This weekend’s (14-17 December) final two races in the Thailand Super Series Super Eco Class at the Chang International Circuit will not see Malaysian teenager Hayden Haikal fighting for the overall championship but an even bigger agenda – to firmly keep the doors open for him to move up into the higher classes of racing in Thailand.
As the only Malaysian driver to compete in two full seasons of racing in Thailand, Hayden pushed the boundaries this year by not only racing in the Thailand Super Series Super Eco Class but also another separate event, the Idemitsu Super Turbo Championship in which he was crowned overall champion in the Junior (Normally Aspirated) Class. Making his racing debut in Thailand in 2022, Hayden went on to being crowned the runner-up in the Thailand Super Series Super Eco Class.
“Finishing second in the 2022 Thailand Super Series Super Eco Class and winning this year’s Idemitsu Super Turbo Championship has certainly helped with awareness and to open doors for me in Thailand. The target is to move up the ranks in Thailand for 2024 ultimately to compete in either the GT4 or GT3 classes of racing but there’s nothing concrete yet at this time,” said the 19-year-old.
Hayden said competing in both Malaysia and Thailand this year has certainly accelerated his growth as a driver.
“The standards of racing and the level of competitiveness are similar in both countries, but in Thailand there is greater emphasis placed on minimizing contact between cars and controlling aggression on the track. You can be fast but you need to be clean. The difference in language has been a slight disadvantage but both the team and I try our level best to overcome this at every race.”
On whether he felt his first full season competing in Thailand has sufficiently prepared him for a GT Class debut, Hayden said: “Yes, I’m ready to move up and I have also completed some testing albeit in older GT cars to familiarize myself with the machine. It’s an entirely different race horse but once you become acquainted with its technical capabilities you learn to not become intimidated by the power.”
While Hayden was triumphant in the Idemitsu Super Turbo Championship (winning 5 of the total 6 races throughout the season), his stint in this year’s Thailand Super Series Super Eco Class with a new team Pipekids Racing exposed the young man to an entirely new role – not as championship contender but as development driver.
Starting the season with a 5th and 6th placings, he has quickly propelled Pipekids Racing from being newcomers to a serious contender when he finished 2nd and 4th in Round 2 of the championship. A 12th and 20th finish in Round 3 due to mechanical problems however, eliminated any chance of Hayden fighting for championship or repeating his performance in 2022.
“We are a new team and it’s great to be able to be able to be part of the process to develop the team and the Honda Brio Amaze (sedan) to its fullest potential against a grid full of Suzuki Swifts, Toyota Yaris and Honda Brio (hatchback). We have learnt a lot as a team and hopefully this year’s experience will place Pipekids Racing in a stronger position to fight for the championship in 2024.”
Despite his young age, Hayden already has six competitive years of saloon car racing experience under his belt. He moved up from karting to beging competing in the GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge one-make series race at the age of 14, before going on to become the youngest ever driver, at the age of 16, to win the series’ Sporting Class championship for amateur racers. The following year he was crowned the series’ Super Sporting Class overall champion for professional drivers. He has also scored podium finishes in the Sepang 1000KM Endurance Race, the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) and the Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) Series.
“Overall, 2023 has been a stellar year for me and I am looking for opportunities to move up to GT car racing. It’s definitely a long and hard road ahead but I’m all in.”