan” will opt for the overlander.
Radab
Kanjanavanit opts for the overland route to Samui: keep the sea for racing.
The Samui Regatta, to be sailed from May 23 to 29, is the
third major regatta in the Kingdom this year, following the Pang Nga Bay and
the just-finished first major regatta to be held off the Jomtien Pattaya
shores, the Top of the Gulf Regatta. A major feature of this year’s Samui
Regatta is the number of Thai-built craft competing, with shipyards from
Phuket, Koh Samui and Jomtien Pattaya all represented.
The ‘grand daddy’ of the fleet is Hong Kongian Frank
Pong’s new 75ft Reichel Pugh design, “Jelik”, closely followed by Sam
Chan’s “Ffreefire”, an ULDB-designed sloop.
Frank’s new “super sloop” has been a-building for
some time, following the wreck of his original “Jelik” two years ago.
The smallest craft are the sportsboats, “Attitude 8”, a Phuket-built
Duncanson 8, skippered by Mark Horwood, the Jomtien-built “Buzz 8”,
helmed by John Vause and the Australian import Fremantle 8, helmed by David
Bell - all 8-metre (25 ft.) craft.
As usual, at Regatta time, the whole island of Samui steps in to support
the event, with Central Samui Beach Resort on Chaweng Beach acting as the
regatta nerve center and focal point.
Brilliant Benda beats Bill and Ball
PSC McAllister’s Golf
May 13 - In an awesome display of shot making, Bob Benda
shot 79 off the stick for 43 points to win first prize at Century Ban Chang
last Friday. It was his best round of the year, and today’s score together
with similar displays over the past weeks will send his handicap plummeting
much to the relief of those of us also seeking headlines. Bill Thompson who
has been shooting the lights out everywhere since his return with consecutive
rounds of 75, 77, 77 and 76 today came in second with 42 points. Larry Ball
came in third with 41 points in his best game since he decided to get serious
again, benefiting no doubt from building his own golf course in the back
yard. Daryl Evans, another good guy from the Land of Oz came in fourth with
39 points.
(l-r)
Larry Ball, Bill Thompson McAllister hostesses, Mai and Tye together with
winner Bob Benda.
Playing in Bob Benda’s foursome, we watched in amazement
as Bob dismantled the course together with Dene Mundy who again scored well
with 38 points, both of them taking all but one of the skins and completely
denying Herbie Ishinaga who was shut down constantly on the green. Week after
week we have witnessed impressive scores by both high and low handicappers at
Century Ban Chang, which bodes well for the McAllister’s Banchang Open to
be held on Saturday June 11. The format for this event is a four-man scramble
with an entry fee of 1,600 baht, including green fees, caddy fee, shirt,
buffet and other promotions. Sign up at McAllister’s, PSC Clubhouse, 3
Sisters, Shenanigans, and Grapevine.
Back at McAllister Bar & Grill, the winners again showed their
generosity showering the assembled unruly mob with successive rounds of
drinks. Ever-smiling Don McAllister made sure that the buffet was constantly
replenished and that his lovely hostesses were always available to assist the
patrons. The early tee-times of 7:30 to 8 a.m. ensure that everyone has
completed their rounds in time for lunch with the remainder of the day
available for all to enjoy this delightful venue.
Sunday Quiz League
Wednesday Quiz League
Mickey Mouse Darts League
PSC golf from Tropical Bert’s Beach Bar
Tuesday, May 10
Burapha Stableford
The thing I like most about this day out is that it is
civilized and friendly. Nice long sit down and breakfast when you get there,
relaxed atmosphere during the drive down, no panic on the tee and a relaxed
round. It all seems to flow easily.
Andy
with Technical winners.
Then a relaxed shower, maybe a coldie and a quick trip back
to another coldie and Bert’s special of the day. On this day a very fine and
well enjoyed chicken and chips. They went down really well.
On the day the test was to be Burapha, one of the best days
out around, and the test was to be the C & D course, maybe not the
favourites but good enough to be going on with. Surprisingly this course had
managed to keep its fairways well watered and at the present is one of the best
to play, with green fairways and very nice greens.
Back at Bert’s we had a fine winner in Andy Evans, as he has just returned
from his home country. The scribe told him he should have stayed a week longer,
as he beat him by one shot. Such is life. Then to the saga of telling the story.
This has to be the best bit. T.T.F.N.
