For those who will be motoring to Desaru, Johor, for their holidays in the coming weeks, there should be a smooth and easy drive via the Senai-Desaru Highway (E22) which connects from the North-South Expressway (NSE). E22 is accessed from the Senai Utara Interchange and a 45-minute drive along the highway will bring motorists to the Bandar Penawar Interchange. From there, a short 10-km road (FT92) will lead to their destination. So the entire journey after exiting from the NSE should take about an hour.
As on all the highways operated by PLUS, the E22 route will also have a safety team patrolling and ready to offer assistance. They complement the 221 highway patrolling teams and 548 officers of the PLUSRonda team on the NSE round the clock.
We would like to remind those planning to embark on their year-end holiday trips to always adhere to traffic laws and regulations. Keep to the speed limit, drive carefully and avoid tailgating. Stop and rest every 2 hours of driving at the rest areas. Make sure your Touch‘NGo cards and eWallet balance is sufficient to ensure smoother passage at the toll plazas,” said PLUS Managing Director, Datuk Azman Ismail.
The 1.7-km long bridge over Sungai Johor on the Senai-Desaru Highway.PLUSRonda and E22 Safety Teams will be patrolling the highways to offer assistance to motorists.The Touch’NGo tollcards can be reloaded in many places (convenience stores, petrol stations, etc) and if you use the self-service machines, you don’t have to pay any extra fee.
“Rest areas provided on both highways allow customers to travel comfortably and provide the perfect pit stop for long distance travellers to break their journey. PLUS’ R&Rs such as Seremban, Ayer Keroh, Pagoh and Machap, coupled with E22’s Layang (Eastbound and Westbound) R&Rs provide F&B outlets, suraus, rest shelters (wakaf), petrol service stations, public restrooms and ample parking bays,” added Senai-Desaru Expressway Berhad CEO, Jamal Abd Nasir Taharim.
The highway concessionaires also remind highway users that they must strictly follow the Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) set by the National Security Council (MKN) and the Ministry of Health (KKM). These procedures include wearing of facemasks in public areas and social distancing in areas where there are a lot of people.
Land Rover will be involved in the coming 2021 Dakar Rally, traditionally starting in the first week of the new year. The company has assigned two units of the latest Defender 110 model as support vehicles for the Prodrive-backed team, Bahrain Raid Xtreme (BRX), which will be among the participants. The team drivers include 9-time World Rally Champion Sebastien Loeb and 2-time Dakar Rally winner, Nani Roma.
Production standard models
The two Defenders will be production-standard models and used by the team’s support staff. The Indus Silver models are powered by Land Rover’s 400-ps straight-six Ingenium petrol engine which has Mild Hybrid Electric Vehicle technology. They have the Explorer Pack which includes an Expedition Roof Rack, Raised Air Intake, Wheel Arch Protection and Exterior Side-Mounted Gear Carrier. In addition, a Deployable Roof Ladder provides easy access to a roof box, which will help BRX carry all the necessary kit.
The fact that these vehicles are unmodified is testimony to the intrinsic capability and durability of the legendary 4×4 vehicles of the brand. The latest Defender is said to have undergone the most demanding engineering test and development programme in the company’s history.
“The crew need to know our support vehicles will be able to carry all of the necessary kit and be relied upon to get to the next service location, whatever the conditions. New Defender provides a unique combination of all-terrain performance, rugged practicality and comfort – a crucial combination for the unpredictable Dakar conditions and after long days behind the wheel,” said BRX Team Principal, Paul Howorth.
The BRX rallycar developed by ProDrive for the 2021 Dakar Rally.
About the Dakar Rally
Though called the ‘Dakar Rally’, the event – billed as the toughest off-road event in the world – will be run in Saudi Arabia, the same country as in 2020. The event did have Dakar as its finish point between 1997 and 2007 and during those years, the participants would race from Paris and down the west coast of Africa to Dakar. However, security concerns forced the organisers to find a new and equally challenging route, which was in South America.
From 2009, (the event had to be cancelled in 2008 when terrorist threats were too serious), it was held on the western side of South America in Argentina, Bolivia, Chile and Peru. The name was retained as it had become legendary.
The route for Dakar 2021.
However, the teams have found logistics complex and the cost of travelling to South America has been high. The host countries have also been unhappy with the extremely high fees charged by the organisers for the event. This led to the event moving to Saudi Arabia for 2020 as the Kingdom has been willing to sign a multi-year contract. The shorter distance from Europe is also more acceptable to the teams.
The 2021 route will see the participants starting in Jeddah on January 2 and then doing a clockwise route around the country to finish in the same city 13 days later. There will be 12 stages and the total distance will be 7,646 kms.
