Weiron Tan
Weiron Tan | |
|---|---|
| Born | December 3, 1994 Malaysia |
| Occupation | Professional racing driver |
| Known for | First Malaysian to win an FIA-sanctioned international motorsport event; competing in FIA World Endurance Championship, GT World Challenge Asia |
Weiron Tan (, born 3 December 1994) is a professional racing driver from Malaysia who most recently took part in the GT World Challenge Asia representing Audi Sport Team Absolute. Earlier in his career, he competed in the FIA World Endurance Championship with Jackie Chan DC Racing. Alongside teammates Jazeman Jaafar and Nabil Jeffri, he made history as the first Malaysian to claim victory in an FIA-sanctioned international motorsport event.
Karting
Tan began his karting journey at age 13 and by 15 had become the inaugural Malaysian champion of the PLUS Yamaha SL Cup, while also finishing as runner-up in the Asian Karting Open Championship that same year. In 2011, he stepped into European competition, participating in the WSK Series with the Works Kosmic Racing Kart Team. That year also saw him selected as the only Malaysian entrant for the AirAsia Team Lotus Driver Development Program, which later evolved into the Caterham F1 Academy.
Lotus GT4 Supercup Asia
In 2011, Tan was the youngest competitor in the Lotus GT4 Supercup Asia Series and dominated by securing the championship title, leading in race wins, podium finishes, and pole positions.
JK Racing Asia Series
During 2012, Tan competed part-time in the single-seater JK Racing Asia Series.
Formula Gulf 1000
Later that year, he participated selectively in Formula Gulf 1000 events, earning his first victory in formula racing at Abu Dhabi’s Yas Marina Circuit. Over six races, he claimed four wins, including back-to-back victories at the subsequent round and another triumph at the Dubai finale.
Formula Renault 2.0
In April 2013, Tan joined the UK-based Protyre Formula Renault 2.0 Championship with Fortec Motorsport. He achieved five wins and nine podium placements throughout the season, concluding as runner-up in the championship standings.
German Formula 3
Advancing to the ATS Formel 3 Cup in 2014 with Van Amersfoort Racing, Tan faced initial challenges adapting to both car and competition but recovered strongly to finish fifth overall, collecting five podiums and two victories.
Pro Mazda Championship
In 2015, Tan relocated to the United States to compete in the Pro Mazda Championship under Andretti Autosport, part of the Road to Indy ladder. The five-race 2015 Pro Mazda Winterfest served as a critical development phase where he earned two wins and three second-place finishes to secure second overall. During his rookie main season, he finished fourth in points with four wins and six podiums. Notably, Tan became the first Malaysian driver to win on U.S. soil and on an oval circuit. In 2016, he joined defending champions Team Pelfrey but only participated in the initial two rounds.
China GT Championship
In 2017, Tan transitioned fully into sportscar racing by joining Absolute Racing in the China GT Championship behind the wheel of a Bentley GT3.
FIA World Endurance Championship
Tan competed in the final two rounds of the 2017-18 Asian Le Mans Series with Jackie Chan DC Racing, supported by Sepang International Circuit alongside fellow Malaysians Jazeman Jaafar and Afiq Ikhwan. The team secured victory at their debut race during Round 3 at Buriram within the LMP2 class, which led to their participation in the 2018-19 FIA World Endurance Championship.
During their debut season, Tan, Jaafar, and Nabil Jeffri impressed by finishing fourth overall despite only contesting five of eight rounds due to Sepang International Circuit’s withdrawal. Their debut at the 24 Hours of Le Mans resulted in a fourth-place class finish followed by a runner-up spot at Silverstone. They achieved their maiden win at Fuji, marking a historic milestone as the first all-Asian driver lineup to triumph in a World Endurance Championship race.
Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia
After an impressive 2018 campaign, Weiron secured a position as an official driver for Audi Sport Asia in the GT World Challenge Asia Series, representing Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute. Alongside his teammate Martin Rump, the duo achieved four podium finishes and two victories, concluding the season in sixth place overall.
