With the current rise in eco-awareness, environmentalists may disagree with the term ‘petrolhead’ but I think universally the term would generally refer to automotive enthusiasts. I hope not to stoke any fires by saying these groups of passionate individuals who love cars be it form or function (or both) require burning fossil [...]]]>

With the current rise in eco-awareness, environmentalists may disagree with the term ‘petrolhead’ but I think universally the term would generally refer to automotive enthusiasts. I hope not to stoke any fires by saying these groups of passionate individuals who love cars be it form or function (or both) require burning fossil fuels that may endanger the environment, but the fact that the technology to power cars is still not feasible enough to be independent from the use of petrol. I’m all for the use of electric vehicles that provides not only performance but also tickles the hormones that made me fall in love with cars. Perhaps the term ‘motorhead’ would be more appropriate but lets not get carried away to the main issue of what enthusiasts should be doing in the name of passion for cars.

Gatherings and events would be the main event in every enthusiast, be it the local gatherings amongst friends and fellow enthusiasts up to internationally acclaimed events such the annual Tokyo Auto Salon (TAS) that was just held earlier this month. Japan, being the motherland for all things JDM, whets the appetite of enthusiasts early in the year with TAS, which should be the first port of call for those inclined to the JDM culture of cars, girls and all things automotive. We had our friend Remus from Motorsport Playground doing his ritual TAS rounds where the eclectic mix of tuned and personalised JDM cars along with girls in fancy outfits posing at the numerous booths at Makuhari Messe in Tokyo.

I would put TAS as one of the must visit event for any JDM enthusiast. For the mainstream types there is also the Tokyo Motor Show, the event that hosted the launch of the much anticipated R35 GT-R a few years ago. Every year there is much hype over cars that were shown during TAS and this year is no exception. The Toyota GT-86 and its sibling under the Subaru banner were the toast of the show with many booths sporting the modified forms of the car. Besides varying forms of bodykits and forced induction kits, some went ahead with shoe-horning bigger and more powerful engines into the rear-wheel driven car, not that surprising of course as tuners and racers have found ways of upping the power right after the car broke its cover.

For the past few years, several Japanese tuning houses have turned towards non-JDM makes. JDM cars still rule the roost of course, but with companies like Liberty-Walk Performance and Nakai-san’s Rauh-Welt Begriff getting hot and heavy with foreign supercars, the non-JDM makes have steadily grown in numbers at TAS. Perhaps it’s the sign of wealth or perhaps the inclination towards more exotic models, but nevertheless as an enthusiast it is all for the better.

TAS gets covered a lot by automotive websites and even in Facebook. Popular tuner cars such as the R35 GT-R get a lot of attention from the tuners, transforming them from stock into monsters and in return a feast for the eyes for the visitors of TAS.

The R35 is definitely a very popular tuner car. Exotic fans may argue that it is not a true supercar in the likes of Ferrari and Lamborghini, but one would find it hard to dispute the amount of power and awesomeness the GT-R has been bestowed upon. Here is the Nissan GT-R Nismo GT3 in superb Nismo livery.

Trending recently is BenSopra’ R35 GT-R kit as seen here at the JUN booth. Having the racing car-like engine hood is definitely cool.

Being in Japan where the culture of the JDM had been created, the attraction is not only about cars. It has been a trend in auto shows that pretty young ladies strut their stuff along with the cars and in Japan it has become an attraction by itself. While in the US and many other countries these ladies would be wearing mainly sexy outfits, the ladies of Japan would be sporting themed outfits.

When cars and girls are around, the photographers are let loose. It’s difficult to separate the two; cars and girls, as automotive enthusiasts are more often hot-blooded men. And when two favourite things are at one place, these men turn into kids who walked into a candy store.

Pretty girls in a variety of themed outfits really got the men flashing incessantly  (camera flash that is).

Don’t get me wrong, it’s not about sex. Some of the girls are very decently dressed and adds a cute distraction to the whole event.

The Japanese do have a quirky sense of taste. Over here, everything goes. The girls at TAS may not look as eccentric as some at the Harajuku district, but kind of flamboyant nonetheless.

Japanese girls are one of the prettiest, if not the prettiest, on the planet in my opinion.

There are those in racequeen outfits as well. Our personal favourite are those in Nismo colours.

I suppose the girls that don sexy outfits and pose playfully besides cars at TAS are having fun themselves. They do not disappoint the photographers and visitors every time the flash pops from handheld cameras.

Although the girls are a welcome distraction at TAS, the main attraction would still be the cars.

As mentioned earlier in the post, there were quite a number of non-JDM makes being showcased at TAS.

Roberuta showcased not one, not two but three Ferrari F40s.

The F40 is in my opinion the rawest, awesomest Ferrari ever.

TAS is not all about performance not exotics. TAS has also always been about customisation and no other does it more differently than the Japanese. The guys at 2UX3J (or Lexus if you have not already noticed) brought along another dimension to customisation with this LS600. Go on.. look closer.

Vinyl on one hand, some BDSM influence on the other. Wicked!

In some spectrum of automotive lifestyle, flamboyance rules. Only in Japan (and perhaps the Middel East too?).

TAS is so huge, there is bound to be something for everybody. I’m a stickler for Porsches, more so the classic ones. Imagine driving the Speedster with the breeze in your hair. Awesome!

I don’t think I could ever afford an actual Speedster, my pockets are not deep enough obviously. Not even via replicas as the Road Transport Department would be really keen about it I think.

Talents and passion come in many different forms. Hiroshi Tarui puts automotive lifestyle into his brush and had a live art show right at the heart of TAS.

This man definitely has talent. I can’t help noticing Ayrton Senna looking from above in the picture giving him a thumbs up.

From keychains to t-shirts to slot cars, everything here is about cars at TAS.

Whether it is 1:1 or 1:10, TAS has it all. Honestly, three days of TAS is not enough.

