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HardKhor Motorsports Report: Podium finishes for our Malaysian racers during the weekend

As mentioned just before the first weekend in July, there was an amazing number of Malaysian drivers involved in racing in an International/Asian series – but sadly, reports of such activities are not spread widely among Malaysians. Gary Khor, our contributor who now identifies himself as ‘HardKhor Motorsports’, believes that this needs to be corrected and is doing his part to highlight the drivers in his reports…

During the weekend, the professional (PRO) Malaysian drivers were Adam Khalid, Jazeman Jaafar, Melvin Moh and Afiq Ikhwan Yazid. Gentlemen drivers were Douglas Khoo in TCR Asia Series, H.H. Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahim in Blancpain GT World Asia, and East Malaysian Zen Low in the Lamborghini Trofeo Asia. My apologies to Zen Low for having accidentally omitted him in my first article.

That’s a total of 8 Malaysian Race drivers out there racing for Malaysia last weekend. Not forgetting of course Douglas Khoo’s complete Malaysian team of mechanics and Engineer in the Viper Niza Racing team in TCR Asia.

TCR ASIA ROUNDS 5&6 – ZHEJIANG
Sadly, this race weekend didn’t start well for Douglas Khoo as he was having a fever from the Thursday and his Viper Niza Race team had to skip both the paid practice sessions on Friday.

In spite of a lingering and intermittent fever, Douglas nevertheless went out for Race 1 on Saturday only to incur a puncture leading to a cracked rear damper! Race 2 was uneventful and he was just glad to finish his race and collect some more points towards his championship.

Commenting in the pits, Douglas said: “Had a good start for Race 2 but was just not physically strong to compete”. A brave drive then in physically very trying conditions for Douglas. We wish him a speedy recovery and a better race in the final rounds in Thailand next month.

Adam Khalid, the rookie in the TCR Asia Series had to learn and adapt to the Zhejiang International Circuit which was green throughout the weekend. This meant that constant rain had denied the track a chance to build up rubber and therefore grip. “I owe this weekend to the team for giving me such a great base set-up on the car so we only had to make minor changes throughout practice sessions,” said Adam. Qualifying in the cool conditions and green track meant a distinct lack of grip and heat in the tyres. Despite that, Adam managed a 7th starting position for Race 1 and 8th in Race 2 out of a field of 20 cars.

In Race 1, he moved up to 5th place and started fighting it out with cars from 2nd down to 8th as Luca Engstler had bolted from pole. Close racing like this tends to overheat the brakes and affects engine performance too, so Adam wisely dropped back to preserve his car and passed the chequered in P4 in TCR Asia and P1 in the Asian driver category!

Race 2 saw Adam start from 3rd on the grid. A big tussle (normal in TCR Racing) among some of the frontrunners saw him taking avoiding action using the scenic route and dropping him down to 11th. But a determined drive saw him climb back to finish 5th and in a similar position to Race 1. He now is 6th overall in TCR Asia standings and 3rd in the Asian Drivers title. Well done Adam!

BLANCPAIN GT WORLD CHALLENGE ASIA Rd 7 & 8 – FUJI SPEEDWAY
The premium International GT series in Asia was held in Fuji Speedway this round saw intense and close driving even before Races 1 & 2 evident from the practice sessions. Both races were 1 hour in duration with a compulsory pit-stop of no less than 60 seconds and a driver change.

PRACTICE
Free Practice 1 on Friday saw Craft-Bamboo team mates #88 Alessio Picariello and #55 Melvin Moh first and second quickest and separated by an incredible 3/1000ths of a second! Weiron Tan in the #12 Absolute Racing Audi R8 LMS GT3 was 4th fastest while Jazeman in Triple Eight Race Engineering Australia #888 was 14th. Later, Jazeman would top the timesheets in Official Practice followed by Melvin and Weiron, 4th and 5th fastest respectively.

QUALIFYING
Qualifying 1 determines starting positions in Race 1 and Martin Rump, Weiron Tan’s driving partner, put their Audi in 2nd. H.H. Prince Abdul Rahman Ibrahim, Jazeman Jaafar’s team mate would start in 17th while Singaporean Daniel Au and Melvin’s drive partner started in 24th.

Qualifying 2 and hence Race 2 grid positions saw Jazeman put #888 in 2nd with Melvin 4th and Weiron Tan just behind in 5th.

