Shell Malaysia Trading Sdn Bhd has unveiled their latest Shell Helix HX8 0W20 engine oil specifically formulated to meet the demands of today’s modern passenger vehicle engines. This new low viscosity formulation is not only a fully synthetic blend but also affordable for the masses who want that extra protection and performance when on the roads. (more…)
The combination of RealTime Racing (RTR) and the Acura Integra Type R forged a race-winning record that remains unbroken after nearly two decades. RTR’s #42 Integra Type R is now returning to the track with Sports Car Club of America Hall-of-Famer Peter Cunningham behind the wheel and the video below documents the story.
The video showcases the Integra Type R’s original run in near-stock form; its dominant performance in the SPEED Touring Car championship, and its return to racing glory. At the WeatherTech International Challenge vintage race weekend at Road America, the #42 car qualified and finished fourth in a field of over 60 vehicles.
“It was our first race back out with the Acura Integra Type R, and it was like we never skipped a beat. We had a great time!” said Cunningham, team owner of RTR. “There were some 60 cars in our group and only a few vehicles in a class above beat us, so it was a great day for RealTime and Acura and great to have the Type R back on track.”
The ‘97 Acura Integra Type R
When it debuted in 1997, the Acura Integra Type R was much more than a faster Integra GS-R, the previous top-line trim. The Type R’s B18C5 engine became a legend in its own right for its factory modifications, the highlights of which included a hand-ported head, thinner valves and unique valve springs, robust connecting rods and numerous other upgrades, to give a screaming 8400-rpm redline.
The Integra Type R body also benefited from extra welds for additional chassis strength and stiffness. There was an under-bonnet chassis-stiffening strut bar straight from the factory, and the suspension and brakes were unique to Type R.
Ready to race ‘out of the box’
The fundamental goodness of the Type R wasn’t lost on RTR, and the factory car was so good out of the box that racing modifications for the track were limited to race-spec springs and shocks, mandatory safety equipment, such as a roll cage, and a stripped-out interior. Even the transmission was unmodified from stock.
When the Integra Type R debuted, RTR had already been competing, and winning, with Acura cars for nearly a decade. The team began with Acura’s first-generation Integra and later raced with the legendary first-generation Acura NSX.
From its racing debut in 1997 through the 2002 season, RTR’s Integra Type R dominated the SPEED Touring Car Championship, capturing 23 race wins on the way to 5 Drivers’ Championships. The record remains unbroken to this day.
“We knew from the start the Acura Integra Type R was a very special car,” said Cunningham. “But now, after all these years, it’s achieved legendary status, and rightly so. I believe it’s still one of the best performing front-wheel drive cars ever built.”
For Round 2 of the third season of the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge racing series, the purpose-built circuit is in a unique location – the former Kuala Lumpur airport of the 1950s/1960s which became a RMAF airbase after Subang International Airport was opened. Following the closure of the airbase some years back, the 488-acre site was to be a huge commercial development known as Bandar Malaysia.
While construction works are underway, the 1.99-km long runway offered an opportunity for the organisers of the Toyota GAZOO Racing event to create a racetrack that is 1.7 kms long with exceptionally long straights.
“As a street racing series, one of the most challenging tasks is to find a venue that is not only large enough to accommodate both the racing circuit and festival ground but more importantly, accessible and as close as we can to fans and spectators. These challenges however, also present us with the unique opportunity to explore venues never before used or envisioned as a racing circuit,” said UMW Toyota Motor’s Chief Motorsports Officer, Akio Takeyama. “In the case of Round 2, the former airport is as unique as it gets and the location as central as you can be in Kuala Lumpur.”
Circuit must meet international safety requirements
Construction of the circuit at Bandar Malaysia took approximately 3 weeks. This work involved transporting, positioning and interlocking hundreds of 4-tonne concrete blocks and debris fencing to form the inner and outer parameters of the track. The track must meet FIA (the Federation Internationale de l’Automobile) safety specifications.
“Street racing brings out the best in Malaysian racers. The absence of run-off areas makes it extremely unforgiving, more intimidating and even more difficult to master. It requires 110% concentration, focus and precision from the drivers. For spectators, a street race is even more exciting visually as they are able to be closer to the action,” said Mr. Takeyama who has been a participant in the Vios Challenge sine the first season.
