Turning heads not only during TIMETOATTACK, R-Engineering is also doing pretty well in the 2014 Malaysia Super Series. The combination of Lai Wee Sing and Alvaro Maurato in a well-prepped race machine had pretty much got the attention of everyone competing in the Malaysia Touring Production category, especially after they did an official circuit record of 2:37.8 back in Round 1.
“Back in Round 1, luck was not really on our side where we were involved in an accident and could not finish the race (Race 2). We then fixed the car where it is now 95-percent ready. The braking system was a little bit nervous last time, so we improved it in order to catch up with the timing from the last race”, explained Ah Lai on the condition of the Proton Satria Neo he is going to be racing in.
Although he expressed his concern on the low grip of the track due to layers of rubber from various tire companies compared to Round 1 where they shared the track with the Formula One cars, they had managed to clock an impressive 2:37.262 in the qualifying session. This had positioned them to start the race on the 9th spot on the grid, but as the lead car in their category.
“Actually, we also could not be entirely sure where did the timing come from. We compared our timing with the ones during the first round and it showed that the car was actually about 4-5km/h slower at straight line speed”, he added.
With already a great spot to start the race, R-Engineering was looking forward in dominating the 50-minute endurance race. Unfortunately, they ran into an iceberg once again and the hopes of finishing on the podium sank far before they even reached the finishing line.
“Bad luck struck us once again for this round and the car did not run very well. It could be wiring or the engine, we need to check later on. Although we qualified on pole position, we were unable to win the race. We are very disappointed”.
Going into the details of the race, Ah Lai said that the car performed well and was fighting neck and neck with Tedco’s Mark Darwin during the first stint. However, after five laps of leading the race, the car started to slow down and they lost about 7-10km/h in the straights. Going to an early pit stop, they figured that the car might have needed to cool down before resuming the race, but unfortunately that did not take place and they pulled out from the race after 11 laps of racing.