In conclusion? TAS is simply awesome, definitely deserves a place at the top of any JDM enthusiast’s bucket list. The cars, the girls, the event itself is the epitome of JDM culture and although three days is not enough, it only makes you to come again every year.

Bring on TAS2014!

PS: Owh, a little bird told me that TAS Singapore will be happening in April. You can bet your racequeen poster that we will be there!

Words: Naz

Photo courtesy of: Motorsport Playground

Having tuner cars is your garage is a lot more than just passion. Most would believe that having joy via passion for all things automotive should be shared with like minded people. Indulging in speed is of course would be one of the attractions in owning and driving such machines and what [...]]]>

Having tuner cars is your garage is a lot more than just passion. Most would believe that having joy via passion for all things automotive should be shared with like minded people. Indulging in speed is of course would be one of the attractions in owning and driving such machines and what safer way than to be on the track with some friends.

Honestly, I previously do not have that much love for the Altezza or in some markets the Lexus IS models. Do not get me wrong, the venerable platform has produced some awesome cars especially when its engine bay can accomodate the infamously bulletproof JZ supra engines. As a matter of fact, some of the Altezzas that turned up that day had 1JZs fitted too. These four door sedans may not have the cult status of cars such as the Skylines but the amount of support and passion should not be underestimated at all.

The JZ sits snugly in this Altezza’s engine bay. I’m no know-it-all when it comes to the Altezza but from what I gather, Malaysia only had the ‘Tezza via grey market. Most come with the 1G-FE engine while there were some with the Yamaha-tuned 4 cylinder 3S-GE RS200 variants. I was told the Yamaha-tuned 4-cylinders rival the revvy nature of Honda VTECs, and that to my untrained mind does sound awesome indeed. But that doesn’t keep from some transplanting in some turbocharged power…

Turbocharged or normally aspirated? That may be a question only one’s heart can answer. The balance of the car, the response and handling all play a part in proving a car’s worth. But to most, a wee bit bump in power will almost always be a welcome increase to the driver’s heartbeat.

The Altezzas are of course a part of Toyota’s stable of platforms. The XE10 is the first generation Altezza made by the firm as a direct competitor to the market of luxury sports sedans. Nobuaki Katayama led the engineering of the XE10 and was also part of the team who designed the AE86. He was also the chief engineer for the first generation Lexus SC300/400 (with similarities to the third generation Toyota Soarer) as well as the Mark IV Toyota Supra. I suppose the ability of the XE10 to house the JZ is not at all surprising…

The Altezzas came out in full force as the end of 2012 drew near. What an awesome way to end the year by being amongst your band of brothers.

The Altezzas weren’t the ‘family car’ that was having a ball at Sepang. This Mitsubishi Evo Wagon had some delicious limited TE37s and some carbon aero bits in place.

Not only there were JDMs abound during the Altezza & Friends Trackday, a rare Opel GT also showed up. Apparently the pop-up headlights were manually operated and the car become obsolete once a certain Datsun came to the market (the 240Z).

Hondas are a favourite at trackdays and most owners love the fact that their machines were very suited for Sepang. The EK Civic is a sleek machine and the yellow paintjob may evoke images of cars by Spoon Sports and even the yellow EK9 driven by character Daiki Ninomiya from Toudou School in the Japanese anime, Initial D.

Besides the usual Toyota Supra and Soarers, the Celica is another cult favourite. The variant may not be as highly regarded as the Supra, but the model did have a 4WD version called the GT-Four that Carlos Sainz drove to two WRC drivers’ titles in the early nineties.

The Mark IV, the last of the Toyota Supras came with the much loved 3 litre 2JZ twin-turbo engine (some came normally aspirated too). There has been a lot of talks and rumours regarding the new Supra and while the reemergence of the Supra name remains to be seen, Toyota has been busy with several other coupes such as the GT-86 and of course the LF-A.

AE86s always looked good in white. Panda-themed cars may be overdone in the past few years, but an all-white ensemble is all good.

The mid-engined, rear driven MR-S. Not a whole lot of power, short tracked but all fun.

Perhaps the Supra and the MR-S did not tickle your fancy? How about a third generation Toyota Soarer?

…or would you prefer a four-door JZX100 Chaser? I’ve always said that red cars always win and this is no different.

Besides the strong Toyota contingent, the Nissans also converged to join in the fun. Many journalists have said that the current model GT-R is fairly easy to drive, and many owners tend to clock good lap times in Sepang eventhough not being a professional racer. The GT-R might not be a true exotic and some argued that it is not a true Godzilla either, but nobody could contest the brilliance of the Nissan engineers to produce such an amazing machine.

While it may not be the real Godzilla, the R32′s curve and lines still evoke a certain specialness to most JDM lovers.

Besides several Civics, we also had the S2000 roadster that day, complete with Spoon Sports brake calipers behind the Volk Racing CE28s.

Our friend and owner of Dragstar Performance Shop, Akram, had his long-serving Mitsubishi Evolution VII in Sepang as well. With a fully built engine running Haltech ECU, this carbon-clad Evo is preparing for it’s onslaught on the upcoming 2013 time attack season.

The JZ engine (1JZ shown here) is currently one of the popular engines in the Malaysian tuning scene. 6 cylinders and twin turbocharging adds up to the attraction, while getting aftermarket parts for builds are getting easier. Not only Toyota-derived chassis are getting transplanted with this motor, there are a number of Nissan A31 Cefiros and R32 Skylines having a case of identity crisis, not to mention loads of older model BMWs and Mercs.

Having a passion especially in cars and spending time with individuals who share the same interest would be the greatest satisfaction an owner could ever ask for. We’d like to thank the organizers of the Altezza & Friends Trackday for an awesome time as well as a superb ending to the year 2012. We hope to see more events for enthusiasts in 2013. Cheers.