In three seasons of the Toyota Vios Challenge series, the race has been held at various stadium and exhibition grounds in Terengganu, Johor, Penang and the Klang Valley, as well as at the Sepang International Circuit.
Emulating street races such as the historic annual Macau Grand Prix, the Toyota Vios Challenge is no less exciting. More importantly, Mr. Takeyama added, it provides drivers with a more challenging race, an even greater level playing field, the excitement on driving on a variety of tracks, and contributes to them honing their technical and driving skills.
Meanwhile, UMW Toyota Motor President, Ravindran K., said the prospect of transforming an airstrip into a full-blown racing track is a manifestation of both Toyota and its GAZOO Racing philosophy of breaking tradition and pushing the boundaries.
“Innovation is not only reflected in the vehicles we produce but it underlines the way we think and do things, and in the case of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival, it means turning the least expected venues into tracks to bring motor-racing closer to the masses,” said Mr. Ravindran.
2 days of close racing
Round 2 of the Toyota Vios Challenge will feature 2 days of racing with three driver categories as usual – Celebrity, Amateur and Professional. 10 local celebrities competing in the Promotional Class include Shawn Lee, Shukri Yahaya, Diana Danielle, Nabil Ahmad, Janna Nick, Khai Bahar, Wany Hasrita, Nabila Razali, Ain Edruce and Syafiq Kyle. Both Shawn and Wany will start with one race win each after winning the opening two races of Season 3 in Kuala Terengganu earlier.
“Round 2 is going to be a very exciting because we will be competing on a new track. There’s really no way of preparing for it in terms of setting up the car until we get a chance to drive on the track during the official practice session and evaluate the surface condition and overall flow of the circuit. From what I gather so far, it’s going to be quite a fast track,” said Shawn.
Among the big names in Malaysian motorsports driving in both the Sporting and Super Sporting classes for amateur and professional drivers, respectively, include Season 1 and Season 2 Sporting champions Brendan Paul Anthony and Brendon Lim; Season 1 and Season 2 Super Sporting champions Tengku Djan Ley and Boy Wong; and experienced drivers like Kenny Lee, William Ho, Mark Darwin, Kenneth Koh, Sutan Mustafa and Syafiq Ali. The Sporting Class will also feature 15-year-old Hayden Haikal.
A totally new track to learn quickly
For Super Sporting Class driver Kenny Lee, the first practice session is critical to uncover much of the unknown. “I have never had the opportunity to visit Bandar Malaysia in the past and therefore I don’t know what the surface condition is like. The first thing everyone will be looking into is certainly the final track layout and finding the fastest racing line around the track. We’ll also have to carefully look at the surface conditions especially in the braking zones because you never know, some areas can be a bit bumpy, slippery or even dusty,” said Kenny.
Tengku Djan Ley shares the same sentiment, saying drivers will in essence have only about 90 minutes throughout the race weekend to learn the new track. “We have a track walk on Thursday evening and the official practice starts on Friday, so essentially you only have a couple of laps to try and decipher the entire track and obtain enough information that will go into setting up the race car. Those who are able to do this will have an advantage,” he said.
“There’s really not much that can be done to the set-up apart from experimenting with different tyre pressures, suspension settings and alignment combinations, but these small changes do make a big difference on track,” he added.
For race fans and spectators, the Toyota GAZOO Racing Festival will offer a variety of activities for all the family. There will be Toyota’s fleet of vehicles (with test drive sessions available), a drift performance by professional Japanese drivers, a concert, beyblade tournament, racing simulators and the display of the all-new Toyota GR Supra.
Entrance is free of charge and the event is from 9 am to 6 pm on this Saturday and Sunday, November 9/10 2019.
Click here for more information about the Toyota Gazoo Racing Festival and Toyota Vios Challenge (more…)
Nissan Spain understands that when it comes to its production line, the physical wellbeing of their staff is one of their major priorities. To ensure that they get all the help they need in order to be safe, healthy, and productive, they’ve come up with a revolutionary method; exoskeleton devices. (more…)
Next race in Brazil on November 17
The awesome folks from Porsche have announced that their 2020 Porsche 911 Carrera S and 4S Coupe will come with a seven-speed manual transmission at no additional charge for those who love living on the wilder side of life. Starting next year, customers can opt-out the very capable standard eight-speed Porsche Doppelkupplung (PDK) transmission. (more…)
The latest 2020 Volvo S60 T8 R Design was just launched recently for the Malaysian market and for those who are still doubting whether this beauty is worthy of your ownership, the Volvo S60 has just been crowned as the best executive car at the 2019 Scottish Car of the Year Awards. (more…)
Renault’s flagship D-segment SUV – the Koleos – has been refreshed with a more distinctive exterior styling and enhancements to an interior that is already one of the most spacious and comfortable in its class.