PSC golf from the Café Kronborg
Thursday, May 12
Bangpra
Stableford
A diversion on Route 7 meant a drive down Sukhumvit in
the morning rush hour, not the thing to calm one down before you stand on
the first tee, however, the thought of 18 holes at Bangpra had a mellowing
effect.
 Philippe
Berra, Flight A winner.
Unfortunately the long drought has not been kind to Bangpra
and it is to be hoped it will rain soon and restore this finest of courses to
its normal pristine condition. It is as dry and brown as can be remembered.
Still, the greens are fast and tricky, if the fairways are
dry and brown. On this day it was also hot, but a stiff wind cooled you down a
little, so it depended on whether the hot dry conditions affected the golfers
more, or the cooling wind.
As the scores came in it was obvious the better golfers had
coped with the conditions better, so the A Flight, 0 to 17, scores were better
than the B Flight.
 Marie
Rowles, Flight B winner.
In the A Flight the winner was Philippe Berra with 38 points,
ahead of a countback for second on 37 points won by Brian Noguer with Clive
Robinson in third.
In the B Flight we had a countback for winner on 34 points,
won by Marie Rowles with Alex Backlund in third. We then had a three was
countback for third won by Arthur Bailey, with Bob Rasmussen and Dave Richardson
just missing out.
As the Diversion on Route 7 was one way only a good and
pleasant trip back was had by all. T.T.F.N.
Near Pins: #2 John Swanson, #8 Philippe Berra, #12 Reidar Anderson, #17
Arthur Bailey.
Steve scores inaugural Grapevine Tankard
PSC golf from the Grapevine
Thursday, May 12 saw the Grapevine golfers travel to Khao
Kheow for the inaugural Grapevine Tankard, a monthly stroke event, which is
held the second Thursday of each month. A great prize of an engraved crystal
beer tankard is up for grabs, plus all the usual offerings.
 Steve
Hamstad, drinking a cold beer out of his newly won crystal Grapevine
Tankard.
Steve Hamstad was the lucky winner after making a fine
comeback on the second nine of the difficult Khao Kheow course. Several
stories emerged on the day with a few people having just one hole that
cruelled their score for the day. An interesting occurrence worth mentioning
was when Paul Donahue’s ball defied gravity by skimming 5 times across the
water before it sunk!
Technical prizes on the day were shared amongst Roy
Pimblett, Steve Hamstad, Jeff Wylie and Colin Cronin. Nooket Gummer won the
lucky draw.
The presentation was preceded by a fine meal of fettuccini alfredo, which
was unanimously well received by the golfers. So, if you are looking for a
game of golf on a Thursday, get down to The Grapevine, Soi Regent Marina and
sign up. If you’re just looking for some great food, cold drinks, and
would like to relax in a lovely courtyard or air-conditioned bar, just call
in and say “g’day”. You’ll feel right at home. Cheers & good
golfing. JW
PSC golf with The Bunker
St. Andrews Golf Club
Monday May 9 was a Stableford competition at the very
difficult St. Andrews course. It was the first time this year that the Boys
from the Bunker have played there and they found the course extremely
difficult. Paul Smith managed to score 31 stableford points to capture first
place while Alan Freeman scored 29 points with a scratch handicap. Mark
Thomas came third with 26 points and only 2 people reached the green to
capture a near pin prize. Roger Foley and Bill Hewitt shared the near pin
prizes.
 PJ
Redmond reflects on his win at Phoenix.
Phoenix Country Club
This week we changed the play to Tuesday because of the
Sports Day prices, but playing back to back days was not worth the savings.
Only one division that played a medal competition in which P.J. Redmond won
the honors with a net 67. Second place was Mitch Malone with 71 and John
King was third with a net 72. Near the pins was John King, Roger Privett and
Mitch Malone.
Pattaya Country Club
Friday The 13th did not scare off the golfers. The
biggest turnout since the start of the low season made it an exceptional way
to end the week.
Bob Turner had a great day with 43 stableford points to
capture first prize in division “A”. Three players tied for second with
39 points, they were Geoff Parker, Granville Swanton and Mark Thomas. In
division “B” John Preddy was the winner with 36 points. Joint second
were Len Jones and Bryan Rought with 34 points. Near the pins were won by
Eddie Martin (2), Bill Hewitt (almost a hole in one) and John King.