Words: Naz

Photos: Yee Hau

MegaLAP Time Attack Series Round 4 took place on the 26th of August amid the disappointment of the cancellation of the Bukit Putus Hillclimb due to overall concerns of safety by the authorities. Reeling from the sudden turn of the events, the event organisers (Ignition.My and RaceCraft Academy) had the [...]]]>

MegaLAP Time Attack Series Round 4 took place on the 26th of August amid the disappointment of the cancellation of the Bukit Putus Hillclimb due to overall concerns of safety by the authorities. Reeling from the sudden turn of the events, the event organisers (Ignition.My and RaceCraft Academy) had the composure to quickly grab a Sunday slot of Sepang with which to host the Megalap which saved the entire event and set the stage for yet another fierce competition. Yours truly took the opportunity to take a crack at the competition with my blue Honda S2000 despite an entirely new setup which hadn’t gone through a proper dry run and 1.5 years of absence from the track. Once I hit the track and spotted the competition, my doubts started to surface seeing how absolutely fearsome the opponents were!

The format remained largely unchanged from previous Megalap rounds where drivers would register and attend their briefing from 1030am onwards after which they would proceed for their practice runs from 1-2pm to ensure their setup was working well. Subsequently, they would be split into their registered classes of Clubsprint, Pro Spec and Open for their runs of 25 minutes each. Competitors would be given 2 runs with which they would have the opportunity to set their fastest transponder registered lap time and that fastest cars would then be determined. Altezza’s, BMW M3′s and a Ferrari F430 were spotted apart from the usual suspects of Subaru WRX, Mitsubishi Evolution, Nissan Silvia, Nissan 350Z and Honda FD2R. Two other Honda S2000 owners joined my car in the Clubsprint VTEC/FI class and the stage was set for a battle royale.  N1 Racing had the well known driver in the shape of Mark Darwin championing a very quick Integra Type R in my class so I knew that my perogative was simply to finish with a decent time and hope to podium.

The conditions were cloudy out and the threat of rain seemed to linger with the dark skies but once the practice rounds were over, the skies cleared, the temperatures climbed and the competition got hotter every lap. Right from the get go, everyone knew this would be an eventful MegaLap as Silvia’s broke down left and right with smoke pouring from their exhausts! The fickle weather definitely had some bearing on the settings on the competitors and the lap times seemed rather docile in the practice sessions. The Clubsprint guys were the first to get their runs in followed by the Pro Spec classes and finally the rest of the other cars. Scrutineers were on site to ensure the competitors could only hit the track to do their runs with the tyres they had declared in order to maintain fair advantage for all the class.  I must say that the running of the event was top class as all the officials of the race were professional and efficient. Hats off the Ignition.My and RaceCraft Academy! Adian Yein provided the running commentary of the runs as the day went on and  raised the excitement of the crowd as he detailed the stunning lap times the competitors began to put out as the day went on. 

As they say, time passes the quickest when you’re having fun and once the runs were complete, the winners standing looked like this:

Clubsport NA
Zebedee Tay – 2.44.181, Altezza RS200, R1R

Clubsport VTEC+FI
Mark Darwin – 2.36.210, Integra DC5R, R1R

Pro FF FI
Syed Mohd Rizal – 2.40.835, Megane RS250, FZ201

Pro FF NA
Desmond Yee – 2.30.383, Civic FD2R, A050

Pro RWD
Kenneth Lau – 2.30.352, Silvia S15, FZ201

Pro 4WD
Hsiao Tung Wei – 2.28.679, Impreza STI RAR, A050

Supercars
Raymond Liew TF – 2.27.822, R35 GTR, RS3

Clubsprint CAMPRO
Ken Erai – 2.57.425, Satria Neo, RE070

Open 2WD
Akina Teo – 2.27.415, Silvia S15, A050

Open 4WD
Akina Teo – 2.26.527, Lancer Evo9, A050

I had managed a respectable 2:42.164 despite the odds and finished 4th in my ClubSprint VTEC/FI class, just a mere 1.3 secs behind the 2nd place FD2R but recognised that I had quite alot of potential to unlock in the car so I chalked this event down for the experience in my book. The experience gained as a competitor was really valuable and I thoroughly enjoyed it so I’ll be back for another round of MegaLap as soon as I can. Hope to see you there too!

Be sure to check out the link of the official writeup by Adian Yein of Ignition.My with tons of beautiful pictures:

http://megalap.com/2012/08/30/summary-megalap-round-4-2012/

Words: RacingS2000

Pictures: Douglas Ng

It has been a while since we last went to Goh Tong Jaya through the winding roads of Ulu Yam. After a long hiatus, the boys and ourselves got together for a breakfast by which was an atypical breakfast for most folks. We got off in our cars early, resisting the urge to sleep [...]]]>

It has been a while since we last went to Goh Tong Jaya through the winding roads of Ulu Yam. After a long hiatus, the boys and ourselves got together for a breakfast by which was an atypical breakfast for most folks. We got off in our cars early, resisting the urge to sleep in on a Sunday morning. Our destination was the rendezvous point, a petrol station at the start of the touge route. As mutually agreed, cars started coming to the petrol station and it was the first point for us to socialise among us petrolheads.

A total of 19 cars turned up for the breakfast meet. That is quite a number considering previous Sunday breakfasts only had around 10 cars. On two occasions the number of participants were larger, and during those two occasions we had like 40+ cars which made logistics a bit of a challenge.

We don’t really discriminate on what car a person would be driving to the breakfast meets. We’ve had VW Polo GTis, Proton Satrias and even Toyota Hilux joining the fun. This time round, an ES model Honda Civic joined for breakfast. But don’t be fooled, when a K20A-powered Civic driven by a seasoned drifter and workshop owner, the tame-looking Civic wasn’t at all tame.