2020 will be remembered for many things and it has certainly been a year of much change for lives and for businesses. Perhaps it was already coming but e-commerce using online facilities accelerated this year, partly driven by the need to provide contactless communications and interaction. Car companies began ‘opening’ stores online, and provided owners with a new channel to book appointments for servicing and request other services.
Additional Shopping Tools function
Honda Malaysia is among those companies which has been steadily enhancing its online services and today announced a New Car Pre-Booking Online Platform for customers. The additional function is embedded in the Shopping Tools on the company’s official website. Other shopping tools include a loan calculator, models comparison and Honda Insurance Plus.
Just 4 steps needed
Using the function, customers just need to go through 4 simple steps and the booking fee can be as low as RM99 (terms and conditions apply). They can make the pre-booking for any of the models shown on the website as well as select variants, colour and available accessories. When they have made the pre-booking payment, a confirmation email with all the necessary information including details of the dealer handling the transaction will be sent. Within 72 hours, the customer will be contacted by a designated Sales Advisor from the dealer.
Customers who make the pre-booking can also track the status of the booking at any time. The function will be available in the HondaTouch application by early next year.
All the models available from Honda Malaysia can be pre-booked using the new function in the Shopping Tools.
“This New Car Pre-Booking Online Platform is part of Honda Malaysia’s effort to provide greater accessibility to customers to own a Honda car in this digital era via an online car purchase process. It allows Honda customers to stay ahead of the crowd and pre-book their preferred Honda model through a most convenient and user-friendly process which is right at their fingertips, anytime and anywhere,” said Honda Malaysia’s Managing Director & CEO, Toichi Ishiyama.
“Through this online process, we aspire to offer greater convenience and a safe experience for our customers, no matter which part of Malaysia they are at,” he said.
Of course, making bookings can still be done at authorised Honda showrooms but with the Pre-Booking function, you won’t have to rush to a Honda showroom to place a booking if you want to be among the first to own a model about to be launched.
You can access the function directly by prebook.honda.com.my. Links are also provided from the various models displayed on the website at www.honda.com.my.
Five years ago, Petronas was the first petroleum company in Malaysia to upgrade its RON97 Primax petrol to the higher Euro4M standard (the ‘M’ referring to a specification adapted for the Malaysian market). Thereafter, other companies have followed and today, all brands are at the same standard.
Now, the company has improved the formulation of Primax 97 and it becomes Primax 97 with Pro-Race. The new formulation is said to help engines run cleaner with reduced friction as well, meaning they can run more efficiently.
Removing 99.9% of deposits
With the claim of 99.9% of deposits removed from key areas, fuel delivery can be better as there will be less blockages in the injectors and other parts of the fuel delivery system. The spray of fuel can therefore be optimized to maximise combustion.
Smoother and more responsive performance as well as increased efficiency are claimed for the new Primax 97 petrol.
At the same time, combustion can also be smoother because deposits can create ‘hotspots’ inside the combustion chambers. These cause mini explosions which cause roughness so if they are removed, then the engine will have less of those explosions inside.
Of course, it takes a while for the benefits of the new formulation to be experienced, especially if the engine has a lot of deposits already. They need to be gradually ‘washed’ away, a process that used to require disassembly of the engine after some years. However, once they are removed and if Primax 97 is used regularly, it can also prevent deposit formation again.
Removal of deposits in the combustion chambers (left) and the Advanced Dual Friction Modifier (right) help to make the engine run more efficiently and smoothly.
Advanced Dual Friction Modifier
The new formulation also has the world’s first Advanced Dual Friction Modifier which cuts down the friction levels between surfaces. This makes response better and as the engine can save energy that was used to overcome the friction, leading to improved fuel economy. Petronas claims that this new dual friction modifier can reduce friction by up to 25%.
There is also a unique fuel and oil interaction formulation to enhance efficiency as fuel and oil tend to have issued when coming in contact with each other. By eliminating this, carbon emissions are also lowered, which is better for the atmosphere.
Petronas fuels and lubricants have technology that was developed from its involvement in Formula 1 racing with the Mercedes-AMG team.
Technology from F1 involvement
The development of the new petrol was carried out with learnings from Petronas’ involvement in Formula 1, via the world championship-winning Mercedes-AMG team. For many years, fuel development has benefitted from extreme testing in racing conditions with the motorist being the ultimate beneficiary.
The new Primax 97 is available at all Petronas stations nationwide and cost the same as other RON97 petrol which currently is set at RM2.08 a litre until December 25, 2020.
‘GAZOO’ has been in international motorsports news for a number of years and in more recent years, it has also gained increasing presence in Malaysia. In the context of TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, ‘GAZOO’ means ‘garage’ but this was not how it started.
Back in early 2000, Akio Toyoda (current President of Toyota Motor Corporation) was back in Japan to join the Board of Directors after having served in various roles at different Toyota subsidiaries around the world. Among his responsibilities was the creation and supervision of a website that was given the name ‘GAZOO.com’ and the name was derived from the Japanese word ‘gazo’ which means ‘image’ or ‘photo’.