The Bunker Boys are located on Soi Chaiyapoon (near X-zyte disco and
across the street from Tony’s Disco II). Monthly golf schedules are
available or consult the Pattaya Mail every week.
Soi 6 Quiz League
The Beautiful Game?
Riz Taylor,
Congratulations to West Bromwich Albion, who managed to
stay in the Premiership by beating Portsmouth on a thrilling final day of
the season. Manager Bryan Robson thoroughly deserved the success after
winning over boo-boys who were calling for his head after a disastrous
opening spell.
It’s another of Robson’s former clubs that’s been
in the news recently. If you were ever in doubt as to the popularity of
Manchester United Football Club, living or holidaying in wonderful Pattaya
will quickly clarify matters. Hop onto a motorbike taxi on your nearest soi
corner and tell the rider you’re from England (whether you are or not),
and the response will likely be something along the lines of: “Ah! England
very good! I like Man Yoo!”
This worldwide recognition of the United ‘brand’
might be the ultimate downfall of the club, if you believe some of their
more sceptical supporters. Furious hoards protested outside Old Trafford
last week in disgust after Malcolm Glazer, an American businessman with no
apparent knowledge of football, finally made his long awaited move to take
over their beloved Red Devils. United’s popularity seems to have finally
caught up with them.
“NOT FOR SALE”, screamed the banners and placards,
and some fans even saw fit to burn an effigy of the jolly-looking tycoon.
Unlike the unsuccessful attempts in previous years by the
ball juggling clown Michael Knighton and later the outsized Sir Robert
Maxwell, Malcolm Glazer looks set to achieve his ambition of owning the
world’s most famous football club. Like a shark hunting a seal, Glazer has
circled and waited until the perfect moment to step up his poorly concealed
interest in Manchester United.
Initially taking a 2.3% interest in the club in March
2003, it wasn’t until late 2004 that he upped the ante as he moved to 30%
and began to exert an influence. Last week, following the Irish duo JP
McManus and John Magnier’s decision to sell their interests, Glazer took
his stake to within a hair’s breadth of the magical 75% figure he required
to take the club private and ‘delist’ the club. On Monday he passed this
figure shortly after the markets opened for business. With the side having
completed their home fixtures for this season there seems little opportunity
for a mass protest, and so tomorrow’s FA Cup Final may be the only vehicle
for the faithful to vent their displeasure.
Why, you might ask, are United fans up in arms over
Glazer’s suspected intentions? After all it was only recently that Russian
billionaire Roman Abramovic took control of Chelsea, and their progress has
been relentless.
The difference lies in the financial situation of the two
men. Glazer has financed the deal by borrowing heavily, needing to offset
some of this huge debt onto the club.
In 1983 Tottenham became the first club to float on the
stock exchange, bypassing a rule against this kind of move by creating a
holding company called ‘Tottenham Hotspur plc’ and cleverly making
‘Tottenham Hotspur FC’ a part of this. Others followed, but in most
cases it has not been a success. Yet ironically it’s the one club who have
been running a healthy ship and making profits year on year that now find
themselves up to their necks in debt, to the tune of a reported 300 million
pounds according to some sources.
Supporters, including the ‘Shareholders United’ group
that seems to have failed to acquire a large enough stake to fight off
Glazer, fear that raised ticket prices and further commercial deals will be
necessary to pay off the interest alone.
The fears seem well grounded. Glazer also owns the Tampa
Bay Buccaneers, the Floridian NFL team. Since taking control ticket prices
have risen year on year and the Buccaneers stadium has been renamed after a
deal with a US financial company. Whilst this August may not see the
McDonald’s Reds kick off their season in the Old Trafford Nike SuperDome,
the stadium looks like an attractive money-spinner for raising revenue.
Yet some of the more bizarre claims seem a little over
the top, such as Glazer planning to run the club into the ground. Like any
other investor the American will be looking for a sizeable return on his
outlay, meaning that letting the football team suffer would make no business
sense. After buying Tampa Bay he made a highly unpopular decision to
immediately replace the team’s coach, but this time around he’s eager to
keep United manager Sir Alex Ferguson in the fold. As a sweetener to
Ferguson, who is said to find the takeover distasteful and may consider
retiring earlier than planned, Glazer may provide a 20 million pound
transfer kitty this summer. This figure is unlikely to excite the fans -
Wigan Athletic are expected to have a similar funds to strengthen their
newly promoted side. And Chelsea can afford to lose this kind of money down
the back of the sofa..