Perhaps it’s just me but I do feel that red cars always win. What was missing was a red R34 to complete the shot.

As mentioned earlier, we don’t discriminate. Everybody is welcome, even open top roadsters such as this AC Cobra.

This is not a normal sight on our roads. To be honest, I’ve never seen one in the flesh before this and it’s a refreshing sight indeed. The car is owned by a good friend with a list of things that will be done onto the car. It may look awesome now, but looking at his long list of what he wants to restore the mighty snake, the car will mega. The best part is, we’ll get a full feature soon.

Another interesting participant is this Volvo S40 driven by a long-time friend of mine. If our Facebook fans could remember a photo I posted on the wall a few weeks earlier regarding a certain Evolution 5 engine, this is the car that it went into. Some might consider this as blasphemy, but having a similar chassis with the Mitsubishi Lancer family, it is only a matter of time until somebody did it.

As the car is still a work in progress, the engine bay isn’t up to showcar level yet. It did look messy and perhaps uninspiring but I’m hoping once the owner is done with it, it would be an awesome sleeper car.

Two stages make up the Ulu Yam – Goh Tong Jaya touge route. At the end of the first stage was a small village which inhabitants would have already been immune to cars making a pitstop on the way to Genting Highlands. The group stopped for a breather while waiting for another two cars which were late and couldn’t make it to the rendezvous point earlier.

Following the theme of red cars always win is this fine 2JZ-powered Toyota JZZ30 Soarer. The driver is one hell of a driver and almost always being tagged along with his similarly petrolheaded wifey. Most things with 2-doors and twin exhausts jutting out back takes the win for me, especially in red.

Our R32 GT-R hasn’t been driven much lately as the Ramadan month was devoid of drives and gatherings. Fortunately, we had the chance to stretch its legs and with new Goodyear Assymetric 2 tyres all round, it indeed felt good. 

The interior although stock standard, still looked good for its age.

I’m not really a fan of Toyotas, but here in Malaysia their 4-door sedans can be found a plenty compared to their Nissan equivalent. This JZX90 Mark II ticks the right boxes for some (myself included). Unknown to us at that time, this Toyota will be joined by not one but two of its brethren shortly afterwards.

We were totally caught off guard as most of us are just lounging around our cars catching up amongst ourselves.

Two JZX100 came up to the group; one with bright green Advan wheels while the other had a sparkly blue paint job. Toyota Chasers are gorgeous!

The second stage was more winding, but much shorter in length. Soon everybody gathered up without incident and the large parking lot was the traditional gathering point for our cars. Breakfast of teh tarik (pulled milk tea) and roti telur (pratha with egg) whilst chatting makes our Sunday breakfast complete.

We had yet departed back to our homes but some were already asking for the next drive. These drives can be addictive, we did it weekly at one point and habits die hard. Perhaps this coming weekend?

More photos below. Till the next drive…

Words: Naz

Pictures: Shidee Sidek, Haffiz Rosli and Naz

Admittedly, I’m not really a fan of Toyotas as I’m biased towards Nissans (my family has been using Nissans since the first generation Nissan March til the current generation of the Grand Livina and Sylphy as well as the R32 GT-R. But one of the classic Toyotas that [...]]]>

Admittedly, I’m not really a fan of Toyotas as I’m biased towards Nissans (my family has been using Nissans since the first generation Nissan March til the current generation of the Grand Livina and Sylphy as well as the R32 GT-R. But one of the classic Toyotas that does tickle my fancy is this TA22 Toyota Celica we caught during one of the events at Sepang International Circuit a couple of months ago.

My neighbour also has one of these in orange hue but unfortunately immobile for whatever reason. This example on the other hand is in fully running condition, and even in the group of supercars and tuned JDM machines the car did garner great attention to people who attended the event. Apparently in the GT guise, I had wished it would be the liftback model which harks back to the American muscle favourite, the Mustang, but the TA22 Coupe does it quite nicely too.

I’m sure the colour may not strike the right chords with everybody, but the finishing looked immaculate as with the other fine details all around the car. The chrome trimmings are restored pieces as well and retained the age of the car well. White stripes flowed straight to the back of the car giving a somewhat racey feel to it (maybe).

We didn’t get to meet the owner, though curiously the driver left the windows down as the car was parked at the entrance to the pits. With good intentions, we ogled with our jaws agape the fully restored interior and it’s retrimmed black leather and blue stitchings. A Nardi steering wheel completes the classic dashboard.

I myself would choose red stitchings but the blue ones does look mighty alright here. With the rewrapped leather, the classic TA22 gets remade and given a new lease of life. I could be in this car and driving all day long with the windows down and feel a million bucks.

Those period correct silver Watanabe wheels completes the reborn of this classic TA22 Celica GT. This may not be a very valuable Toyota 2000GT, but the notion still remains…

…there is no school like the old school.

Words & Pictures: Naz

The Gridwalk presented with the media and the ticket-paying public the chance to get up close to the SuperGT racers as well as GT Queens on the main straight itself just before the race. It has become a tradition for SuperGT, sort of giving some appreciation back to the fans. Not everyday [...]]]>

The Gridwalk presented with the media and the ticket-paying public the chance to get up close to the SuperGT racers as well as GT Queens on the main straight itself just before the race. It has become a tradition for SuperGT, sort of giving some appreciation back to the fans. Not everyday you could get up close to the racers with their cockpits exposed mostly obliging you to have a peek in to the world of SuperGT racing.

The SuperGT Safety Car was none other than the Nissan R35 GT-R which followed the GT Queens closely out of the pits.

 Tsuchiya-san waited in the team box before heading out himself to be with his team on the grid.

The S Road NDDP GT-R had drivers Masataka Yanagida from Tokyo, Japan and Italian, Ronnie Quintarelli. Running on Yokohama tyres, the team was pipped by a 10ths of a second by Triple A Vantage GT3 for a podium finish in GT300 class.

