Sobue reigns in Singapore to win eSIC 2025

Axon’s Akio Sobue reigned over the third edition of the Electric Singapore International Challenge (eSIC), the Top Qualifier backing up Saturday’s performance with a dominant Sunday.  Taking the A1 win ahead of Xray’s Alexander Hagberg, the Japanese driver would repeat the result in A2 to secure an early overall win in Singapore.  Debuting the first production example of Axon’s upcoming TC10/4 Touring Car release the result was the perfect launch for the Japanese manufacturer’s new car.  While Sobue had the perfect weekend his team-mate Hayato Ishioka would be less fortunate.  Securing P2 in qualifying after topping Q3, he suffered an electrical issue in A1 and A2, but with Sobue able to sit out A3 and watch he gave Ishioka  his electrics for A3 and that led to the most exciting of the three A-Main encounters.  With the power setting of Sobue’s ESC a little more aggressive to his own, leading away the field Ishioka would overshoot the back straight and drop down the order as Nicholas Lee took over the lead.  Shadowed by Hagberg the Xray duo looked to have the race under control until Lee spun out.  Having to change car for A3 after an off destroyed his car in A2, Lee was at a loss to explain why he spun out when he ‘wasn’t under pressure’ from his team-mate.  With Hagberg now leading and Ishioka seemingly some way back, the Japanese driver came out of nowhere in the last two laps setting up a perfect show down of a drag race to the finish line – Hagberg just getting it by 0.027 to secure second overall.  With Atsushi Hara backing up his P3 finish from A1 with another in A3, A2 not going his way, the former World Champion completed the podium at RCMC.

Summing up his near perfect performance at eSIC, Sobue said, ‘For me it was a really good weekend.  I had pace all weekend and we showed our production car has a very wide set-up window, it worked in every condition.’  He continued, ‘I was able to watch the last final and I could see that some people finding it difficult to drive because of the narrow set-up window.’  Having started out a sweltering hot day in Singapore, it was much cooler for A3 as the threat of local rain loomed (thankfully never showing up) and conditions changed.  Asked if this wider set-up window was what gave him the edge here on his eSIC debut he said, ‘Yes, it made this quite an easy weekend.  It was really good.’   Sobue also highlighted his team-mate’s impressive pace saying, ‘Also Hayato have the pace, he just had some bad luck in the finals but the last final he had a good fight with Alex, and this was a fantastic race, one of the best of the weekend I think.’  On his first eSIC experience, Sobue said, ‘I really enjoyed the event’ and making a nice observation added, ‘I see a lot of customers looking like they really enjoyed themselves.  This a good for touring car and I think eSIC is a good event to have.’

Summing up his weekend Hagberg said, ‘I am fairly happy with second considering that Akio was always slightly faster throughout practice so at least to be able to be second was a decent result but of course you always want more so we have to try improve the set-up for the next races.’  After his P2 in A1, the Swede said, ‘For A2 I was on old tyres just cruising around and seeing what I could do and ended up being a bit lucky again with two cars ahead having problems so I secured second place.  I made a couple of changes to the car which I thought was better, it’s hard to compare because the first final I was new tyres and second one used tyres, but compared to the day before on used tyres I thought it felt better so I kept the set-up for A3.  I thought it was pretty competitive, it definitely steered more.  I was able to follow the tops guys, even passed them because they made mistakes.  I could maintain the position to the finish although it got very close over the line.’  He added, ‘I felt that I had a decent gap with 2-laps to go and I maybe relaxed a bit too much and Hayato caught back up.  I felt I had it under control but I didn’t, so it was an exciting final’.  Asked his thoughts on eSIC,  he rplied, ‘A huge effort in my eyes by the organisers, they put a big effort and a big investment to make a great event.  For their third time running I think they have done good.  It doesn’t have the numbers like TITC but it has the potential to grow bigger in the next few years if they keep at it like this, so I am really impressed.’

Congratulating Hara on his podium, the very pleased looking Japanese driver replied, ‘Lucky, it was the same as the first A-Main, just wait and its comes.’  Opening his finals with a P3 in A1 on new tyres, he was planning to run a used set for A2 but said, ‘I noticed others were on used tyres so I decided to do the opposite but then after two laps I had a mistake and decided to stop and save the tyres.  So I still have 90% new tyres for the last one.  I was a little off the pace of Hayato but it’s a long time since I had a flight like that in an A-Main so I am just so happy for this result.’  On his first racing experience with the Schumacher he said, ‘At the end I figured out my own style of set-up and I think I can do more with the car’.  Texting Schumacher star Michal Orlowski, Mattia Collina, and the car’s design Andy Murray, throughout the race for set-up advice Hara added, ‘I am really happy they helped me even though I am not a team member and there not here.  I can really feel they are a strong team because they don’t come here but they can see something to give me advice on.’   Asked his future touring car plans, Hara replied, ‘Yes I will keep going, I don’t know which car I run the next time, I think this year I focus more on 1:8 buggy because I have to join the eBuggy Worlds in Portugal and try to help Cayote with their eBuggy project.’  Hara will have little time to celebrate his eSIC podium as he flies to Japan to do a quick switch his touring car equipment for buggy equipment he needs for the Team Cayote backed Asian Buggy Championships which are on in Brisbane, Australia next weekend.

In the other classes that made up the biggest eSIC yet, the 2025 Roll of Honour reads that Sean Lee is the XC-Esc 13.5 Boosted Champion, Ivan Tay was the victor in Hobbywing 17.5 FWD, with the Orca 17.5 Super GT win going to Tanit Kachchapananda.