RACE 1
Race 1 saw 31 cars on the grid, made up of 24 GT3 cars and 7 GT4-spec cars. It was going to be an interesting race as most of the Am drivers from the PRO-AM teams would be starting this race.

Remember, of the Malaysians taking part, only Weiron Tan is in a PRO classified team and Melvin and Jazeman are both in the PRO-AM class. Weiron had to start from 7th due to a penalty incurred in the previous round in Suzuka Japan. He did very well to bring his car up to 4th by the first turn.

And then an incredible chain of incidents and accidents began to start within the next 15 mins of Race 1. During the formation lap, iRace’s Mercedes-AMG GT4 spun around after a tap from the #910 Li Chao Porsche. Then the #88 Picariello/Jeffrey Lee driven Mercedes-AMG GT3 would be put into a spin by the #17 Mercedes AMG GT3.

Next, the bonnet on Vutthikorn’s #918 Porsche GT3 R flipped open, blinding him and his car slid into the path of the #92 Porsche following behind and minding its own business. Then, to cap it off, the unlucky Jeffrey Lee in #88 got hit and spun around a second time by the SAME car!

Inevitably, #17 would incur two drive-through penalties and just to add to their woes, they incurred an unbelievable 3rd penalty for speeding in the pitlane whilst serving one of the drive-through penalties. Some days, it’s better to just stay in bed!

Thus, in the first 15 minutes, the pits had a flurry of activity with damaged cars limping in for repairs. Even the Thai-owned Vattana Lamborghini Huracan was seemingly not spared with some bodywork hanging off the side of the car.

Meanwhile, Weiron soldiered on to 4th and our Johor prince drove well to bring the #888 AMG up to 13th position. Daniel too drove well to keep out of the mayhem. After the mandatory pitstops, Weiron’s team mate rejoined in 5th, Jazeman in 17th and Melvin below 20th.

In a thankfully incident-free 2nd half of Race 1, Martin Rump would bring the Absolute Racing run Audi to 2nd, Jazeman would finish in 11th with Melvin in 17th.

RACE 2
Sunday started out warm, overcast and a little windy but soon Fuji Speedway would heat up with the action on track. Based on Quali 2, the Craft-Bamboo #88 was on pole, followed by Jazeman Jaafar in the #888, 3rd on the grid was Yokomizo’s #17 AMG which had a string of penalties the day before, and 4th was Melvin and Weiron was in 5th spot on the grid.

The action heated up straight into Turn 1 when Yokomizo tapped Jazeman in the back sending the car sideways into the side of Picariello. But everyone survived to continue through Turn 2 and settled down into a very quick train of 5 cars for the next 15 minutes.

Picariello in #88 was running away from Yokomizo, now in front of a very determined Jaafar, followed by Melvin and Weiron. Yokomizo then received a drive-through penalty for what had happened to Jazeman at Turn 1. The pit stop window opened with some 33 minutes left in the race and predictably, the PRO drivers stayed out as long as they could before coming in to hand over to their AM partners, except for Weiron who handed #12 to another PRO, Martin Rump.

With 20 minutes of the race left, Jeffrey Lee led in #88 over the Prince in #888, Weiron was in 5th when Melvin’s team mate went into a spin and then a collision with the #75 Ryo Haryanto Ferrari 488. This brought out the Safety Car which would see things up front change significantly.

With just 9 minutes left before the chequered flag would wave and the lead car incurring a penalty for exceeding track limits, it was a frantic race to the finish. Another accident between the #17 AMG and the #27 Ferrari with 4 minutes left and more penalties for overtaking under the Safety Car for #777 and #13 meant that Malaysian Weiron Tan in #12 won with the Prince of Johor coming in 5th overall and 2nd in PRO-AM class!

LAMBORGHINI SUPER TROFEO ASIA – FUJI
This one-make Lamborghini series follows the Blancpain GT World Challenge Asia series. Weather conditions for both their races were fairly similar.

RACE 1
Malaysian PRO driver, Afiq Yazid driving for Japan-based Team Hojust Wakayama Racing started Race 1 from 4th on the grid and brought his car up to 2nd before handing over to his team mate Ochiai Toshiyoki. Ochiai kept it there to finish 2nd overall and 1st in PRO-AM class.

East Malaysian Zen Low and AM driver shared his car with A. Negro who went as high as 15th, finished in 17th. Position in Race 1.

