B-Quik Racing enjoyed a superb weekend at Sepang Circuit during the fourth round of the 2015 ‘Audi R8 Cup’ with Daniel Bilski right on the pace and collecting two runners up spots that elevate him into a comfortable lead in the Amateur (AM) Cup with just two more rounds and four races remaining.
Daniel and B-Quik Racing arrived at Sepang in bullish mood after cutting the deficit to the AM championship leader down to 8 points during the last round of the series held at Penbay International Circuit in Taiwan back in July.
With the series’ long summer break finally over it was back to action for the popular one make series which features racing versions of Audi’s striking R8 sportscar. Novelties of this racecar include a ‘push to pass’ button that allows the driver extra boost momentarily and pooling of setup data. Teams and drivers need plenty of tactical and technical ability in order to thrive.
It’s already been a great year for Daniel with two wins so far in the #59 entry, which is instantly identifiable thanks to the striking black and yellow livery of the national automotive servicing group which now numbers 123 outlets thanks to a rapid roll out of new stores to meet escalating consumer demand.
Daniel held the runners up spot in the classification due to a great run last time out in Taiwan, which included a win, but he still needed to get to deficit down and also build up a bigger cushion over the chasing pack behind. With the season heading into the closing stages there could be no room for any slip ups, he has to score high in every race to have a realistic shot at the title.
The Australian did that superbly in both races. With the laptimes nail bitingly close in qualifying he dug deep in yesterday’s races, which were held in very mixed conditions, battling into the lead and eventually claiming the runners up spot in each and picking up 36 points.
With driver finishing in P1 in both races not being in the Drivers’ championship reckoning Daniel’s strategy was to push hard but also to manage and conserve the car and tyres and look to pull out a gap over his key title rivals behind. With the driver leading the AM Cup standings going into the weekend not picking up any points that allowed Daniel to leapfrog him in the classification and move into the top spot while extending his cushion over the drivers behind. It couldn’t have worked out any better.
Daniel now has 134 points with Ashraf Dewal (106) next up ahead of Johnson Huang (96). The B-Quik driver has also hit very consistent form, as from the last seven consecutive races he has one win, two second places, two third places and a fourth place, in fact that adds up to podiums out of a possible eight this year – and that’s certainly championship winning form.
The next round of the Audi R8 Cup will take the one make series to Fuji Speedway in Japan on Oct 10-11 for a double header before the season finishes at Shanghai International Circuit in China on Oct 31-Nov 1 with another double header. It means that while Daniel has built up a useful 28-point margin at the top of the standings, with 100 points still on offer he’s going to have to remain fast and focused.
Daniel Bilski
“It was a fantastic weekend for B-Quik Racing at the Sepang international circuit in the R8 Cup and two second place finishes mean we head to the famous Fuji Speedway in Japan leading the AM Class Championship.
“Race 1 was incredibly difficult due to heavy rain which stopped just before the start and it meant a decision was taken to start on slicks on the soaked track. Starting in P15, I managed a strong start passing a couple of cars through the first few corners. The conditions meant driving on the absolute limit of adhesion and continually hunting for the best grip. Close battles ensued throughout with a particularly close fight with Andrew Kim for the duration of the race. I managed to take P1 in class before mid race and hold on for a number off laps before a mistake into Turn 15 dropped me back one spot. It was a tremendous battle all the way to the flag where I finished P10 overall and P2 in class.
“I qualified P2 in class and P11 overall for Race 2 which set us up for a good fight on the now hot track. Poor traction on the dirty side of the grid at the start meant I dropped several positions into Turn 1 but with additional confidence from the Race 1 result that helped me to fight back to P2 in class and P9 overall at the flag.
“The B-Quik team and our Crew Chief David Thomas plus engineer Melissa Metke all did a superb job all weekend, including changing the clutch after detecting an issue in qualifying, and having the right qualifying and race strategy. It was also fantastic to have B-Quik boss Henk at the event supporting the team and to be there to witness us take the championship lead. Thank you Henk.
“Fuji will be extremely challenging but we go there with great momentum and confidence in achieving another strong result.”
Source. FastTrack Media/Photo. Audi Sport
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