The definition of “motorhead” can vary depending on who you talk to. For some, it’s about making their ride beautiful. For others, it’s about speed or even keeping it as close to its original condition as possible.
For our guest today, however, it’s all about the ability to control speed, cranking it up to the optimal, precise cornering skills, plus a strong determination to not only become a professional racer, but also the most promising racer on the scene right now.
Let’s get to know Mai ISR or ‘Mai ISoldRACE’ (real name Aniwat Lommahadthai) a bit better, shall we?
If you’re not following Thai motorsports, the name might not ring the bell. Let’s quickly recap what Mai has achieved over the last couple of years:
- Competed as part of the TMC-Drive68 by WBB3 team in the Vios One Make Race category, Idemitsu Super Endurance 12hr in 2020.
- Competed as part of the TMC-Drive68 by WBB3 team, a champion of RAAT Endurance Championship (long distance event, 6 hours, 3 circuits) in the Toyota Vios One Make Race category for two consecutive years (2019-2020). A champion of Bangsaen Grand Prix 2019 (long distance event, 3 hours) in the Vios One Make Race category.
- Competed in the Idemitsu Super Turbo Thailand 2018, first place in the Overall / AM+Junior and Honda Racing 2018 [Super GT Support Race] categories. First in class in the Overall Pro Car Modify and Class C Pro Car Modify categories as part of the WaxOne Racing Project team.
These are just some of his major achievements accumulated over a short span of time. What was the driving force behind his success today? Let’s find out.
Car-filled childhood memories
“When I was a kid, my dad would ask me to do car things for him. He’d tell me to open up the cylinder head or take off the choke and see if there’s anything wrong with it. By the end of the day, I would have already put everything back together and be like ‘yup, done!’ I did it every day until it became my second nature.”
“I continued to help out my dad until I finished ninth grade. Having spent most of my time dealing with cars, I thought I would pursue my passion and learn more about engine repair at a vocational school, which is what I did. After that, I went on to enroll in the Aircraft Maintenance program at the Civil Aviation Center.”
His very first car
“My first car was a hand-me-down from my mom, so it required a lot of fixing. It was a Toyota Corona 87 and it was uncustomized because parts were very expensive back then. All I could afford to do was to keep fixing the engine. That’s how I came to learn more about cars. I mean, it wasn’t like I enjoyed fixing it, but I do enjoy driving good cars. I like controlling them.”
“One day I went go-karting and I was super impressed by the way that those cars made a turn. The fact that another car can easily overtake you once it hits the curve really fascinated me. I wanted to learn more about the skill involved in that.”
First time at a race track
“Around eight years ago, I had this opportunity to go sell some stuff at a race track. I just started to get into an online business, selling auto parts, at that time. It was my first time being at the famous Bira Circuit together with a few of my friends.”
“I’d planned to do some selling there, but I ended up checking out all the cars instead. While my colleague and my friends were filling in for me, I did a tour around the circuit and I was able to tell the good drivers from the bad ones just by looking at how they made a turn. Not knowing anything about car racing, I went up to them and started asking all these questions like ‘do you get paid?’ and stuff.”
“When I got home, I decided that I wanted to get into car racing, so I bought a Honda Civic EG 3 Door from one of my customers for exactly 100,000 baht.”
The learning process
“My friends and I started to tinker with the car, doing some adjustments here and there to make sure that it checked all the requirements. Both of my friends had just opened their garage businesses and they’d been there with me from the very beginning. We sought out parts together, helping each other paying for everything just so we could go racing on the weekends.”
“In our first year, I focused on driving while my friends focused on customizing. If anyone in our team wanted to experiment with something, he would do it on the car. It was a learning process for all of us even though we didn’t always win the race. We were lucky, though, that we already got noticed in our first year. There were people who got their start before us but lagged behind us.”
Fearlessness & teamwork
“The second year rolled around and Ob decided to take apart the car and re-assemble it with a change of color. He was crazy because he paid for everything himself in order to make the car go fast. As for Pete, he was in charge of rewiring the whole car, which really made a difference because we went on to be first in class, winning all three events we entered.“
“The car felt unusually fast. My friends told me to just put the pedal to the metal and not to worry about it breaking down. They said they would fix it if it ever did. Everyone was all in!”
“The team made me trust in the car. Once I’m sat behind the wheel, the only thing left for me to do is to step on it and go for broke. No one said a word.”
Becoming a pro
“In 2018, WaxOne Racing Project asked us to drive for them. Ob, Pete and myself all went as a team. It was the first year we entered Super Turbo and won the category we entered.”
“Then in 2019, we got a sponsorship from Idemitsu. Cash started to come in and so did relevant products like petrol and other fluids needed to run a race car. With a budget, we’re now operating more and more like a professional racing team.”
“We never actually sought out sponsors simply because we didn’t think we’d have anything to offer. We didn’t get into racing for money, but for the sport aspect of it. In 2021, Idemitsu invited us to race for Star Performance, which is a high profile team. We also had a chance to use one of their race cars as well.”
“Even though the team is still the same, we have to re-learn everything since we’re presented with new, cutting-edge technology. It’s up there with F1. A tuner overseas can instantly get our driving data and send in his instructions. Every digit given is very precise. You have to break at 25, 15, 7 meters quicker in order to go 0.2 seconds faster. It’s all very much data-driven, rather than your intuition. We have to work more as a team because if there’s anything we could improve on, they’ll let us know right away.”
The ultimate goal
“My short-term goal is to win the events I’m planning to enter in the next few years. I also want to compete in the TCR Thailand program. As for my long-term goal, I’d like to make sure that my family and my team get to enjoy success with me because they’ve been supporting me from the very beginning.”
Last words for aspiring racers
“I want to say that it’s not impossible to become a circuit rider. Anyone can do it as long as you have a passion for it. Start from go-karting or enter a race and see if you really like it. The most important thing is to do research beforehand to ensure your own safety.”
Photos courtesy of Mai. Follow him on Instagram.