MOTORSPORT – MARCO Manson from New Zealand triumphed yesterday in race one of Formula Trophy Malaysia’s (FTM) season-opening round, being held this weekend in support of the Formula One Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix in Malaysia 2026.
The Pinnacle Motorsport ace took the chequered flag after 11 laps at Sepang International Circuit (SIC) in a time of 29 minutes 19.010 seconds.
Manson beat Dutch pole-sitter Juste Mulder of Evans GP by 1.130 seconds. Mulder’s Vietnamese teammate Hoai Nam Anh Nguyen completed the podium 2.179s adrift.
A total of 18 competitors lined up on the grid for the race, with the top three being presented their respective trophies in the podium ceremonies.
Another award was handed out then, won by Manson’s teammate Taisei Murakami from Japan, who emerged as the winning rookie.
FTM returns for the weekend’s second race today morning, scheduled for 11.45am local time and 6.45am Bahrain time. Nguyen will be on pole after clocking the best second-fastest time during qualifying yesterday morning.
FTM is one of South East Asia’s premier single-seater championships for junior drivers. Formerly known as the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship, it was rebranded ahead of this 2026 season, which features three rounds, all at SIC.
FTM continues in the footsteps of Formula Trophy UAE, organised as an end-of-season series for Formula Four cars and aimed at drivers preparing to take their first steps into international F4 competition.
The field in round one is largely composed of F4 newcomers, hailing from as far afield as Europe and Scandinavia as well as across Australasia and Asia.
FTM’s second round this campaign is slated for November 6 to 8 alongside the 2026 China GT Championship, while the third and final meeting will take place December 12 to 14 as part of the support programme for the Sepang 12 Hours.
patrick@gdnmedia.bh
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