GAZOO.com, which still exists today, is a website gathering images of the vehicles in stock at each of the dealerships. It also contains dozens of virtual shops for consumer goods and services and provides information about new and used vehicles. This is, of course, a common thing today but 20 years ago, the internet was still in its infancy so it was quite a revolutionary idea.
The Gazoo.com website goes back some 20 years and though its content looks common these days, it was revolutionary when it started.
The first use of GAZOO in racing
In 2007, a team of Toyota test drivers, including Akio, were to participate in the Nurburgring 24-Hour race. For various reasons, they were not allowed to refer to their team as ‘Works Toyota Racing’ and perhaps because Akio was in charge of GAZOO.com, he suggested and could authorize the use of the name to be used by the team. That would probably be the first time the GAZOO name appeared in motorsports.
From then on, GAZOO Racing began to develop and its racing activities increased. The team was like an unofficial affiliate of Toyota and usually ran development models like the FT-86 and LF-A to carry out testing in extreme conditions.
Akio Toyoda is one of the very few car company Presidents who races and he also personally gets involved in testing and development of new models.
After Akio became President in 2009, GAZOO Racing began to expand as it was given new roles related to motorsports. Being a racing driver and car enthusiast, Akio wanted to generate more excitement for the sport among the young and GAZOO Racing was to expand the role of promoting motorsports beyond that of traditional automakers. Its mission would also be to carry out grassroots activities aimed at creating new generations of car enthusiasts.
TOYOTA GAZOO Racing has been active and successful in the World Endurance Championship, World Rally Championship and also the Dakar Rally.
The GAZOO Racing Company is born
Until 2015, Toyota had different racing organizations and a decision was made to unify them under the GAZOO Racing banner, with brand differentiation as TOYOTA GAZOO Racing and LEXUS GAZOO Racing. TOYOTA GAZOO Racing, which was in charge of vehicle development for motorsports activities, was renamed GAZOO Racing Company in 2017 during the restructuring of Toyota Motor Corporation.
The newly created GAZOO Racing Company was thus a more business-focussed unit and would start to develop GAZOO Racing or ‘GR’ as a performance brand like AMG for Mercedes-Benz and M for BMW. It would be independent in one sense but also an important contributor to Toyota’s R&D with experience and information gained from motorsports activities.
GR Garage
As part of its business activities, the GAZOO Racing Company established the GR Garage, a new dealership channel which would not only sell performance parts and high-performance models such as the GR Supra and GR Yaris but also be ‘the most fun car shop in town where enthusiasts can gather, talk, and enjoy cars together’. It was another approach to creating greater interest in motorsports and motoring in general that Akio was trying to generate.
The GR Garage concept was introduced in Japan and dealerships opened in many cities. As GR models start to be offered in many countries, the GR Garage concept is also following and the first country outside Japan to introduce it was Malaysia at the end of 2019 when the GR Supra was launched in the market. Selected authorized Toyota dealerships (5 at this time) have incorporated the GR Garage concept on their premises and specialize in GR products.
GAZOO Racing comes to Malaysia
Malaysia is in fact one of the first countries to have a strong GAZOO Racing presence which began about 3 years ago. Before then, in Thailand and the Philippines, TRD (Toyota Racing Development – an in-house division specializing in performance products) was prominent in motorsports but not in Malaysia. So when GAZOO Racing Company stepped up its activities, it was also timely for the Malaysian market to instead use the GR platform.
The TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival began in 2017 and had a carnival-like atmosphere with motor and motorsports-related activities, including the Vios Challenge one-make series.
The first activity in Malaysia was the TOYOTA GAZOO Racing Festival (TGR Festival) held in 2017, replicating an annual event in Japan which was created by the GAZOO Racing Company in its initial years. The TGR Festival has a carnival-like atmosphere with a motorsports and auto-related theme. The highlight of the TGR Festival has been the Vios Challenge, a one-make series run on specially-prepared street circuits in Penang, Terengganu, Johor and Kuala Lumpur/Selangor, as well as the Sepang International Circuit. This successful series has completed three seasons and enters its fourth one in 2021.
Additionally, UMW Toyota Motor also got involved in digital motorsports or eSports with the Toyota GR Velocity eSports Championship series which began in 2018. This Malaysian event inspired the running of the GR Supra GT Cup ASIA2020 as the first virtual motorsport racing championship in Asia. The regional event, held in October this year, saw the best sim racers from 5 countries – Thailand, Singapore, Malaysia, Philippines and India – competing against each other.
The GR range in Malaysia started with the GR Supra and this month, the GR Yaris and Vios GR-Sport have been added.
