Rio Haryanto takes 2009 Formula BMW Pacific title.
Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia -- Though it was his father and older brother who
first introduced Rio Haryanto (16/Questnet Team Qi-Meritus) to motorsport
at the age of five, the young Indonesian has since fully come in to his
own, securing the 2009 Formula BMW Pacific Drivers' Classification title
and becoming the first Indonesian driver to do so. Haryanto also
celebrates as his team, Questnet Team Qi-Mertius, wins the 2009 Formula
BMW Pacific Team Title.
Consistency, in addition to no small measure of natural talent, played a
large part in Haryanto's success this season as he earned first-place
points in ten races, a winning streak that began in Round 6 in Kuala
Lumpur and then followed him to Sentul, Indonesia, Singapore, as the
series raced in support of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, on the program at
the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Okayama, Japan and then at the
season finale at the Macau Grand Prix. In total, Haryanto reached the
podium 12 times in 15 races in his debut Formula BMW Pacific season,
including six outright wins.
For Haryanto, his 'home' race in Indonesia proved pivotal: "Sentul was
the turning point for me because it was my home race and I knew the track
better than the others," he said. "From the practice I was the fastest
and then in the four races, perfect. It was really perfect for me and
when we got to Singapore I had some confidence and was able to keep
going."
The Indonesian made his Formula BMW Pacific debut in 2008, when he raced
in the final three rounds of the series as a guest driver. The excitement
of racing on Singapore's Marina Bay street circuit, in Shanghai and at
Formula BMW Pacific's inaugural race at the Macau Grand Prix, brought
him back for a full season in 2009.
"I expected to win the championship because I had already raced three
times as part of the series, so I think I came in with more experience
than the others," Haryanto said. "But at the beginning of the year, I
struggled and didn't win that many races. But then when it came to
Sentul, I won all four races and we just kept working hard."
He also believes that winning the Formula BMW Pacific title will serve as
the platform to further his international motorsport career: "I'm very
happy to have the title and it's fantastic to be the first Indonesian to
win Formula BMW Pacific."
-credit: fbmw pac