There is also the underachieving football team to deal
with. As Ferguson has searched for the right blend of players to rebuild a
third great United side, many of the ‘old guard’ are starting to show
their age. Roy Keane seems way past his best and the golden generation of
Paul Scholes, the Neville brothers and Ryan Giggs also seem on the
downslide.
It all adds up to an enormous gamble for Mr. Glazer, and
makes for an interesting year or two ahead at Old Trafford. But bare in mind
that Tampa Bay did go on win the Superbowl a few years later.
The only winners in this whole saga are McManus and Magnier, who have
made a profit of 80 million pounds in just four years. Nice work if you can
get it.
Londoner GASed, Dubliner D้truits
MBMG International Casuals League
Ten points adrift from the leaders before this weekend,
but with three games in hand and a head-to-head with the champions-elect
just around the corner, this was the weekend that The Londoner would have
hoped to apply some real pressure on to the not-far-from-mighty Dubliner
boys... However, apparently cruising at 2-0 against a battling but
predictable German Team, the league’s new boys chose the wrong time to
take their foot off the pedal, ease off the gas and cruise to a canter. One
dubious penalty and an equally dubious equalizer later (mind you, all goals
against The Londoner are questionable according to that Stamp boy’s weekly
reports) and the lads from Sukhumvit 33 were staring down the barrel of the
nickname ‘The Nearly Men’. As the goal scoring German forward sportingly
kicked the ball into the stands to eat up the last few minutes, Londoner
goalkeeper Torrence seemed to be reflecting on the cruel nature of the game
- although the words he roared out seemed less like philosophical reflection
and more like the call to arms at Bannockburn!
Dubliner supreme Junior must have been overjoyed at the
German comeback, and told his reduced squad (“My boys don’t like playing
on Saturdays”) to go out and enjoy themselves against the predictably
unpredictable even more reduced squad of the low-tar Gaulois de Bangkok and
their manager Les. The sparse crowd then witnessed what some have called
shock result of the season; despite missing several key players, the lower
placed team easily beat their more experienced opponents by 4 goals to nil -
yes, Shrewsbury’s victory over RC Pattaya was certainly not expected! (The
Dubliner also lost 4-0 to the French by the way. Playing slightly below par
on a sticky wicket, this result leaves the league title race wide open as we
head towards the final furlong through the chicane...)
Other results saw Patana maintain their recent good form
by not playing and gaining a creditable 0-3 reverse, their best result for a
while there, whilst Seaboard FC used their Pattaya home advantage to good
effect again to rob Robin and the FCers from the Hood 4-1. Winking Frog
stars, Stanley, Jay Jay and Diallo proved unstoppable again as they routed
Bangkok United 6-2. And finally the late season surge from the Bangkok Blitz
failed to get off the ground as the British Club kept the TV fashion kings
firmly in the bottom slot with a 3-0 drubbing.
Please visit www.somtam.com for more updates on the MBMG
International Casuals League
Week 28 Results: Patana 0 - 3 Scandinavian
Vikings, Londoner FC 2 - 2 German All Stars, Les Gaulois de Bangkok 4 - 0
The Dubliner, AFC Shrewsbury 4 - 0 Racing Club Pattaya, Seaboard FC 4 - 1
Robin Hood FC, British Club Casuals 3 - 0 Blitz FC, The Winking Frog FC 6 -
2 Bangkok United.
The Square Ring
by Howie Reed
Big time fight card in Las Vegas last Sunday. Former WBC
Super Feather champ Sirimongkol Singwangcha (48-2) became the #1 Lightweight
contender when he disposed of Michael Clark (34-2). Sinmongkol, who lost his
Super feather title to Jesus Chavez, had Clark down in rounds 5 and 7 before
referee Toby Gibson stropped things at 1:50 of the 7th. Local Pattaya folks
may remember Gibson from his stellar appearances at the TQ during the WBC
convention in “ought 1.”
The headliner was the match between Felix Trinidad (42-1)
vs. Ronald “Winky” Wright (48-3). Not title at stake just bragging
rights for something. It was a surprisingly easy win for Wright who
dominated on all three scorecards 120-107, 119-108, 119-108. “Wright
completely bossed Trinidad from the opening bell by dominating the former
multi weight world champion with ease.
