It was a weeks of preparations as I ordered the "best tyres" for this track session and also left my R to SK Garage to have the necessary checks done in order to have a safe track session. For those who think that bringing their rides to the track requires no other extra work, think again. It's minor things like checking the engine oil that determines if your car could last the journey up to Sepang, Malaysia, yet circle the track for X number of laps before heading home to Singapore safely. It is just a simple step to ensure that your daily driven can withstand the track session and the long journey up North.
For those who have been following me on Facebook would have known about my episode at Boundary Road just days before this track session. Imagine it happening on North-South Highway. I'd probably get a earful from the wife and never get to track up North again. Anyway, that was also a blessing in disguise as I got sponsored from FK Massimo!
Check out my previous review on the FK Massimo Racing 3. And even for this track session, I still swear by this engine oil.
It was so refreshing to breathe the air at Sepang International Circuit (SIC). It's as though the mix of exhaust fumes and hot air emitted by the tracks is the fuel to my life. Just like what Steve McQueen once said, "When you are racing, it's life, anything that happens before or after is just waiting". Hence it's of little wonder why I was grinning from ear to ear as I prepared to hit the tracks.
Apart from sticking on the number decal for the track session this time, I almost didn't had to lift a finger as the Team from SK Garage lend their full support to all their customers.
In case you are wondering how professional the boys from SK Garage are, let's just say that they are "MEN" now.
Dressed in long pants and racing shoes, the 3 brothers team from SK Garage were out in full force to impress that day.
I couldn't find another workshop that had brought more tools than them, and a cooler box with iced-cold drinks!
They even came equipped with the jack and air-gun for tyre change.
As mentioned early, I had order "the world best tyre" for this track session: Yokohama Advan A050
The Yokohama Advan A050 semi slick tyre has been designed for circuit and gymkhana use and is perfect for weekends at the track.
Read more about the tyre on their official website:
http://www.advanwheels.com.au/tyres/race.aspx
Anyway, call me a control-freak, but I couldn't resist checking the tyre pressure myself despite having the support of SK Garage.
When the car was ready, and the track session started, many cars rushed out to the tracks almost immediately.
For those who think the tracking is just driving, think again. Tracking is just like any other sports that requires some stretching to warm-up before you hit the tracks. (Perhaps I could talk more about this in another write-up.)
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| It's hard to stretch and smile at the camera, both at the same time! |
It may only be a track session, but safety is always of high regards when it comes to motorsports. And with 101 possibilities of accidents happening, one can never be too safe without proper racing attire. Having finally purchased the racing suit months ago, I decided to go ahead and wear the suit despite many stares from the other trackies. I needed the opportunity to get used to driving with the suit if I was to compete in any competitions at the end of the year.
Even Watt came suited for the track session.
After a few hot laps, I came back beaming with pride. My R had easily clocked 2:38 within the first few laps after the adjustments made to the damping. It was an improvement to my personal best of 2:39 clocked during the Time To Attack last July. I felt a huge load off my back immediately.
It was important to check on the tyre pressure during each pit stop to ensure that the amount was still within the optimal pressure for the track.
I did a quick check on my tyre pressure before going around to hang out with the other guys who were at the track session. What is going for a track session when you don't get to hang out with friends?
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| (from left) With Justin and the youngest mechanic at SK Garage, Ah Be. |
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| (From left) With Jonathan from SK Garage, Joshua and, Jon Teo from Lifestyle Motorsports. |
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| With the Director of Lifestyle Motorsport, Niki Tham |
It was back on the track after some mingling. This time, I was ready to do what I was there for.
With the best tyres for my R, my game plan for the day was to break the 2:35 barrier before my R take a long rest to prepare for the competitions at the end of the year.
But alas, lady luck was not on my side as my gear box ran into problems moments into second time out on the track: I was unable to engage into the 2nd gear at all!
I came back to the pit despite only clocking a better lap time of 2:37.
It was chaos as I tried to identify and rectify the problem with no avail.
When all else seem to fail, the gear problem seem to go away after the R had cooled down. I decided to let the R rest while I waited for the BLACK HOUR.
The BLACK HOUR is a 1 hour slot of quality time, with a limit of 20 cars on the tracks. Priced at S$350, it is a small amount more than the usual track day rate but with the exclusive use of the track with limited cars. Just the thing I needed to ensure that I have a clear track to clock a good lap.
The BLACK HOUR was at 4pm to 5pm, 1 hour of track session after the usual session ended at 4pm. I was ready to hit the track again, and so was the R. We hit the track once again, taking each corner at ease as we did a warm-up. Then the problem struck again. I was unable to engage the 2nd gear again!
I took the R back to the pit and almost went berserk!
It took a lot to calm me down before I decided to wait it out. Friends started coming over to offer their views of the problem.
Finally at the last 15 minutes of the BLACK HOUR, I decided to head out to the tracks again. This time with much positivity that no matter what time I was able to clock during this final sprint, I had already improved from my previous best of 2:39.
It was not long before I head back to the pit again.
This time, beaming with pride. I had clocked a personal best of 2:35 even though I was unable to engage the 2nd gear to take on turn 02 and 09.
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| My mechanic and good friend, Jonathan, sharing my joy! |
It was a great end to the track session. And despite all the hiccups, I had a blast with everyone present.
Can't wait for November to come for the next track session I could attend!
Update @ 18 July 2013
The gear box was taken apart once we were back in Singapore. Guess what, the clutch pressure plate and synchro gave way! I guess I was lucky to be able to clock 2:35 on such problem, while still being able to drive home safely.
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