The crowd was ecstatic, the turn-up was fantastic, and the cars were hypnotic. Before we bid goodbye to 2014, it is appropriate for us to end this year with a bang to our supporters and hardcore petrolheads with the final round of the 2014 TIMETOATTACK taking place at none other than the beloved Sepang International Circuit.
Receiving an overwhelming support from the participants, sponsors and spectators, there is no way that the heat of the Final Showdown was going to fade away even under the cloudy skies of Sepang. And to those keeping a close eye in the timings, the highlight of this Final Round is undoubtedly the possibility of seeing ST Powered’s record of 2:16.297 being broken by anyone which of course includes themselves. Mind you, a few rounds ago, such timing were already considered as blisteringly fast!
While we will go in depth later on, it did not take long for both participants and spectators to flock the 5.543km circuit, even on a Sunday morning. Kicking off with the open track day, the circuit was open to all for an experience to drive around the Formula 1-approved circuit. The open track day did not only serve as a shakedown session for the TIMETOATTACK participants, it also gave car owners to open the taps on their rides and take it to serious speeds in a safe and controlled environment.
After the open track day, the participants are ushered to the media centre for a driver’s briefing. Here, they are briefed of the rules and regulations so that the participants will have a clear knowledge of operating on the track and ensuring their safety and others’ as well.
And customary to the TIMETOATTACK tradition, the Parade Lap serves as a quick reminder that the action is about to begin. Here, all of the participants will line up at the pit lane and move slowly towards the main straight. While this is mainly to test their transponders, it is also an instant crowd-puller where the spectators could catch the wide variety of time attackers gathered up in one endless line.
Once the green light is on, the serenity at Sepang is broken once again with the roars of the numerous machines going all-out with an aim of either topping the timings of their class, or better, the whole crowd. And it is on events like this that we are able to see some interesting project cars being built locally or from across the Causeway. But it is not all about armed-to-the-teeth cars as some docile looking machines could also post up some decent timing on the board as well!
There is always something special at TIMETOATTACK and for this Final Round, the spectators were treated with a classic car parade by JTCars whom had brought down timeless classics like the Datsun Fairlady 240Z and the Toyota Celica. The GT-R boys also joined in the parade, bringing the volume up with the rumbles of their twin-turbocharged V6 machines.
Once the second wave have had their go and posted the final times on the board, it was finally time to find out whether will we be seeing a new lap record being set in the final round of 2014, or will the 2:16 still stand as the benchmark for the rounds to come? In fact, the journey to the top will be a tricky one for others as Desmond Soh of ST Powered had successfully taken the Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution IX Time Attack Machine to new heights with an amazing lap time of 2:14.903, shaving off almost 1.5 seconds from his previous best lap time!
With such a great achievement marking the end of 2014, we could not wait to see what 2015 has in store for us as there will definitely be challengers who will be aiming to topple this record. But for the time being, a big congratulation goes to Desmond and ST Powered for this incredible feat! We would also like to take this opportunity to thank all the sponsors and supporters in making this Final Round a success and a memorable one as well.