The GSR ProjectMirai BMW is a definite head turner. It adds another level of fun into racing although that may not be everyone’s cup of tea.

The Evangelion RT Test-01 Petronas Shiden from Team Cars Tokai Dream28 sounded straight from manga. They had Noa Mizutani from Aichi, Japan who loves classical ballet to be the grid girl that day.

The Mooncraft Shiden GT racer is powered by a Toyota V8 and finished a respectable 5th placing in the GT300 class.

As cool as Kazuho Takahashi and Hiroki Katoh’s ‘office’ may be, cool isn’t the word best described during racing in the hot Malaysian weather.

The Green Tec & LEON SLS GT3 racer has Motoharu Kurosawa’s , or more popularly known as Gan-san, son Haruki as one of the drivers. LEON has been described as a magazine ‘middle-aged men with a bit of attitude’ and partnered Green Tec for the SuperGT racing series.

The cockpit is swathed in functional carbon fibre, making it rigid enough to withstand the rigours of racing while keeping the driver safe as well as helping in keeping the weight of the car down. Switches and toggles abound, many more than your ‘normal’ Mercedes SLS would have.

Even the Mercedes traditional star emblem is made out of carbon fibre, signifying either the presence of obsession for being light weight or just the epitome of coolness.

Spread your wings like you can fly. Grand-daddy Mercedes-Benz 300SL Gullwing would be proud.

When I asked Maya Sano of Hankook KTR team what she thought about Malaysian men, she replied with this pose. ’nuff said!

The bright orange ARTA HSV-010 cannot be missed. Autobacs had recently opened up a branch in Malaysia and I was told that a few more branches as well as a Super Autobacs outlet will be making its appearance here soon.

Tsuchiya-san cheerfully met with the fans who came up to him not only for photographs but also autographs and would gladly have a chat or two.

Joao Paulo Lima de Oliviera and Tsugio Matsuda were shaded by the grid girls while waiting for the start of the race. They piloted the Calsonic IMPUL GT-R powered by a Nissan VRH34B before eventually finishing the race at 5th spot.

The teams were battling the heat and most of them even covered the cars with reflective sheets to avoid heat soak. As the crew unfolded the covers, I manaed to gawk at the carbon fibre wheel caps of the NISMO Motul Autech GT-R. Coolness.

Carlo Van Dam from the Netherlands had better luck than his compatriots currently playing at the Euros. He and 1st driver Takashi Kogure of Japan sat on pole before claiming the top podium in the GT500 class that weekend.

Despite the unbearable heat, the show must go on. Everybody in the team especially the GT Queens like Amy Kubo here were fully professional.

Last minute preparations before the race. Don’t forget the duct tapes and zip ties, luck favours the prepared.

The GT500 class racers were predominantly wrapped with Bridgestone rubbers while the GT300 class mostly had Yokohamas on although there are teams who had Michelin, Hankook and even…

…Dunlops.

The MonePa Lamborghini GT3 was unfortunately not classified in the race.

The car was driven my Manabu ‘Max’ Orido who came to Malaysia a few weeks ago to compete and later placed 2nd behind eventual Rd1 of the 2012 Formula Drift Asia championship, Daigo Saito. Orido shared this cockpit with Takayuki Aoki, also a former SuperGT champion like Orido himself.

 Another popular drifter, Nobuteru ‘NOB’ Taniguchi partnered with Tatsuya Kataoka in last year’s GT300 champion car the GSR Hatsunemiku BMW Z4GT3.

Tatsuya Kataoka started the race and the team finished 12th at the end of the race with 1 lap down.

 Reina Fuchiwaki as well as the other GT Queens were very professional, accepting request for photos with punters graciously while the pit crew prepped the cars. It was strictly ‘see only, no touch’ and well understood by the crowd.

As the horn was blown signaling the end of the gridwalk session, the crowd were ushered back to the stands by the GT Queens and track marshalls. Everybody including most of the pit crew made their way back to the pits and stands shortly after.

There it is folks, the gridwalk at SuperGT Rd3 Sepang. It is an experience like no other and should be cherished by any automotive enthusiast at least once.

Next, let the race begin!

Early morning at Sepang International Circuit saw a few spectators already at the grandstands. Most were with their camera gear while others came looking their best as anime characters.

Tsuchiya-san arrived around 9am and got straight to work. The ARTA team eventually finished 12th in GT500 and [...]]]>

Early morning at Sepang International Circuit saw a few spectators already at the grandstands. Most were with their camera gear while others came looking their best as anime characters.

Tsuchiya-san arrived around 9am and got straight to work. The ARTA team eventually finished 12th in GT500 and 9th in GT300.

That Sunday morning meant no sleeping in or any breakfast in bed. Instead, hard work starts early.

Now, where have I seen these two lovely ladies before?

SuperGT has a variety of attractions; the main two would be the GT racers and the other more feminine side to the SuperGT series are the GT Queens.

This is Marina Mori from Saitama, Japan. This 22-year old lass is new to the racequeen gig, plays the piano and is into sports (volleyball). Miss Mori is the official GT Queen of the Team Kunimitsu Raybrig GT500.

When you have the GT Queens posing, the photographers will definitely be there to snap them up (using their cameras of course).

As we were busy taking photos of GT racers and queens, Tsuchiya-san headed to the back of the pits for a quick ciggie break.

Team TAISAN Endless had a quartet of GT Queens. Ayumi Hirasawa, Akari Suzukawa, Mina Aida and Takana Honda were happy to pose for the photographers while the team’s crew were hard at work preparing their Porsche 911 driven by Kyosuke Mineo and Naoki Yokomizo.

The Hankook KTR team had South Korea’s largest tyre maker as their main sponsor with drivers, former GT500 champion Masami Kageyama and Tomonobu Fujii finishing the Sepang race at top podium with their Porsche 911 in the GT300 class. In the pits, they had Maya Sano from Kagawa, Japan and Ju Da Ha from Seoul, Korea as their GT Queens.