Round after round Wright penetrated Trinidad’s non
existent defense with his lightening fast southpaw jab.” Trinidad did lose
a point for low blows in the 9th but that was a not consequence. Wright now
becomes the logical opponent for Bernard Hopkins, which is a fight that will
draw more yawns than ticket buyers. To be sure using “logical” and
boxing in the same story is also a stretch.
Interesting battle with the ‘Big Guys of Boxing” will
take place Saturday night in Chicago USA. One of my big time favorites Andy
“The Foul Pole” Golota at 38-5-1 gets in the ring with WBO Chump Lamon
Brewster (31-2) for the title. If James Toney poured gas on the heavyweight
division even 50% of Golota would be the match to ignite it. It’s been
written that in boxing, two weeks could be a lifetime. Well former world
champion John Ruiz waited that two weeks to announce that maybe he wasn’t
retired. “My emotional decision, coming right after losing a fight I felt
I won, was premature. I was tired of all the criticism and felt everybody
was against me. After reviewing the tape and talking it over with my
advisors, I decided that I don’t want to go out that way. If they want me
out of the sport, they’re going to have to knock me out. I’m back. I
want my WBA belt back (Of course he got it back when Toney failed the drug
test). I still feel that I’m the best heavyweight in the world and I’m
willing to fight any of the top heavyweights.” If John watched the tapes
of the Toney fight and though he won then he needs stronger eyeglasses.
I mentioned Golota and Brewster but there will be a
plethora of Aussies awaiting the outcome of Paul Briggs (23-1) vs. Tomasz
Adamek (28-0) for the WBC Light heavy belt on the same card from the Windy
City. For Briggs this is a chance to shine in the national spotlight and
dominate a division that now has Antonio Tarver, Glenn Johnson and Roy Jones
jr. It’s also a big step as it will be Briggs first fight outside the land
of “Let’s toss a shrimp on the Barbie”. If you looked in the book of
nationalities under Aussie there would probably be a picture of Briggs.
He’s one of those independent sorts. He does his thing. One fight in 1994,
one in 1997 and one in 1999. Three fights in 6 years isn’t called being
over extended. During that time he was a “martial arts champion.” He’s
20-nil since his comeback. Tomasz Adamek makes his first US appearance also.
He fights out of Poland so should feel right at home in Chicago, which is
Poland’s home base in the USA. His competition has also been a bit dodgy
so both fighters have a lot to gain and nothing to lose, as they don’t
have anything to start with. That’s why Robin Hood stole from the rich.
The poor didn’t have anything!
As my late Pappy use to say, “Holy Smoke the Church’s
on Fire”. Just when James Toney was being hailed, in some corners, as the
saviour of the Heavyweight division his reign is over. James Toney
“”tested positive for a banned substance that is not a narcotic.” The
actual name of the substance is called “nandrolone.” The means he’s
been suspended, fined and the fight with John Ruiz declared “no
contest”. So now it’s back to the future. John Ruiz is still the WBA
Heavyweight World champion. Under WBA rules, even when Toney’s 90 day
suspension is up, they must wait two years for a rematch. If you believe in
coincidence the day before the report was leaked, John Ruiz said he was
coming out of retirement. If you believe in coincidence then you believe in
“I love you all my heart” when breathlessly whispered by a “wake me up
before you Go Go Girl.”
With Amir Khan’s 19-13 victory over Cuban Mario
Kindelan on Saturday, he accomplished revenge for his gold medal loss at the
2004 Olympics. It was also to be Khan’s last fight as an amateur as he
officially signed with Frank Warren and turned pro. Under the tutelage of
Frank Warren, Khan will make his proud debut on the undercard of
Hatton-Tszyu. “I don’t think there would be anything else to prove -
Saturday would be as good a time as any to go pro. I would need a couple of
easy fights because it would be like starting from the beginning. But then I
want tough fights because I want to beat the record. I want to go straight
in at the deep end and aim for that world title.” His goal is a world
title by 21 to break Naseem’s record. Not report on if Khan attempts to
break “The Lop Eared Camel Jockey’s” driving record. Another
Olympic-British Hero, that would be Audley “Fraudly” Harrison, gets back
in action on June 9. He puts his bogus 17-0 record on the line against
journeyman heavy Robert Davis (31-6). The fight is part of a TV card from a
California Injun Casino. It’s part of the white guys revenge against the
Redskins for making us take New York those many years ago. Clever devil
those Redskins.
