FXOpen Drift Series 2011

Speed City KL... Try to tell that to any cab driver and they would not even have a clue of where that is. And not even that, they do not even have a clue of where/what "Selangor Turf Club" is! Only a small number (actually only one) of them finally understood what it was when they asked "Itu tempat lumba kuda ka?", which I said yes, and we were on the way. And I am on my way to my first drift event, the FXOpen Drift Series 2011.

Though I missed both the 1st and 2nd day of the competition, I was determined not to miss this one. Been missing too much events before, and that must come to a halt once and for all. Upon reaching the venue, my ears were greeted by the unmistakable noise of both high-revving rear-wheelers and screaming tyres. Not wasting any seconds (since I arrived quite late, somewhere around 3pm), I immediately got myself the RM15 ticket and forcefully surrendered both my unopened bottle of 100 Plus and another mineral water before entering, as they say it was "procedure". Procedure my ass.

So as I got there, a tsuiso was commencing between whom, I was not so sure. One thing about competitive drifting is that I could only recall or recognize a few names, faces and cars that are widely publicized, like the definitely famous Prince of Drift or a.k.a. the Tandem Assassin, Tengku Djan Ley, Leona Chin, Kiki (Thai drifter), and also Ah Fai. Well, maybe there are a few more names that I could put out, but as I had yet start to follow the drift scene a little bit seriously, I could say that I know almost nothing. Hopefully with this one, atleast I'll recognize some of the faces that is trying hardly to make the drifting scene more lively in Malaysia.

Back to the event, as I reached the scene, immediately my instinct tells me to go to the grandstand, hoping to get a good view. Well, the view was great from there, especially for those who wanted to relax and spectate the cars shredding their tyres, from afar. But I think I wanted more than that. I wanted to get closer to the action. Despite the superbly blistering heat, I decided to go where I could get closer to it, legally though; the barriers. And since this spot gives a clearer view of the drifting action, I managed to capture the moments where the cars are taking their first corner.

You gotta have big, brass balls to drift your car that close to the walls!

Goodyear's Cefiro doing his thing.

Same make, same look, same aim; defeat the opponent.

It was a very good idea to put myself here instead of the grandstand. Seeing the drifters lock their rear wheels on the 1st corner with such spectacle really amuses me. And as the drifters pass by and the smoke approaches, the strong smell of burnt rubber filled the air and at the same time rained bits of pieces of rubber towards the barrier-loving spectators. But somehow, what I thought of a "good idea" was not so good after all. It was actually VERY risky. In the round where Hashiguti Anderson vs Along (got these names from zerotohundred.com, thanks for the details guys!), somehow Along understeered his bright orange A31 Cefiro and went on crashing to the barriers.

Hashiguti (Yellow-red 180SX) vs Along (Orange A31)

1st corner looking good...

But on the second corner...

...understeered and CRASH!

The driver walking away as if nothing had happened.

Luckily though, the damage was not so extensive and the drifter managed to crawl out from the wreckage without any major injuries.

4 barrels were killed in this incident. Unfortunately, they did not have enough white cloth to cover them all...

So as the red flag was flagged and the competition was halted for a while, I took the opportunity to stroll to the booths, checking out what they had in store for the visitors. Put aside the usual booths that sells shirts, foods and drinks, there were also some booths that displays some exotic supercars! We're talking about F430, Gallardo, and one of the most unexpected, an LP 670-4 SV!!

I'd have the orange one, please...

F-22 Raptor on the road!!

Superleggera under the same hood with the 599.

Anyways, as the action resumed, I went back to the barriers, only a different location. And this new location enables me to get a view of the cars taking the second corner clearly. Although the heat was getting a little bit intense, none of the drift fans seemed to be complaining. So why should I?

The Hachiroku leaving the 180SX behind...

But since their run was good, an OMT was called...and...

...the spectators got some ass-kissing action..

Goodyear's 86 battling out with Federal's Cefiro.

And after the Top 8 (I think), they took a time-out, giving the drifters some time to cool down before giving on all they got to claim the RM100,000 prize. And during that time-off, an autograph session was held at one of the booths, so I wasted no time and dashed to the booth, and got myself some sideways maniac autographs, and got myself a free t-shirt too.

Was hot and humid, but they braved on and pleased the crowd, both on and off the tracks.

After getting a little bit up close but not personal with the drifters, the action resumed and I went on surrendering myself to be rained with bits of rubber...

Djan with an 86 wagon??

In case you are wondering, no, the 86 did not overtake Djan, this is just the second run..

Just look at that smoke trail!

I just realized just how long this post is going to be, so maybe a Part 2 will be appropriate... So more sideways and rubber burning action on Part 2!!

JPM Supercar Gathering - Part 2

In this part 2, I'm trying to post some more pics that I took during the event, just that I'm experimenting on some new "spices" that might or might not hit some taste buds. I'm currently trying to play around with HDR, which I'm not pretty sure if this is how it'll look like. However, these are some more beasts that came out of their cave to welcome the even monstrous Super GT this June...

My name's Bond.. James Bond..