At the Goodsmile pits of the GSR&Studie with TeamUKYO, two BMW Z4GT3 were being prepped. The number ’0′ car took last year’s championship with three top podium finishes and now sports the image of the vocaloid character ‘Hatsune Miku’ while car number ’4′ has the Hatsune Miku game character as part of its liveries. the 2012 cars have increased to 67mm in length and 85mm in width while having rubber donuts with the size of 280/650R18 (fronts) and 300/680R18 (rears).

GSR ProjectMirai BMW car number ’4′ was driven last weekend by 2011 GT300 champion Taku Bamba and Masahiro Sasaki.

The GSR HATSUNEMIKU BMW car number ’0′ is driven by 2011 GT300 champion and popular driver, Nobuteru Taniguchi and Tatsuya Kataoka. BMW AG provided engineering support to the team as part of a strenghtened partnership aiming for back-to-back titles.

Team GAINER sucre changed to the FIA GT3 spec Audi R8 LMS Ultra racer after running with Ferraris in previous years. Driven by Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyuki Hiranaka, they are the only ones on the grid to be running on Dunlop tyres. Reina Fuchiwaki from Kanagawa posed for the photographers while handing out GAINER stickers to the happy punters.

Cyndie Allemann, the Swiss lady racer who had competed in the Le Mans 24-hour race, drove for Hitotsuyama Racing piloting the ZENT Audi R8 LMS with main driver Akihiro Tsuzuki. She’s the first woman to participate in GT racing since Kumi Sato in 2001 and the first since the start of SuperGT.

Team JLOC had three cars competing on the GT300 grid; Verity BOMEX Lamborghini Gallardo RG3 car number ’86′ and JLOC Lamborghini Gallardo GT3 car number ’87′ and MonePa Lamborghini GT3 car number ’88′. The Verity BOMEX car is a FIA GT2 spec racer driven by Junichiro Yamashita and the first Japanese driver to finish top ten in Indy500, Hideshi Matsuda.

Emblazoned on both driver’s racing suits is Lamborghini’s signature bull emblem. Here, Junichiro Yamashita prepares to replace Hideshi Matsuda in a mock pitstop, while being watched closely by the spectators.

As Hideshi Matsuda straps Junichiro Yamashita into the car, mechanics frantically replaces the tyres on all four corners. You don’t see this often in Formula One, where the pitstop demonstration is done at the actual pits just before a race. Such is the closeness/openess of the SuperGT with its fans.

In SuperGT Rd3 Sepang, Team ThunderAsia Racing got a wild card entry with the Mosler MT900M driven by Malaysian driver, Fairuz Fauzy and Hiroki Yoshida from Japan.

Tsuchiya-san is one of the most recognizable figures at SuperGT. His friendly persona was a hit with the fans, happily engaging in limited English conversations as well as autograph signings.

If not busy snapping pictures, the media people were busy uploading and updating their websites at the Media Centre. Having on-track live feed helped out a lot too.

There was a loud chorus of cheers as the GT Queens made it out onto the track.

As the girls take position according to their own teams, the GT racers exit the pitlane to rendezvous with them at the starting grid.

As the cars arrived on grid…

…there is a stark contrast between the drivers and crew with the GT Queens; one wearing revealing outfits while the others were wrapped without any skin showing. Everybody regardless of what they were wearing would definitely be baking under the hot Malaysian weather.

Once the cars are lined up on the grid, the floodgates opened to let the media, pit crew members as well as spectators onto the track. This casual mingling of the team with the public really summed up the atmosphere at SuperGT. This is certainly an experience that should not be missed.

Stay tuned for more as we take on the gridwalk!

]]> http://awesomepowered.com/2012/06/the-people-of-supergt-rd3-sepang/feed/ 3 http://awesomepowered.com/2012/06/supergt-rd3-sepang-proud-of-boxer/ http://awesomepowered.com/2012/06/supergt-rd3-sepang-proud-of-boxer/#comments Wed, 13 Jun 2012 12:16:57 +0000 Naz http://awesomepowered.com/?p=4278

The Toyota 86 has been making waves since its first launch not long ago. Having an illustrious and legendary predecessor certainly helped, but the new incarnation of the car is set to make its own headlines.

It is common knowledge that Toyota teamed up with Subaru [...]]]>

The Toyota 86 has been making waves since its first launch not long ago. Having an illustrious and legendary predecessor certainly helped, but the new incarnation of the car is set to make its own headlines.

It is common knowledge that Toyota teamed up with Subaru to create the Toyota 86. Subaru on the other hand named their version, the BRZ and it made it’s maiden GT competition at this year’s SuperGT racing series. The BRZ as expected came to Sepang International Circuit, coinciding with Toyota Malaysia’s launch of the 86 a week earlier and Subaru’s launch of the BRZ through its distributor Malaysian distributor Motor Image at SuperGT Rd 3 Sepang.

Speaking of the launch of the new 86, Toyota Malaysia is currently putting up roadshows aggressively across the country to showcase their new cars such as the Camry but obviously more focus were put in by the punters to the 86. By the time I got to the car, the metallic black paint was covered with finger prints everywhere.

The legendary 86 may have been powered by the widely popular 4AGE straight four cylinder engine, but the new one has a Subaru-derived flat four boxer engine. Having a boxer did enable the car to have the engine mounted so low, reducing the centre of gravity as well as giving the car superb handling characteristics.

Toyota came at full force showcasing the new 86 at SuperGT Rd3 Sepang. Design-wise, I think Toyota nailed it. The nice touch of twin dual exhausts is also stunning. It would make a very good daily driver, at least for me.