Good to have someone else putting their head on the
chopping block. “Hi there, I am so certain Warren and the Fatman are about
to back out (in the guise of injury). I’m prepared to name the actual day
and time of the declaration to the press. Warren’s strategy to keep Hatton
in the spotlight without risking his undefeated record will have been
covertly served. The Harrison-Brodie bill when subsequently shift to the
Saturday instead of the Friday. Are you curious about the prediction and
want to try me?
Best, “MJ” The Fatman here refers to Rocky “The Hitman” Hatton
who has a date with Kostya Tszyu on June 4, in the MEN Arena in Manchester.
Do I want to try MJ? “No sir re Bob.” Would I put it past Frankie Warren
the Hatton promoter? Not at all. Money talks and Warren above all is about
money. No fight, no money but the beverages continue. Thank you all and to
all a good week!
Rossi wins Le Mans MotoGP
Some of the rider’s comments and media musings are
worthy of note ahead of practice and the race itself. Sete Gibernau is
quoted on MotoGP.com (the official MotoGP website) as saying, “We’ve not
had much luck during the start of the championship but I am still absolutely
convinced of our potential and know the results will arrive”. Sete has had
a disastrous start to the season, not simply unlucky; he lost out in the
exchange of bodywork paint with Rossi at Jerez, slid off for a DNF at
Estoril and limped in a weak fourth at Shanghai. The media however make much
Gibernau’s previous excellent record at Le Mans where he has taken wins
for the last two years.
Free practice; Makato Tamada was out for FP1 but only
managed seven laps before the pain from his injured wrist forced him to make
way for replacement Jurgen vd Goorbergh. Shane Byrne was out on the KTM
engined Proton and completed some 13 laps.
Conditions were dry for FP1 & FP2 and damp / drying
for FP3. Most consistent of the riders was Honda mounted Sete Gibernau who
finished second quickest in two out of three sessions and third fastest
behind Marco Melandri and Alex Barros in FP3.
Colin Edwards on a Yamaha (Rossi’s running partner)
showed some early pace to lead FP1 but faded in the later sessions. Rossi,
where was he? You might well ask! He was never higher than fourth and in FP2
a lowly 13th.
Qualifying Practice; there are three aspects of QP to
note regarding MotoGP. Firstly, lap times are set using “sticky” tyres,
good for only a handful of laps. Thus, there is little comparison with the
bikes race set-up regarding tyre choice for grip and durability. Secondly,
anywhere on the first two rows of the grid is good enough to be in the lead
going into the first bend, it all depends on how good a start the rider
makes. Thirdly, qualifying on pole is a “mind set”, it can sow the seeds
of doubt into another rider’s mind to give the pole sitter and “edge”.
Rossi is a master of the “mind set” in all phases of the game, from free
practice through to the last bends of the last lap of the race.
As he has done before, Rossi (The Doctor) came from
nowhere in qualifying to take the pole position in the dying seconds of the
one-hour period. Teammate Edwards was displaced to second on the grid while
Melandri (Sete Gibernau’s team-mate) completed the front row. Second row
qualifiers were Gibernau and Hayden (both on Hondas) and Kawasaki’s
Nakano. Thus, it was Yamaha’s premier team one and two and Honda’s
premier team three and four.
Race conditions were cool but dry; track temperature was
given as 21 degrees C and race duration was 28 laps. Edwards made a great
start to lead Hayden and Capirossi on the first lap while Rossi was down in
sixth with Gibernau and Biaggi even further back.
Shane Byrne (Proton) and Carlos Checa (Ducati) both
crashed out, unhurt on the first lap.
On lap four Gibernau was lucky to survive a
“short-cut” across the chicane without downing himself or somebody else.
By lap five the first four (Edwards, Hayden, Capirossi and Rossi) had broken
away, leaving Gibernau and Biaggi with some serious work to do to catch up
and overtake.
On lap 11 Rossi moved up to second behind Edwards and on
lap 13 Gibernau was in fourth with Biaggi fifth. Lap 14 saw Barros bin the
Honda while Gibernau mounted a charge on the leading pair of Edwards and
Rossi. The gap between Gibernau and Rossi came down steadily until it became
a three-way dice for the lead. Rossi took Edwards going into one corner only
to end up third as he overshot the exit and allowed Edwards and Gibernau
through. The battle continued until lap 21 when Rossi and Gibernau took
Edwards. Thereafter the podium positions did not change; Gibernau fought
long and hard to pass Rossi but was never quite close enough to make a valid
attempt for the lead.
