Our friends over at Ignition.my held their first ever Ignition.my-RCA Speed Challenge a week ago at Sepang international Circuit that saw 46 cars take part in a series of short three-lap battles.
The Speed Challenge is loosely based on the time attack format we’re all familiar with but instead of single hot laps, the cars battled it out in a number of three-lap battles.
It was inevitable that the strain of continuous fast laps would take a toll on the street-biased machines and just after the first round of heats, a fifth of the field were headed for an early shower with mechanical problems.
Right on cue too, the weather decided to get in on things and it started to pour just after 2pm. That meant that the second round of heats were to be run in the wet, leading to top FF-driver Taj Madira opting out of the second heats to preserve his times. It would be a smart choice though as he stormed back in the third heats, finishing third having started from the back.
Not surprisingly, the 4WD machines were having a field day in the wet. Nonetheless, even the bite of 4WD couldn’t prevent some of the drivers from overcooking it on the damp track. Shahrin Black, piloting his yellow Subari, lost it at the last corner of the last lap while in the lead.
In the FF category, the Civic Type-R’s were leading the field but once the clouds broke, the Golf GTI’s seemed to be putting the power down to the ground a lot more effectively. At the end though, the Civic Type-R prevailed, with Chris Tan’s FD2R edging out the Team APR Golf GTI Mk6 of Adrian.
Over in the RWD class, Nick Mah drove his Ferrari to the top of the time sheets, obliterating every other car in his part. He was so quick that in the second heat, he started 10-seconds behind the Open Class cars but not only did he catch up, he overtook all three cars before the chequered flag.
For more info and results on the Speed Challenge, log onto www.ignition.my and stay tuned for the next round.