The look of relief on Yuey Tan's face - less than 24 hours after the biggest disappointment of his career - said it all.
The Singaporean race driver bounced back from an engine blowout on Saturday to finish third among Class B drivers in the second Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA) race of the weekend yesterday.
He may not have retained his Marina Bay title from last year, but with two races to go in Shanghai next month, Tan leads the Class B championship by eight points from the Hong Kong duo of Wayne Shen and Francis Tjia.
The 33-year-old aims to go on the attack in China to be the first Singapore-born racer to finish atop either the second tier - which is for semi-professionals and serious amateurs - or the elite Class A.
He told The Straits Times: "Everyone is stepping it up now so I can't afford to be cautious any more.
"I have to push harder, I have to go for broke if I want my hands on the title."
After yesterday's 12-lap race, Tan shared high-fives and embraces with his Team Jebsen engineers and fiancee Claire Jedrek and was clearly pleased to have avoided double despair on home soil.
On Saturday, he was forced to retire with three laps remaining when debris entered his Porsche 911 GT3 car and shut down its electrical system. He had been on pole position for the Class B race.
Entering the weekend with a 17-point lead, the retirement saw the gap slashed to just five.
After his team replaced the engine, Tan knew he had to bounce back when starting fourth in his category on the grid yesterday.
This time, he stuck to the conservative style that propelled him to the top of the standings with five podium finishes in 12 races, even though none were victories.
Overtaking Thai opponent Vutthikorn Inthraphuvasak early on, he defended his position on the low-speed circuit to cross the finish line in 28min 52.336sec.
Compatriot Ringo Chong of Team Kangshun took fourth spot in Class B, tying his best showing this year.
The race was won by Class A veteran Tung Ho-Pin of the Netherlands.
Looking ahead to the finale, Tan's familiarity with the 5.451km Shanghai International Circuit, where he won last season, plays a vital role.
He said: "I didn't get to win in Singapore, but Shanghai is a very familiar track for me.
"The aim is simple: Return home with the trophy in my luggage."