RACE 2
Ochiai started Race 2 from 6th on the grid and managed to make up 4 places before handing over to Afiq. The Malaysian driver then drove #38 to the top spot making up a whopping 20-second deficit in the process. This was the team’s first overall victory this season and they will be heading the PRO-AM class when they are at Yeongnam for the next round in Korea.

Zen Low, ever consistent and careful finished again in 17th in Race 2. Well done to both Afiq and Zen in the Lamborghini Super Trofeo Fuji!

So there you have it, in first weekend of July, 8 Malaysian drivers and 1 all-Malaysian team raced in 2 countries in 3 International Race Series and stood on podiums across all series… can’t get better than that – for now!

Natasha Chang sets new Guinness World Record with Caltex

If you’re looking for a fuel that has the performance of a world record breaker, you’re in luck with the Caltex with Techron®. Their recent partnership with Jamaican-Chinese race car driver, Natasha Chang, proved their worth as they set a new Guinness World Record for the ‘Fastest Ascent of Doi Chang Mountain Road by Car’. (more…)

On MINI’s 60th anniversary, customers get a 60+60 deal

It’s been 60 years since the original Mini appeared on the roads and MINI Malaysia is celebrating the anniversary by giving customers a 60-month warranty (unlimited mileage) as well as 60 months of MINI Service + Repair Inclusive (MSR) Programme. The offer is for any new model or variant purchased and registered by August 31, 2019.

The 60 Months MINI Service + Repair Inclusive Programme is also applicable for fleet purchases, duty-exempted vehicles and the Returning Expert Programme (REP) customers.

“This year, we celebrate 60 years of British innovation, iconic design and thrilling go-kart handling. Since 1959, MINI has continued to push the boundaries whilst keeping the creative use of space, driving fun, style and individualisation at its core. As we celebrate our 60th anniversary, we are thrilled to extend the 60 Months MINI Service + Repair Inclusive Programme to all new MINI owners to deliver the complete Premium Ownership Experience,” said Harald Hoelzl, MD of BMW Group Malaysia.

Condition-based service approach
For those not familiar with the MSR Inclusive Programme, this uses a Condition Based Service (CBS) system, an approach that does not follow scheduled mileage or time intervals. Instead, maintenance is carried out based on the actual condition of the engine as it is used. Depending on how it is driven and other factors, the intervals could be longer or shorter.

The BMW Group was among the first manufacturers to introduce CBS in 2002 with the 7-Series. It was an evolution of BMW’s service indicator system and created a flexible, more economical maintenance schedule. Studies found that some owners enjoyed significant savings in maintenance costs in the longer run by not having to stick to scheduled service and replacement intervals.

BAC takes the Mono further with new R version – and all 30 units are already sold out

Briggs Automotive Company (BAC), a small British company founded by two brothers, has officially launched its all-new Mono R. It is a new, more advanced generation of the original Mono with enhanced performance and lower weight. The new Mono R serves as ‘The New Reference’, as the company refers to it, and features revolutionary new materials and technology.

Brand new approach
Although still undeniably a Mono, the R sports a brand new approach to body engineering that has seen all surfaces designed from scratch and 44 bespoke carbonfibre parts restyled to give the car a more aggressive, organic and futuristic stance.

The striking new look of Mono R is defined by the imposing shark nose front, which epitomises true efficiency of form courtesy of a sleek and homogeneous redesign. Main beam LED headlights centrally mounted on the nose are a distinguishing feature that reduce the frontal area and contribute to a more minimalist appearance.

The new nose coupled with the Formula-inspired ram-air inlet system issue a hint at the R’s phenomenal performance potential, while the upper body design is more slender and organic to enhance aerodynamics. Lower down on the R, all technical surfaces are thinner and more blade-like to effectively sculpt and divert airflow.

The R has been the subject of numerous aerodynamic enhancements, with more efficient front arches and wider sidepods as well as a larger and more aerodynamically efficient rear spoiler extending over the rear arches.

Inside, the Mono R remains a perfect canvas for customer personalisation, plus there’s a new-look, race-inspired, even lighter steering wheel and optional carbon interior side panels.

More powerful 2.5-litre engine
BAC’s engineers have ensured Mono R breaks new ground with its engine, too. Co-developed with long-standing engine partner Mountune, the Mono’s 2.5-litre, 4-cylinder unit has increased in power by 35 bhp to deliver an astonishing 340 bhp. This equates to a remarkable power-to-weight ratio of 612 bhp-per-tonne. At 136 bhp/litre, it also sets a new naturally aspirated global record for a road-legal car.

