Storm of Survival: Williams Triumphs as Buriram 200 Ends Early in Rain Chaos

Isan, 14 June — The 2026 HoloProto INT Series witnessed a literal storm brewing the Buriram International Circuit as relentless rainfall turned the track into a test of survival. After only six of the 24 starters remained running after 34 laps, race control displayed the red flag on Lap 35 and, with conditions showing no signs of improving, declared the Buriram 200 complete.

The victory went to Tyler Williams, representing Ouro Kronii in the No. 92 Oreca 07, who kept his car on the road when many others could not and claimed his first victory of the season, and Kronii's first in HoloProto. The result dramatically reshuffled the championship battle, with Williams climbing into second place in the INT standings and reducing the gap to points leader Dan Evans.

The race had initially been controlled by Yuri-Rafael de Oliveira, representing Nerissa Ravencroft in the No. 76 Oreca 07, who looked untouchable in the opening stages and led the first 33 laps of the race. However, the worsening weather eventually caught even the leaders, as de Oliveira aquaplaned into the notorious Turn 3 hairpin and collected Mohd Shazren Redza in the #14 Koseki Bijou car. The corner had already become a graveyard throughout the afternoon, with standing water causing multiple competitors to lose control and retire.

Takeda Adachi, representing Ninomae Ina’nis in the No. 17, survived the carnage to finish second, while Hinochi Taiyo, representing Kaela Kovalskia in the No. 58, secured a remarkable third place and her first podium of the season. Ayrin, representing Hakos Baelz in the No. 85 Oreca 07, finished fourth after avoiding the major incidents that unfolded around her.

The final classified positions were further affected by a post-race penalty for Hanaori Miyuki, representing Kobo Kanaeru in the No. 40 where she originally crossed the line in third place but received a 30-second penalty for an unsafe rejoin on Lap 15 that sent Enzio Ferrari, representing Kureiji Ollie in the No. 13, into the inside wall at Turn 4 and into retirement. The penalty dropped Miyuki to fifth in the final order, promoting Taiyo and Ayrin ahead.

Behind the leading finishers, Hiyuta Asano claimed sixth place for Gigi Murin, becoming the final driver still running when the red flag ended proceedings. de Oliveira was classified seventh despite his crash after completing enough race distance, while Mohd Shazren Redza, Alex Grant, Javier Lusby, Haziq Yazid, Evans, Joddy Pranata, Mathias Zacarias, and Sven Jensen rounded out the classified finishers.

The extreme conditions resulted in nine non-classified retirements, including Aziz Muazif, Tawan Bhumin, Ryan Kagawa, Corey-Rico Mendez, Evelyn Kuromi, Grave Prower, Angela Sims etc. all of whom fell victim to Buriram’s unforgiving weather but the most costly retirement belonged to defending series contender Joshua Azurid, whose difficult campaign continued with another scoreless outing.

Despite only managing 12th place, Evans maintained a commanding lead in the INT championship with 589 points. Williams’ victory moved him up to 404 points, while Asano, Ayrin, Hanaori Miyuki, and de Oliveira remain tightly packed in the fight for the International Series title. With five rounds remaining, the battle for International supremacy remains wide open as the series prepares for its next chapter.