Other placings were 4. Melandri, 5. Biaggi, 6. Hayden, 7.
Capirossi, 8. Nakano, 9. Elias, 10. Bayliss. The Championship Table now
stands as follows, with Rossi moving further ahead of his rivals; Rossi 95,
Melandri 58, Gibernau 53 Biaggi 47, Barros 43.
Next race is not until June 5, at Mugello, Italy, more
about that in a future article.
Cocker bags maiden win of 2005 season
Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia - Round 2
Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia - Reigning British
GT Champion Jonathan Cocker scored his first victory of the season in Round
2 of the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia after a flawless pole to
chequered flag performance. A well-earned second was Team Thailand’s
Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak after an extremely cool-headed performance, with
fellow countryman Charoensukhawatana Nattavude, in the Chinese SCC Racing
Team Porsche 911 GT3 Cup car, third.
Very
competitive racing was witnessed at Malaysia’s Sepang International
Circuit, by several thousand motor sport fans last weekend.
The 18-year-old Cocker was delighted to have taken his
first Asian win this season, but denied the race had been easy: “No, it
wasn’t easy at all, but I’m glad it looked it!” he said.
Vutthikorn, who had surprised himself when his shortened,
three lap qualifying session had still been enough second position on the
grid, was all smiles following the race having finished ahead of motorsport
veteran Nattavude. “Nattavude is the master and I respect him,” he said.
In Class B, it was once again newcomer Alain Li of Hong
Kong who took victors’ laurels. His second win in as many races on his
return to competitive motorsport after a six-year hiatus. Second in the
Class was William “Chip” Connor, racing full-time in the series this
year, with Vutthikorn’s Team Thailand partner, Sontaya Kunplome giving his
country its third podium finish of the race.
Like Cocker, Li didn’t find his win an easy task: “It
wasn’t easy at all”, he said. “There were lots of cars going off at
the start. Then later there was some oil on the track - and it got even more
exciting!”
The race was typically full of thrills and spills for
every inch of the 20-laps of the shortened, 2.8km Sepang International
Circuit.
The race was high on drama at the start. Cocker and
Vutthikorn both got away well followed by Ramli and British Formula 3 ace
Danny Watts, although reigning champion Matthew Marsh of A-Ha Racing did try
a daring inside maneuver which moved him up to 4th. Ramli began to put the
pressure on Vutthikorn and got by him into 2nd. Watts, in the meantime, was
involved in a collision, which dramatically ended his race in the early
stages.
Jaseri Racing Team’s Ramli then set his sights on the
race leader, but both were lapping with almost identical times with a
stubborn 1.2 second gap separating the two. Behind them, Vutthikorn held off
Marsh, with the hard-charging Nattavude waiting in the wings behind the
pair.
More drama was to come when Porsche Asia Pacific driver
Gene Lee of South Korea ran into problems, and his car, unbeknownst to him,
put oil down on the track creating intensely slippery conditions. It was a
disappointing end to Lee’s maiden Porsche Carrera Cup Asia appearance
where he had been running an impressive 6th.
It was even more disastrous for Ramli who was the first
driver to fall foul of the track conditions, spinning off after a typically
brilliant performance. Disappointment again for the talented Malaysian.
Marsh meanwhile was closing in on second-place Vutthikorn
and eyeing a podium finish. However, he made a mistake running wide and
allowing the chasing Nattavude the chance he’d been waiting for.
The results put Cocker and Marsh neck-and-neck at the top
of the championship leaderboard with 34 points, closely followed by
Nattavude on 32 and Vutthikorn on 30. In Class B, it is Li who tops the
points with 20, with Kunplome on 15 and Hong Kong’s Philip Ma on 9.
Malaysian motorsport fans turned out in force, with
several thousand thronging to the Sepang International Circuit for a day of
the finest regional motorsport in Asia and a host of off-track activities
including pit walkabouts, car displays and drifting demonstrations.
Supporting the Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia are two
of the most recognised names in international motorsport, Mobil1 and
Michelin.
The Porsche Infineon Carrera Cup Asia runs as part of the Asian Festival
of Speed, organised by Malaysian-based Motorsport Asia Limited.
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