To me, this is truly a gentleman's car. With some crazy extras..

Somehow, I'm not pretty sure whether the clear or red back lights look better.

Underpowered (than the DBS for sure) but still captivating, the Vantage V8.

One of the marques of excellence.

Where there's Ying, there's Yang.

Look at those rims! They're like blades cutting through the roads!

Loving the simple curves and those carbon side blades.

Those are some nice tail lights..

Don't worry though, this is not yet the end. Maybe it'll be nice to fill the Part 3 with Italians only...

JPM Supercar Gathering - Part 1

Since I missed the last Ferrari Gathering at Pavillion last year, I was really looking forward to attend any major supercar gathering. Of course, I did go to the Blue Jackets at Tropicana, but the turn up was not so, how do I put this, impressive. Yes, they did bring some magnificent machines into the scene but when the word "gathering" enters my mind, I will be expecting a large turn up. Luckily though, I got one in the 20th.

JPM motorsports had organized a supercar gathering on the 20th of March 2011 at One Utama. And this one, I would say, was what I was looking for all along. Large turn up. Various models, makes, variants, etc.. And it was sunny! And although I did arrived quite late (1pm to be exact, where the event should have ended already), there was still a battalion of supercars standing still under the blazing heat greeting my arrival. A few did left by then, remembering the thunderous roar of the yellow Gallardo's V10 screaming past me as I walked to where it was previously.

But never mind! There were still a whole lot more at the venue, so I present you some of the real man's toys that had made its way to the event...

JP Chin's Lamborghini Murcielago LP 670-4

Super Veloce!!

To remind you of what you got stored behind your rear seats.

Gimme 458!!

Lushious red...

Triple-barreled shotgun, anyone?

A slimmed Gallardo with a F430.

Just look at the size of those wheel arches!

More power badges!

Mamamamamaseratti!(with someone peeking at the back)

The infamous trident logo.

Peeking under her skirts...Oops!

There are still tonnes of pictures waiting to be processed and posted later on, promising you guys some Brit and German cars later on. But for the meantime, I gotta get some rest...

Stochastic Shots - Lotus Evora

When we talk about famous car manufacturers, the definite countries that'll pop out of most heads are those like Japan, Korea (South, of course), and The States. This goes the same towards performance vehicles, minus the Koreans, where most of their cars are made for the masses. But little known from the general view, the British also has a huge arsenal of great cars coming from the Land of The Queen. The Aston Martin, Jaguar, Bentley, and not to forget the astonishing McLaren. And another one, which has gone bankrupt and bought by the Malaysians, is the legendary Lotus.

Lotus has a long line or automotive racing heritage, and I could say that all of its cars are absolutely stunning. Beautiful. Sleek and elegant. And these characteristics are passed on to its new model, the beautiful, sleek and elegant Lotus Evora.

See that shy F430 peeking its red ass at the back..

And while some might think that "Evora" has some kind of meaning in Spanish or Italian, well, you're wrong. The name is actually derived from Evolution, Vogue and Aura. A unique way of naming a car if you ask me. I wonder what the Exige stands for...

Hey, another me!

But anyways, this sleek looking car is also sleek in action. Lotus cars are known for not having a rocket acceleration, but a butterfly's floating capability. It swerves down a curve like it is born to do so, and this should be thanked to its lightweight body. And since this Evora's engine is in the middle, it will help more in the weight distribution, increasing the stability.

When you're running on Pirellis, you know its going to be serious.

And to be noted, this is the only Lotus with a 2 + 2 configuration. So, hey, bring your kids and wife to your next track day and I'm telling you, you won't ever have to drive them to school or to the mall ever again.

Ello' Brits!

The classic Black and Gold Lotus livery. Still looks gorgeous today..

I looked through those grills on the hood and found nothing in it. Is that the boot? Surely the cargo will be drenched if it rains, which it will.

I got to say though, since Proton owns Lotus, they should use the technology and experience in motorsport performance that Lotus has into good use. I mean, are Malaysians born to be stuck inside a front-wheeled, front-engined, cheaply-made but expensively-labeled rebadged cars? Start making cars like these and we'll be more than happy to buy national cars! (Not because we have to due to the absurd price of imports)....

Stochastic shots - "Ah, maybe later"...

I gotta say, procrastination is really a damn bitch. And now, it has gotta end! Haha! Really, it is very annoying when you have the "Ah, maybe later" thought in mind, whereas it will keep on repeating itself every time we thought of executing the plans in our heads. So, while I still have the strength to fight it off, here is some eye candies that will definitely catches our eyes, especially on the streets of Malaysia...

Ferrari F430 Scuderia 16M Spider

Loving those carbon fiber side skirts!

Specially built to commemorate their 16th victory in the Formula 1 Constructor's World Championship back in 2008

The BMW M5. Built or a family guy, who wants to do both ferrying the children to school and tearing up the track.

Some sick rims! And yes, the Brembos too~

A real Hartge? I really hope so...

And some Evoras with the old school Lotus livery!

Got a tonne of pics to put up later on. So stay tuned!