Usually when we mention ‘V8’ and ‘supercars’ together, the immediate image of a thoroughbred Italian icons like Ferrari or Maserati will come into mind. However things are a bit different in Australia as while you still get the same number of cylinders, their version of V8 Supercars revolves around 20+ rumbling race cars sprinting their way to the chequered flag.
And to further turn the inaugural KL City GP into something unique and memorable, the organizer has invited the V8 Supercars to be a part of the festival which they were more than glad to be a part of. The appearance of the V8 Supercars at KL City GP was also a historical moment itself because it was the first time ever for the race series to appear on our beloved country.
Unfortunately for Malaysians, we would have to wait a bit longer to experience the full-on V8 Supercars race atmosphere as for the curtain raiser, they only brought down five cars for the opening show. It may sound like an insignificant amount of cars at first but such thoughts are immediately thrown into the drain as those V8 machines sure did put on a great show.
The five teams and drivers present for this exhibition run were Red Bull Racing Australia’s Craig Lowndes running the Holden Commodore…
…, Wilson Security Racing GRM’s Scott McLaughlin in the Volvo S60…
…, Prodrive Racing Australia’s Chaz Mostert in the Ford Falcon,..
… Erebus Motorsport’s Will Davison in the Mercedes-Benz E63,…
… and last but no least Nissan Motorsport’s Todd Kelly in the Nissan Altima.
The typical concern of running a race in Malaysia is the sudden change of weather from scalding hot to soaking wet. But was that an excuse for them to keep their feet dry and just stay in the pits? Not at all.
Even in the torrential rain, the V8 Supercars swathed a path through the water and gave the spectators a taste of what we have been missing all these while. It was quite a nail-biting experience to see the cars twitching through the tarmac even with the grooved tires on and the drivers were not exactly pushing the limits of the car and the circuit.
But when the sun comes out and the street circuit was as dry as a bone, it was then that the V8 Supercars could turn up the dials and give the crowd a show. Although it is called an ‘exhibition run’, it sure seemed that they were keen to put on a proper display for the fans who braved the rain and shine for them.
And before bidding goodbye to Malaysia and the newly found fans of the race series, the drivers showed their thanks by presenting a couple of smoky donuts to the crowd.
So far the V8 Supercars is a great addition to the KL City GP and we would love to see them appear in full force the next time they land in Malaysia!