 The words ‘Proud of Boxer’ is emblazoned on even the crew shirts. The 86′s sister car, the Subaru BRZ competes in the 2012 SuperGT series in its corporate colours and decked out in the expected outrageous widebody that most SuperGT racers would have.

The Subaru BRZ GT300 racer is run by R&D Sport team who is managed by Shinji Motojima. Drivers Tetsuya Yamano and Kota Sasaki are no strangers GT300-class podium finishes and championship winners.

Kota Sasaki partnered with 1st driver and three-time GT300 winner Tetsuya Yamano in 2005 to win the GT300 title.

Miss Megumi Haruna was the GT Queen tasked to be at the grid with her outfit in matching Subaru corporate colours. This Tokyo lass is into sports such as snowboarding and tennis while being quite handy herself in the kitchen.

Above is a promo video of the BRZ GT300. The Subaru blue paintwork, the GT widebody and most importantly the grumble of the boxer race engine, one can’t say or feel anything else but to be..

..”Proud of Boxer”.

Drifting has taken the world by storm, particularly with the boom of the internet. What was once an exclusive culture in Japan has now become a global phenomenon with an ever-growing number of enthusiasts and fans alike. Malaysia and the rest of the South East Asian region have not been spared from [...]]]>

Drifting has taken the world by storm, particularly with the boom of the internet. What was once an exclusive culture in Japan has now become a global phenomenon with an ever-growing number of enthusiasts and fans alike. Malaysia and the rest of the South East Asian region have not been spared from its influence and with that, developed its own home-grown talents in drifting. Meet Tengku Djan Ley Tengku Mahaleel, an everyday nice guy who is appropriately known as the Prince of Drift, not only because he can trace his heritage to the Kelantan royal lineage but also by being the de facto man in the Malaysian drift scene. We collaborated with the man himself, to have a peek into his world and to understand his history and vision for the sport.

Djan has a resume that even pro drifters would be envious of. Not many can boast of not only participating but also having podium finishes in drifting  and other racing events around the world, from his home country Malaysia to countries such as Singapore, Thailand, Australia as well as the Middle East, Europe and of course the USA. Such of his showmanship and skills behind the wheel, he was bestowed the nickname Tandem Assassin as he dispatched the popular American pro drifter, Vaughn Gittin Jr during the Top 16 at the 2006 D1 World All-Star Championships.

We asked him his history with cars and more importantly how he got hooked into competitive racing. As with other more distinguished racing drivers, the passion started at a young age and Djan is no exception.

My dad was into rallying and I had the privilege of following him around in his rally car for practice sessions and events since the age of 5. My first direct involvement was with bikes when I learnt riding with then Malaysia’s No 1 GP rider, Mr Oh Kah Beng. I was only 14 then and we used to go to the now defunct Batu Tiga Speedway Circuit. But in the end I never did race bikes as my parents did not approve of it. When I got my driving license at 18, I auditioned for Team Shell Auto Vogue and took part in the Proton National Cup in 1995. I won the novice category in my first year in racing and never looked back.

Djan has dabbled into almost all forms of 4-wheel racing. He holds the record of having twice won the 12 Hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race in 2005 and 2006 and will be looking forward to this year’s edition in a Lotus Evora GT4.

I’ve always been a tintop racer, having raced in almost every type of cars except for single seaters. I’ve had experience in sprint and endurance races, mostly in touring cars and GT racers. Although I still enjoy conventional motor racing, I started drifting in 2002 and I think I have found my niche in the sport. Drifting for me started out as a challenge to myself, to hone my car control skills to a much higher level. Going sideways is always very rewarding as a driver and as I focus more into it, I started to push the limits even more. Since then I still get the adrenaline rush when I lay down a good run. It totally blows my mind even till today.

The Malaysian motorsports scene has been crying out for dedicated facilities for enthusiasts and while we boast a modern Formula One facility that is Sepang International Circuit, grassroot racing has virtually no where to go. Djan has taken up on himself and with a couple of friends to help grow the local motorsports scene, more specifically in drifting, and created the aptly-named Speed City Kuala Lumpur (SCKL).

Kuala Lumpur was in need of a legalized spot for drifting, hence we came up with Speed City KL. SCKL is a multi-purpose facility but also serves as a dedicated drifting track as well. Here, we provide drivers and drifters a proper facility to learn and train as well as having some fun on the track. As I mentioned earlier, it is a multi-purpose setting and is capable of hosting many other types of events. Previously the Taio Cruz concert was held here as well as many corporate driver training sessions. I’m at SCKL every Saturday night hanging out with fellow drifters as well as letting loose on track.

On most Saturdays, SCKL would have its weekly Saturday Night “Drift Assault” which gives drifters some casual drift sessions all in the name of sideways fun.

Recently, both local and overseas celebrities converged to sample the art of going sideways, Malaysian style.

Even the 2011 Formula Drift Pro champion, Daijiro Yoshihara couldn’t contain himself when he was at SCKL. A drifter must drift!

Earlier this year, SCKL took over from Dataran Merdeka to host the 1st round of the 2012 Formula Drift Asia Championship series.

2008 D1GP champion, 2011 Formula Drift Asia champion and 2012 Formula Drift Pro competitor Daigo Saito beat Max Orido for the top podium. 2010 Formula Drift Asia champion, Tengku Djan was third.

As the sport of drifting expands its reaches, Malaysia pioneered the sport in the region. But then came the rise of Thailand, becoming a regional drifting powerhouse while the newly emerging Indonesia, builds its momentum in the regional drifting scene with its own drifting talents. Here’s Djan’s take on drifting in the region.

The drifters from Thailand are insane. The level of drifting there will blow your mind. Compared to Malaysia, Thailand has a more conducive environment and with that they have a lot more high level drifting events. Their event management, judging and organization is world class.

