Motorsport: Kiwi teen close to first international title

James Munro has led the Formula Masters China series from the start.

Christchurch teenager James Munro gets a chance this weekend to race to his first international title. The 17-year-old has been contesting the six-round Formula Masters China championship and arrives in Shanghai, China for the last round leading the series.

The Kiwi started the series off with a hiss and roar, winning all three races at the opening round and consolidated his points lead over the next three rounds. However, he came unstuck in Zhuhai, allowing his nearest challenger, Matthew Solomon, to close the gap to just six points.

"Practice went quite well and we were equal quickest. More importantly, we were faster than my nearest challenger [Solomon] in the championship," said Munro from Shanghai.

"The way I see it is that I just have to match everyone else in the races whereas the rest of the field have to beat me by some margin.

"Sure, I want to go out and win every race this weekend, but at the very least I can be a bit conservative as I don't have to chase the championship lead."

Munro has led the series from the get-go and while his nearest rival may be Solomon, his Cuba Pacific Air by KCMG teammate Brit Dan Wells sits third in the title race 42 points behind the Kiwi. As there are three races over the weekend, Wells does have an outside chance of snatching the title from the Kiwi and Solomon if they tangle with each other.

"Fingers crossed, I hope it will work out this weekend and I can win the title. Whatever happens this weekend, for me the most important thing is to keep learning new things.

"I have to learn how to deal with pressure, and with only a six-point lead it puts a fair amount of pressure on me to race hard, but not get too carried away and either get caught up in a battle or have an accident."

The Asia-Pacific region is no longer dominated by race series in Australia and New Zealand. Japan has always had robust championships and now Malaysia and China are growing at a great rate. These countries are a viable option for young drivers to cut their teeth in international championships without having to become paupers trying to get to Europe.

"It's a lot harder than people think racing out here," says Munro. "There are a number of good drivers from around the world who are racing in the series. My teammate, for example [Wells], is going to be doing the Macau Grand Prix later this year.

"Another, Solomon, is heading off to Europe to test GP3. Sure, it's not like the depth of field you'd find in the Toyota Racing Series, but some of the drivers here are pretty good.

"The great thing about racing in this championship is that we get to race on massive Formula One tracks like Shanghai and Sepang. It's just so completely different than racing in New Zealand."

If Munro does secure the title it may just open a few more doors for him for next year, considering his Hong Kong-based team, KCMG, also field outfits in Europe and were the first Chinese motorsport team to contest the Le Mans 24 Hours last year.

In the meantime, he's putting the finishing touches on his Toyota Racing Series campaign for next year. "We're pretty much locked in for the TRS season next year and would also like to look at options for an F3 drive somewhere," he said.

Another Kiwi, Earl Bamber, is also racing in Shanghai over the weekend, and he too is hoping to seal a championship. Bamber has been the standout performer in Porsche GT cup cars this year winning in Asia and Europe. This weekend he'll be looking to clinch his second Porsche Carrera Cup Asia title before heading to Austin, Texas to wrap up the Porsche Supercup championship.

Formula Masters
1. James Munro 179
2. Matthew Solomon 173
3. Dan Wells 137
4. Jake Parsons 73
5. Ronald Wu 58
6. Darma Hutomo 52
7. Bo Yuan 52
8. Andersen Martono 51