10 minutes was all that separated Vincent Floirendo from championship glory at the TSS The Super Series by B-Quik finale last December 16/17. En route to the finish in P3, his #55 ENSport by Absolute Audi R8 LMS Evo II grinded to a halt outside of Turn 3 of the Chang International Circuit with his title hopes going up in smoke. His efforts, however, did not go unrewarded with the Filipino driver walking away 3rd in the Drivers’ Championship and driving B-Quik Absolute Racing to 1st in the Teams’ Standings this 2023.
All eyes were on Vincent as he held onto a slim 6 point lead heading into in Buriram, Thailand. Adding to the pressure was the fact that his usual co-driver Markus Winkelhock was indisposed that weekend. But in his place was 23-year-old Audi Sport talent Luca Engstler, who proved to be as if not more potent behind the wheel.
Vincent began the proceedings in P8 after a valiant effort in Qualifying that put him on the 4th row of the grid. He managed to move up to P7 in the early part of Race 1 then maintained position throughout a solid 30 mins stint. Luca then took over and charged his way through the field. Son of famed touring car driver Franz Engstler and owner of Engstler Motorsport, the young driver set successively quick laps to power the #55 Audi R8 LMS Evo II up to 5th place across the finish line and more importantly, keep Vincent’s championship hopes alive.
The pair already had the 2023 Thailand Supercar GT3 title in their sights with Luca starting from pole in Race 2. Although he was able to hold onto the lead, the German was not able to open up a gap. He was hounded throughout his stint with 3 other Audis close on his tail, forcing Luca to push every single lap. A quick driver change would see Vincent get back on track still in the lead, but later dropped back to P3 as he let 2 non-championship scoring entries go by. With the race coming to a close, all he had to do was to bring the car home in P1 and the 2023 championship was his. However, his season came to a dramatic stop when an engine fire forced him into retirement with only 10 minutes to go on the clock.
Despite missing out on the title, Vincent still finished 3rd in the drivers’ standings while helping B-Quik Absolute Racing to take the Teams’ Championship. 2023 was also a banner year for the Filipino where he secured his very first victory in the Thailand Super Series at the Sepang International Circuit, plus a podium finish at Singapore GP, and a very memorable outing at the 70th Macau Grand Prix.
Vincent Floirendo: “I just had to finish the final race of year and take the title. Unfortunately we suffered an engine fire and retire with only 10 minutes to go. Bad luck, but that’s racing. It was a good 2 seasons competing in the TSS The Super Series and really thankful for the experience. Looking forward to next year where I plan to take my races to Europe and experience historical tracks in the region.”