It’s a shame really because Malaysia was the pioneer in this region but with the lack of space and quality events, we’ve lost our edge over our neighbours. Indonesia is another country to look out for in drifting. There is no short of skills, that is for sure. Once the Indonesians gain more experience, I have no doubt that they will be a force to be reckoned with.

When talking about cars, there is particular car that is part of Djan’s collection (actually it is his dad’s) that caught our eye, a mint Nissan BNR32 Skyline GT-R. It is one of his dad’s most prized collection, and rumour has it even Djan would have trouble in coaxing his dad to have the car out for a spin.

My dad has a mint R32 GT-R with 65,000 original KMs on the clock. To me the R32 is the best GT-R out there. It’s so raw, it’s mechanical and it’s nimble. It’s probably the only unmolested original R32 GT-R out there and most definitely not for sale!

Taking time off from driving and drifting, Djan sometimes hit the jamming studios to let off some steam. Nevertheless, cars are not far from his mind and when asked about the ultimate car for his garage, like many other automotive enthusiasts, he had difficulty in giving a straight answer.

Ultimate car? This is a question I never seem able to answer. There are so many cars that I want but right now it would be the BMW 1M. But a dream it will currently stay as I can’t afford one yet.

Perhaps the new Toyota 86 too. To me, the 86 has a lot of history. Not trying to be cliché, but it is a fact that the car made me who I am today in the drifting world. It is a shame that the car is overly priced here in Malaysia.

Being a superstar puts a huge burden as many fans would look up to the person for inspiration. Djan takes it in his stride very well, with many Malaysians proudly backing him to further excel in the sport. Djan, being a down to earth guy welcomes everyone to SCKL and the world of drifting!

See you at Speed City KL’s Saturday Night “Drift Assault” and keep drifting fun!

Words: Naz

Images courtesy of Tengku Djan, Fotografia de Lyzard, Roy Zakaria and Raymie Jay

This year marked the second year JPM Motorsport handled the SuperGT at Sepang International Circuit. And keeping with last year’s tradition, the car parade made its appearance once again and this time with the aim to beat last year’s record on the number of cars participating. Last weekend saw more than 600 [...]]]>

This year marked the second year JPM Motorsport handled the SuperGT at Sepang International Circuit. And keeping with last year’s tradition, the car parade made its appearance once again and this time with the aim to beat last year’s record on the number of cars participating. Last weekend saw more than 600 sports cars of various makes being paraded along the main straight of SIC and it was a magnificent sight. Fotografia de Lyzard arrived under the Awesome Powered banner with his Rocket Bunny-kitted S13 leading a pack of Murcielago SVs. The car’s pearlescent pink paint-job glimmers under the sunlight making it a unique sight among cars with ‘regular’ paintjobs.

As Lyzard got his rig ready, the amount of cars of began to build up.

A boot-ful of photography rig by Lyzard, helmet is optional.

As soon as the rig is ready and configured, it was time for some test shots before the Lyzard is let loose into the wild.

The participating drivers and cars were not only from around Kuala Lumpur, but some came from as far as Singapore and neighbouring Thailand. The Blue Jackets Society were joined by Thailand’s Supercar Phuket 77 group as well as many other car clubs from supercars to JDMs. An eclectic mix of cars would only whet the appetite of any car enthusiast toting digital cameras and with that flood the social media with awesome images of the gathering.

The Car Parade ran concurrently with the Pit Walk and while the cars were getting lined up at the main straight, the GT Queens were busy posing for photographers at the front of the team pits.

People were busy snapping up pictures and ogling at the cars and GT Queens, this lone Renault Megane RS 250 Cup car sat quietly near the pit exit undisturbed.

The Car Parade was headed by a collection of supercars, totalling millions of Ringgit. I’d be happy to have only one of them, let alone all of them in my garage.

At the front of the pack is this Porsche 911 (997) from Singapore had a discreet LED police lights which would make an awesome police highway cruiser.

This striking Lamborghini Gallardo came all the way from the sandy beaches on the island paradise of Phuket to bask in the sun on the black tarmac of Sepang International Circuit. That is what I call commitment and passion.

The head honcho of the Blue Jackets Society came with his Porsche 996 GT3RS which had graced this website before. Stunning under the sun, this is the epitome of Porsche 911s in Malaysia, well used and awesomely fast.

Black, white or orange? Porsches are popular and admittedly I’m a bit biased because I’m a fan.

After Porsches, the rage of the Italian bulls were insatiable. There were a couple of Murcielago SVs as well as Gallardos at the parade. This green Superleggera also came all the way from Thailand as part of the Supercar Phuket 77 group.

Meet the SV, one of the SVs around that day.

How about a matte black SV? The Dark Knight would be proud.

This orange SV is closely guarded by the Prancing Horses…

…so not to be disturbing the pearlescent white big brother, the Aventador.

Rotaries came with full force; both FD3S RX-7 and RX-8s came in a large convoy earlier that day.

Fresh as f*ck, ’nuff said.

This might not tickle everyone’s fancy, but unique nonetheless. It’s a Mazda RX-8 with a Reventón-esque bodykit.

There were even open-top racers, the Westfields. Three of these demo cars made the appearance after their soft-launch at SIC a couple of months ago. But the best is yet to come. My friend and Awesome Powered’s contributor Eu Jin Chan had a surprise up his sleeve.

As I headed back to the Media Centre, Eu Jin showed me this awesome die-cast replica of the JGTC Group A Taisan BNR32 GT-R which was driven by the legendary Keiichi Tsuchiya and chairman of GT-Association, the organisers of SuperGT from 1993 to 2007, Kunimitsu Takahashi. It is a limited edition model, #2590 of 5000 units worldwide but more importantly, signed by Keiichi Tsuchiya himself that weekend. Jealousy mode is permanently on LOL.

Next, we’ll be looking at the pitwalk, gridwalk and the race itself. Stay tuned for more of SuperGT Rd3 at Sepang!