In his first international racing season, young Malaysian racer Hayden Haikal was forced to settle for overall 2nd place in the Thailand Super Eco series after experiencing a number of unfortunate setbacks. Trailing 20 points in the championship behind local hero Na Dol Vatanatham, Hayden needed to win the final two races, and for his nearest rival to finish out of the points in order to have a shot of becoming the overall champion.
Both drivers have been head-to-head in the championship, trading places on the podium throughout the six rounds going into the finale. The odds however, appeared stacked against Hayden from the beginning of the race weekend at the Chang International Circuit in Buriram, northeast of Bangkok.
A broken gear selector pin in his Honda Brio’s gearbox benched him after only 5 laps in the 35-minute qualifying session. Despite the setback, he had managed to put in a fast enough lap to take 6th place on the starting grid of 23 drivers for Race 1.
In the race, Hayden pushed his way through from 6th to reach as high as 2nd position in pursuit of Na Dol, but then an overheating engine and subsequent loss of power forced him to drop back and eventually finish 5th as Na Dol went on win the 12-lap race.
Hayden’s misfortunes would continue the next day when the bonnet of his racing car came loose during the warm-up session. As it lifted off and flew backwards, it hit and broke the windscreen. With less than 30 minutes before the start of the final race, the team scrambled to find a replacement windscreen but there was just not enough time to have it changed, forcing Hayden to sit out Race 2.
“It is what it is. Still, finishing 2nd in the championship is not all that bad considering it is my first time racing in Thailand and abroad. I’ll gladly take that result any day,” said Hayden, the only foreign driver participating in the Thailand Super Series, the country’s premier racing event. His determination during his debut season gained him recognition as a rising star.
“Overall, it has been a fantastic season for me in the Thailand Super Eco series. I never expected to be fighting for the top 3 positions from my very first race at the Bangsaen street circuit in June but I did. We went on to win 2 races and finish 2nd three times in 6 rounds, only missing out on the points in one race due to mechanical issues,” he said.
“This wasn’t exactly the finale weekend I had envisioned but that’s the uncertainty of motor-racing – you accept the result as best you can and live to fight another day. My parents and I now have to assess the season and decide if we will return next year. Competing abroad has certainly given me the invaluable exposure I require to move up the ladder but it is also a very costly undertaking – something that we will need to seriously look into given limited funds and the lack of sponsors,” Hayden said.
At just 18, Hayden has the distinction of being of one Malaysia’s rising young drivers. Karting since the age of 9, he clinched the Sporting Class overall title in the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival Vios Challenge one-make racing series in Malaysia at the age of 16. He then went on to become series champion of the Super Sporting Class for professional drivers this year. He also finished second overall in this year’s Sepang 1000km endurance race recently.
