To some, the 3rd of April may not mean much other than it being just another weekend last week. But to JDM lovers in Malaysia, this is one of the most important dates in the calendar as it marks the unofficial day for the infamous Nissan Skyline R34. Like the R32 gathering that we covered 2 months back, the R34 Godzilla Day also took place at the Melaka International Motorsport Circuit (MIMC) and the attendance, in short, was overwhelming.
The journey started early in the morning where most of the cars met up at Seremban RnR before heading to MIMC. After the stickers had been put up, a short briefing was held and the convoy hit the roads.
Seeing the machines in static gives you the chance to admire every single inch of their beauty, but the sensation of catching them on the roads is a whole different feeling.
In the spirit of camaraderie, the line-up was not limited to only R34s as siblings from other generations and models also made an appearance like the R32, R33, R35, and a number of S-chassis as well.
Upon arriving at MIMC, the participants had a quick rest in the pits before taking their cars into the sun at the main straight for the first program of the day, the Show and Shine. We do not always get to see these rare monsters coming out from hibernation, so the sight of Skylines from various generations queuing up at the straight was pretty overwhelming.
It is also in this occasion that we could appreciate the different treatments or mods thrown in by the owner. While some would like to keep it subtle and under the radar…
…others would like theirs to be bold and being an instant attention-grabber.
But the show does not stop there as more jaws were dropped when the owners started opening their hoods, exposing the hidden engines that power their chariot.
Once the Show and Shine concluded, the day moved on to the second program of the day, the time attack. The participants were then divided into 5 cars per group to avoid overcrowding, and it did not take long before the tranquil circuit came into life with the angry sounds of inline-six machines fighting against the clock.
MIMC’s main straight is not really a long stretch as it is only about 300 metres from one end to another. But that is no excuse for the R34s to not have fun and they made the most out of the short makeshift drag strip to see who has the fastest machine in the drag battles.
However, the drag session was interrupted by the sudden downpour and had sent all the cars cowering for covers in the pits.
Since the circuit was already soaking wet and super slippery at the same time, the organizers brought the drifting session forward, giving way for the rear-wheelers to have some tail-out mayhem. The wet circuit meant that the possibility to see some smoky rears is down to zero, but the pocket of waters did made things interesting.
After a couple of runs by the drifting Nissans and a short open track day, the drag session was resumed when the circuit had dried up.
Since they used almost most of the main straight for the drags, the Skylines were able to reach some serious speeds and putting on a great show at the same time.
If you are a big JDM fan or better, a Skyline enthusiast, make sure to book the date in the future as you do not get to see Skylines roaming in the wild like this every day. A big hand goes to the Malaysia Skyline Owners Group in organizing this wonderful event and we would really love to see more of such gatherings to take place in the near future!
