S’pore racer Tang trying to overcome mental scars from Japan crash

SINGAPORE — Back in June, after the first three rounds of the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA), a confident Andrew Tang found himself joint-second in the drivers’ standings on 50 points, and was just 10 points behind then-leader Martin Ragginger.

Then came a traumatic fourth race of the season in Fuji, Japan, when the Singaporean’s car speared head-first into the circuit’s crash barriers.

His car was completely destroyed in the horrific accident, and while Tang escaped with minor physical injuries, the mental scars from the crash have continued to haunt him since.

A subsequent series of inconsistent performances — including a third- and seventh-placed finish at this weekend’s ninth and 10th round in Singapore — have caused him to drop to fourth in the standings, and he is now more than 40 points behind current leader Chris van der Drift. The gulf effectively puts him out of the running to win the championship.

“To be honest, it’s been a disaster since the big crash in Fuji, and I’ve been struggling with my form,” the 22-year-old told TODAY. “The accident destroyed my car completely, but the most damaging part (of the crash) wasn’t physical, it was mental, and I’m still trying to figure out what’s wrong, and how to fix it.”

Tang said he is likely to visit a sports psychologist to try to get his head right again for the remainder of the season.

Still, his confidence has been boosted by his podium finish on Saturday, albeit in fortuitous circumstances.

Initially finishing in sixth place, Tang was bumped up to third after 30-second penalties were handed out to the top three finishers — Ragginger, Van der Drift and Will Bamber — for missing the chequered flag.

It was only Tang’s second podium finish since the crash but the Porsche China Junior team driver, who also finished third in round seven at the Sepang International Circuit in Malaysia, says he will not be happy until he finishes top of the podium again this season.

“The points gap (to the top) is too big, realistically, so a fourth-place finish is the best I think I can do this season. So that’s the goal,” said Tang.

“I am disappointed with how the season has panned out so far, because the expectations I place on myself are quite high.

“We have been on the podium twice (since the crash), but I won’t be satisfied till I’m top of the podium.

“Standing on the podium again in Singapore is a big confidence booster, and hopefully I can find a bit more form and come back and end the season strongly.” NOAH TAN