And when the dust settles, tyres stop screeching, transponders stop recording, and fuel stops burning, what truly matters & remains is the camaraderie and the respect amongst drivers.
27 April 2014 was an exceptional TimeToAttack. Within the Euro category, there had been whispers about mind-blowing time targets, insane vehicles, and a quiet tension between manufacturers on who would prevail. Wing Hin had a monster, Exoticmods a game-changer, and the twin Audi’s from Everco were horrifying.
Back at the Renault camp, there was an air of unrest as we knew we had the fight of our lives ahead of us, all condensed into 2 x 25 minute sessions. We questioned the possibility of even getting on the podium. It was tense to say the least.
Both sessions were extremely competitive. I narrowly squeezed ahead of Kenny Lee in Wing Hin’s Euro Street Golf R (the white one) in session 1 for 3rd place with a time of 2:37.4, while he was right on my tail with a formidable time of 2:37.6. Only miliseconds separated us. I’ll have to be honest, I was secretly praying for rain in session 2 so that my podium spot would be solidified. 🙂
But alas, session 2 came about, and the weather was perfect (DAMMIT!). The dark clouds had blown over, and the track was as cool as Brad Pitt’s character in Ocean’s Eleven. I knew I had to go balls-to-the-wall if I were to retain third place.
So I headed out. After the out-lap, everything felt good and as I was braking into Turn 1, and my steering wheel locked at 90 degrees to the right, it hit me… “GUN IT!”. I smashed the throttle, and over the next 2 minutes and thirty-six seconds, concentrated harder than I ever have.
Pitting in after the session, fellow member & driver Eow Wan Lin ran over to me shouting “You did it! Third place!”. My 2:36.256 run made the podium. I was overwhelmed. Not only did I break the all-time Renault record for street tyres, I managed to clinch 3rd, my first TimeToAttack podium!
I walked over to congratulate Kingston and Cornelius from Team Everco on their 1st & 2nd place finish. They returned the gesture with more than just a hand shake and smile, but with a can of beer. We popped the cans, clunked them together, and chugged the celebratory drinks.
The Renault pit was right next to Wing Hin’s, and as I devoured a cigarette to calm my nerves, Shawn (owner of Wing Hin VW) introduced himself and congratulated me on my run. He showered compliments and was extremely humble. We exchanged kind words, friendly banter, and he said we would keep in touch. Low & behold, a “Friend Request” came in on Facebook, and it was Shawn.
Kenny Lee of Kegani Racing (driver for Wing Hin’s Golf R & FT86) smiled as he said to me “If you believe you can, you can.”
Ari (more known as Ari7474) caught me with a pat on the back, and with a handsome smile (like he always has) said “Good job bro!”.
Desmond & Melissa from N1 Racing were ecstatic about my win, and Melissa insisted we take a selfie together.
After the prize giving ceremony, and on the 50km drive home, it struck me… THIS, this is what TimeToAttack is really about. Forget the silly rivalries, forget all the smack talk, forget the competition, what really matters at the end of the day is not Renault, VW, or Audi, it’s the friendship fostered and the respect given and earned amongst drivers.
2014 has been nothing short of eye-opening.
Rivalry will keep the competition strong, but camaraderie, respect & friendship is what will truly keep everyone going.
Video of my 2:36.256 run:
Special thanks to:
R.S Collectif for being the most supportive club, period.
Wing Hin & Exoticmods for keeping the Euro’s on the map.
Everco for the beer.
Tom, Angeline & the entire TimeToAttack team for the amazing event.