The striking new Formula-inspired ram-air inlet system provides pressurised air into an all-new throttle body and cylinder head system to further increase power, plus a higher-spec, drive-by-wire motor allows for a quicker throttle response.

The Mono R is the first production car in the world fully incorporating the use of graphene-enhanced carbonfibre in every body panel. Using the revolutionary material enhances the structural properties of the fibre to make panels stronger and lighter with improved mechanical and thermal performance.

The suspension geometry has been optimised to reduce pitch under braking, with increased anti-dive at the front and anti-squat at the rear maximising traction, while two-way adjustable dampers from Ohlins feature for the first time.

All 30 units already sold
One of the most exclusive supercars ever made, a total of just 30 units of the Mono R will be produced. Each is priced at £190,950 (about RM990,000). And although it was only launched at the Goodwood Festival of Speed 2019 recently, the full production run has already sold out, with deliveries to take place before the year ends.

*The original BAC Mono launched in 2011.*

Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R – Top reasons to get one

A lot of different people will give you a lot of different reasons what cars to buy. It all goes down to your personal preference but when it comes to the new Renault Mégane R.S. Trophy-R, Renault has make things easier by listing down all the good things about their model (which also happens to be the fastest ever front-wheel drive production car lap of the Nürburgring). (more…)

Redesigned Porsche 911 RSR ready to defend world championship title [w/VIDEO]

The brand-new Porsche 911 RSR – the most spectacular 911 of all time – is ready to defend its World Endurance Championship (WEC) title. In developing the new Porsche 911 RSR, substantial insights were garnered and adopted from the extremely successful race outings of its predecessor.

“Since 2017, the 911 RSR has yielded us more than 20 class wins in the world championship as well as at long-distance series in North America and Europe. Our job in the development was to make a very good car even better. The engineers at Weissach have perfectly implemented this in every aspect,” says Fritz Enzinger, Vice-President Porsche Motorsport.

“We never rest on our laurels,” added Pascal Zurlinden, Director GT Factory Motorsport, explaining that the development team extensively analysed all factory and customer campaigns with the 911 RSR. “Our engineers noticed room for improvement in a number of areas. We have made significant progress in the development of our car for the next three-year homologation period, especially in the complex areas of driveability, efficiency, durability and serviceability. 95% percent of the car is new. The only components that we’ve kept unchanged from the predecessor are the headlights, brake system, clutch, driver’s seat and parts of the suspension. Tests so far have run excellently. We’re already looking forward to the first races of the 2019/2020 FIA WEC season.”

Biggest boxer engine in a 911 ex-works
In terms of the drivetrain, Porsche remains faithful to its chosen path. The latest 911 is also powered by a 6-cylinder naturally aspirated engine. The highly efficient boxer unit positioned in front of the rear axle has a displacement of 4194 cc and – depending on the size of the restrictor – produces around 515 bhp.

The new power unit is the largest ever boxer engine to be mounted in a 911 ex-works, and offers even better driveability over a wider rev-band compared to the predecessor’s proven 4-litre aggregate. Power is delivered to the rear wheels via a weight-optimised, more rigid sequential six-speed constant-mesh gearbox.

The new powertrain ensures faster gearshift times and increased efficiency. The two exhaust pipes now exit on each side in front of the rear wheels. The new exhaust gas ducting saves weight and is aerodynamically advantageous.

With the repositioning of the tailpipes, space has been made for an optimised diffuser. The distinctive component at the rear now generates even more downforce. Thanks to the optimisation of airflow at the front and the sides, aerodynamic efficiency and stability have increased significantly, thereby further improving the use and durability of the tyres during racing.

Improvements for usability in long-distance racing
Driveability and serviceability are critical factors in long-distance racing. For this reason, Porsche placed particular emphasis on these aspects when developing the new 911 RSR. The cockpit has been reworked with the focus on better usability.

In this regard, extensive feedback from the Porsche drivers proved invaluable. Like with the predecessor, the body made of carbonfibre reinforced plastic can be swapped out quickly and thus ensures efficient pit processes in long-distance racing.

To give drivers added protection, the active and passive safety elements in the 911 RSR have been improved. The proven collision warning system allows drivers an even better overview to detect other approaching cars early enough. The optimised roll cage, the FIA side impact panel in the door and cage as well as additional impact protection for the legs improve the passive safety in the event of an accident. Other features include the removable roof hatch and the rigidly-mounted racing seat featuring a 6-point safety harness for the driver.