The GR cars
And, of course, there are the products – the GR Supra, GR Yaris and the Vios GR-Sport (presently only available in Malaysia). These models bring to the Toyota brand a sporty and livelier image that supports the promise of ‘fun-to-drive’. They can help diminish the perception of Toyotas being reliable and durable but lacking the performance sparkle. It’s not that Toyota has never produced performance models, but most have never reached our market due to high import taxes making their prices unappealing. But times have changed and with the GR models, the brand now has a side that can appeal to the younger and future generation of customers.
In the motorsports world, specifically the rallying side, Rauno Aaltonen is known as the ‘rally professor’, but too much theory eventually spoils even the happiest of experts. He has had to spend the past 8 months at home in his Finnish homeland due to the applicable lockdown regulations. No excursions on the rally slopes, no trial of strength in historical races, no practical courses with enthusiastic students… very boring.
Aaltonen is now 82 years old, but his impressive level of fitness still allows him to grapple with the steering wheel. Never before, he says, has he had to do without driving for as long as in the pandemic year 2020. And, no, he was really not made for retirement.
A special present for an old friend
Loyal friends at MINI thought of what exactly would against such boredom, and came up with the idea of a special kind of pre-Christmas present. It was clear what the experienced rally driver and long-time companion of the British brand was missing most – it wasn’t just a package laced up, but also a ‘sledge’ set in motion.
A closed vehicle transport trailer containing a classic Mini was hooked up to a modern MINI Cooper S Countryman ALL4 which had the destination of Rovaniemi set into its navigation system. That’s a city in Finland and besides being the place that Aaltonen stays, it is also known globally as the ‘official home of Santa Claus’.
By land to the home of Santa Claus
From Munich, the trailer and the Cooper S Countryman ALL4 initially headed straight for the Baltic Sea, and after a 30-hour ferry ride, made its way for another 14 hours on the roads of Finland, some of which were already snowy in winter.
While Santa would have been preparing to send presents to children all over the world (we’re told he got priority for the COVID-19 vaccine), the present from the MINI team arrived in Rovaniemi which lies almost on the Arctic Circle. With the New Normal, the delivery had to be contactless so upon arrival, the rear of the trailer opened and a classic red Mini – just like the one used by Aaltonen – came rolling out.
The Professor didn’t waste time getting behind the wheel and a little later, snow was flying in a high arc as the old master roared away drifting on an extensive tour through deeply snow-covered Finnish forests. The forced break was finally over and he was finally able to ‘play the piano with his feet’ again.
“Rauno has given us so many moving moments in almost 60 years. Now is the perfect moment to give something back,” said Bernd Korber, Head of the MINI brand.
Aaltonen and Mini
The relationship between Aaltonen and the British brand goes back to 1961. At that time, the Finn had just become national rally champion in his home country and was determined to take on the challenge of the famous Monte Carlo rally. He chose the Mini to enter but that first time ended with a spectacular crash. In January 1963, Aaltonen did better in the snow and ice, finishing as class winner and third in the overall standings.
From year to year, the classic Mini and the works team, which Aaltonen was part of, were better and better prepared for the unique requirements of the Monte Carlo Rally. Precise instructions were given by Aaltonen in terms of car set-up, additional equipment and road conditions and even tyre choices for the changing road conditions. “Everything that was allowed and possible within the regulations was also taken into account,” he recalled.
Nevertheless, the great triumph was initially reserved for others. In 1964, Northern Irishman “Paddy” Hopkirk took the first overall victory in the Mini Cooper S, and Aaltonen’s compatriot Timo Makinen achieved the second “trick” the following year.
In 1966, the Mini trio known as ‘the three musketeers’ – comprising Aaltonen, Paddy Hopkirk and Timo Makinen – finished 1-2-3. However, they were disqualified after a controversial decision by the organisers who found the Mini’s lighting system to be illegal. Finally, in 1967, Aaltonen achieved the long-deserved overall victory at the Monte Carlo Rally. With that he had finally made the Mini a rally legend and on top of that put his stamp on the sport as a whole.
‘Inventor’ of left-foot braking
Aaltonen is considered to be the ‘inventor’ of left-hand braking, which enabled him to keep his right foot on the accelerator pedal even when cornering, while the left foot alternated between the clutch and brake pedal. He called it ‘playing the piano with your feet’.
Rauno Aaltonen is one of the pioneer instructors of BMW’s Driver Training Program which started in 1976. He has helped thousands of drivers in many countries (including Malaysia) to be better and safer.
In addition, the Finn introduced detailed notes on the route and was the first to send ‘ice spies’ ahead to report on the conditions. His meticulous preparation and the ability to vividly explain his rapid driving manoeuvres soon also benefited Aaltonen beyond rallying. He was also invited to be the first chief instructor of BMW Driver Training when it began in 1976 (now known as BMW and MINI Driving Experience).