Now available for booking at the showrooms of TC Euro Cars, the latest version of the Koleos will continue to be offered in two variants: a base version and a more extensively equipped Signature version.
This being a midcycle update, the overall dimensions are unchanged (2705 mm for the wheelbase within a total length of 4672 mm) but the revised exterior design gives a more aggressive and muscular look, with Renault’s Pure Vision LED headlamps available on both variants. Customers can choose either a Universal White or Black Metallic exterior finish.
Key enhancements include new front and rear bumpers with full-width chrome detailing, and new alloy wheels (19 inches diameter for the Koleos Signature). Both variants are now equipped with the convenient hands-free power tailgate which is height-adjustable according to individual needs.
Equipped Apple CarPlay and Android Auto, the occupants can now interface whatever is on their smartphone with the car’s 8.7-inch R-LINK2 multimedia system.
Power adjustment for seats are standard for both front seats while rear passenger seats have a 2-step adjustable seat configuration for enhanced comfort. An electric panoramic sunroof (Koleos Signature only) adds a premium touch while enhancing cabin ambience.
The Koleos imported to Malaysia is powered by a 2.5-litre petrol engine mated to an X-Tronic CVT automatic transmission. This efficient and proven engine can produce up to 171 ps/226 Nm while going up to 12.3 kms/litre, according to factory tests.
The new Koleos prices are from RM179,888 for the standard variant and RM189,888 for the Koleos Signature (on-the-road inclusive of SST, without insurance, for private registration in Peninsular Malaysia). Each new unit comes with a 5-year full manufacturer’s warranty with unlimited mileage. Owners also enjoy a free scheduled maintenance service package for the first 5 years or maximum of 100,000 kms.
During the month of November 2019, TCEC is offering up to RM15,000 for trade-ins on top of the vehicle assessment amount. Alternatively, they can choose the Renault Subscription scheme which offers freedom and flexibility of ownership. There’s no commitment to a long-term loan tenure, rigid lock-ins and vehicle depreciation costs are also non-issues.
To locate a showroom or to know more, visit www.renault.com.my .
To celebrate the return of a Brabham works car to the race track this month, Brabham Automotive is has announced the inclusion of a Competition specification within the Brabham BT62 range. There will be three variants for customers to choose from: Ultimate Track Car; Competition spec; and Road-Compliant Conversion.
Production remains limited to just 70 cars – irrespective of variant – with all cars available in either ‘Celebration’ or ‘Signature’ liveries. All variants including the Competition specification vehicles are available in either left or right-hand drive. Competition specification units are fully upgradeable to either Ultimate Track Car or Road Compliant specifications at any time.
The Competition specification, priced from £750,000 (around RM4 million), is stripped back and ready for racing. It is lighter than the full-specification Ultimate Track version, with a Celebration or bespoke wrap rather than exterior paint and exposed interior carbon with no interior trim. The Competition specification is delivered without a passenger seat or an Initial Spares Pack (although they can be included as optioned extras), both of which are standard with the Ultimate Track version.
Most importantly, the Brabham BT62 Competition spec features all the performance of the Ultimate Track version. It has the same lightweight, FIA-compliant carbon-chromoly safety cell with integrated roll cage.
It retains all the performance of the Brabham 5.4-litre, naturally aspirated V8 engine delivering 700 bhp mated to a 6-speed sequential gearbox. Advanced aerodynamics provide an outstanding 1200 kgs of downforce. Completing the performance package are Brabham’s carbon-on-carbon brakes, which, coupled with motorsport ABS and traction control, are said to provide unrivalled on-track stopping power and control.
The BT62 Competition specification also retains Brabham’s centre-locking wheels, pneumatic jacking system, competition-ready gauge display and lightweight, removable, multi-function steering wheel.
The first BT62 Competition deliveries are in early 2020, in time for the northern hemisphere racing season.
Race starts in Texas at 1:10 pm Sunday/3:10 am Monday in Malaysia