Career summary
| Season | Series | Team | Races | Wins | Poles | F/Laps | Podiums | Points | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2011 | Lotus GT4 Supercup Asia | 8 | 6 | 8 | 8 | 7 | ? | 1st | |
| JK Racing Asia Series | EuroInternational | 4 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 | NC† | |
| 2012 | JK Racing Asia Series | EuroInternational | 10 | 0 | 0 | 1 | 2 | 67 | 7th |
| 2012-13 | Formula Gulf 1000 | 6 | 4 | 4 | 3 | 5 | ? | ? | |
| 2013 | Protyre Formula Renault Championship | Fortec Motorsports | 16 | 5 | 6 | 6 | 9 | 331 | 2nd |
| 2014 | German Formula 3 Championship | Van Amersfoort Racing | 29 | 2 | 0 | 0 | 5 | 182 | 5th |
| 2015 | Pro Mazda Championship | Andretti Autosport | 16 | 4 | 6 | 3 | 6 | 282 | 4th |
| 2015 Pro Mazda Winterfest | Andretti Autosport | " 5 | " 2 | " 0 | " 2 | " 5 | 2nd | ||
| 2016 | Asian Le Mans Sprint Cup - LMP3 | Team Aylezo | " 2 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 2 | " 33 | " 7th |
| 2016 FIA Formula 3 European Championship | Carlin Motorsport | " 9 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 25th | |
| 2016 Pro Mazda Championship | Team Pelfrey | " 4 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 1 | " 69 | " 11th | |
| 2016-17 | 2016–17 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP3 | Aylezo Ecotint Racing | " 3 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 0 | " 24 | "10th |
| China GT Championship - GT3 | Bentley Team Absolute | "8 | "0 | "1 | "0 | "0 | "50 | "9th | |
| 2017 Blancpain GT Series Asia - GT3 | "2 | "0 | "0 | "0 | "0 | "0 | "NC† | ||
| 2017–18 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing X Jota Sport | "2 | "1 | "0 | "0 | "1 | "35 | "5th | |
| 2018 24 Hours of Le Mans - LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing | '1 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '0 | 'N/A | '4th | |
| 2018–19 FIA World Endurance Championship - LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing | '5 | '1 | '1 | '0 | '4 | '98 | '4th | |
| 2018–19 Asian Le Mans Series - LMP2 | Jackie Chan DC Racing X Jota Sport | '1 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '0 | 'NC | |
| 2019 Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia | Audi Sport Asia Team Absolute Racing | '12 | '2 | '2 | '0 | '4 | '115 | '7th | |
| 2019 FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup | Team Malaysia | '3 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '0 | 'N/A | '11th | |
| 2021 Michelin Pilot Challenge - GS | Automatic Racing AMR | '1 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '0 | '110 | '63rd | |
| 2024 FIA Motorsport Games GT Cup | Team Malaysia |
† As Tan participated as a guest driver, he was not eligible to earn points.
Full German Formula Three Championship Results
(legend) (Races highlighted in bold denote pole positions) (Races in italics represent fastest laps)
| Year | Team | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | Final Position | Total Points |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Van Amersfoort Racing | OSC 1 9 |
OSC 2 6 |
OSC 2 5 |
LAU1 1 6 |
LAU1 2 6 |
LAU1 3 7 |
RBR 1 10 |
RBR 2 4 |
RBR 3 4 |
HOC1 1 4 |
HOC1 2 4 |
HOC1 3 8 |
NÜR 1 4 |
NÜR 2 8 |
NÜR 3 6 |
LAU2 1 Ret |
LAU2 2 C |
LAU2 3 Ret |
SAC 1 3 |
SAC 2 2 |
SAC 3 3 |
HOC2 1 1 |
HOC2 2 Ret |
HOC2 3 1 |
5th | 182 |
Pro Mazda Championship
| Year | Team Name | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | Final Standing | Points Accumulated |
|---|
|- | 2015
!nowrap | Andretti Autosport |style="background:#CFCFFF;" | STP
|style="background:#EFCFFF;" | STP
| style="background:#DFDFDF;" | LOU
| | LOU
| style="background:#FFFFBF;" | BAR
| style="background:#CFCFFF;" | BAR
| style="background:#FFFFBF;" | IMS
| style="background:#DFFFDF;" | IMS
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | IMS
| style="background:#FFFFBF;" | LOR
| style="background:#EFCFFF;" | TOR
| style="background:#DFDFDF;" | TOR
| style="background:#FFFFBF;" | IOW
| style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MOH
| style="background:#CFEAFF;" | MOH
| style="background:#DFFFDF;" | LAG
| style="background:#CFEAFF;" | LAG
! 4th ! 282
|} |- | 2016
! Team Pelfrey | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | | ! 11th ! 69
|} NOTE: Due to weather conditions, the initial Indianapolis Motor Speedway event was counted as the second race at NOLA Motorsports Park.
Full FIA World Endurance Championship Results
(key) (Races displayed in bold denote pole positions; those in italics signify fastest laps)
| Season | Team | Category | Vehicle | Power Unit | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | Final Standing | Points Scored |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018–19 | Jackie Chan DC Racing | LMP2 | Oreca 07 | Gibson GK428 4.2 L V8 | SPA 3rd |
LMS 2nd |
SIL 2nd |
FUJ 1st |
SHA 4th |
SEB | SPA | LMS | 4th Overall | 98 Points |
Results at the 24 Hours of Le Mans
| Year | Racing Team | Drivers | Vehicle Model | Category | Completed Laps | Pos. | Class Pos. |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2018 | Template:Country data CHNTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jackie Chan DC Racing | Template:Country data MYSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Jazeman Jaafar Template:Country data MYSTemplate:Namespace detect showall Nabil Jeffri |
Oreca 07-Gibson | LMP2 | 361 laps | 8th Overall | 4th in Class |