A Tribute to A Great Man

News of the passing of Mr Lee Kuan Yew dominated the media, social & in print, the past few days. Articles of the great man  poured in from all directions: chronicling the impact of late Mr Lee on the lives of many, especially in Singapore. 

As a son of Singapore, I was eager to do my part for our Founding Father for the last time. When I was recalled for duty to protect the Lying In State at the Parliament House, I was thrilled to be able to contribute for a man who contributed so much for a nation. 

As a son of Singapore, I had benefited in many ways from a nation that late Mr Lee had built:

▪️ I received good recognized education from an education system that late Mr Lee had ensured the citizens of Singapore received;

▪️ I wake up everyday knowing that my family & myself will be safe, thanks to the military and good foreign friendships that late Mr Lee had built; and 

▪️ I have a job, that pays well enough for my basic needs while supporting a dream to race. 

Hence, I'd like to dedicate all the races that I'd be participating in this year to Mr Lee Kuan Yew: the man who spent his entire life to put Singapore on the world map. I aspire to put Singapore on the Motorsports world map too.

#thankyouLKY

9tro Alliance Feature

The last time I found my R on the popular 9tro Alliance magazine, it was just a photo mention for the magazine's write-up on the ZeroToHundred TIMETOATTACK 2013 Final Round - Part 2 competition.

Read more of it here :
http://www.9tro.com/events/motorsports/zerotohundred-timetoattack-2013-final-round-part-2


My precious never made it to the cover unlike other cars from the similar workshop.

Imagine my joy when long-time friend, Wei Jie who writes for the magazine wanted to feature my car.

Such beautiful photography of my joy and my pride!

Complete with a short mention of my stint at TimeToAttack 2013 Round 2.

Thanks to all the brothers for giving a thumbs up on the article I shared on Facebook.

Read more about the article here:

http://www.9tro.com/features/tuned-cars/civic-fd2-type-r-drive-hard-or-die-hard

Thanks Wei Jie for the write-up!

AFTMKT #15: Circuit Hero (Uber Garage Trackday) by LMSports

Another awesome feature on the AFTMKT magazine thanks to Lifestyle Motorsports!

I'm always excited to share my mods and driving experience with like-minded friends. Afterall, I believe that we are all into Motorsports not just to be fast or build a better track machine, but to learn and grow together by sharing our views & experiences.

By the way, I'm not from SK Garage and I'm currently not affiliated to any garages. However, Jonathan from SK Garage is a good friend of mine, and my R is maintained by his team. 

AFTMKT #11 : Circuit Heros by LMS

I can't believe that I'm featured in the new content section in AFTMKT #11 in collaboration with LifeStyle Motorsports (LMS).

No wonder LMS Director and personal friend, Niki, asked me for some information few weeks ago.


It's an honour to have my data (using the Qstar Transponder system) matched against other trackies for comparison. It's a great way to learn from one another strengths and weaknesses.


Here's a close up on what's written:

 

 

LIfestyle Motorsports Track Day - December 2013

There's no better way to end the year than to hit the tracks for a few good laps. And of course my main reason for being on the tracks at this time of the year instead of bringing my wife on a good holiday trip is because of the past TTA competition. Boy am I glad that I've a wife who understands.

What can I say, the weather is awesome: there's plenty of light around and I've no reason to perform poorly.

Registered myself for the event, which was more like paying for the deposit for the Q*Star only. Did I mention that only at track events organised by Lifestyle Motorsports that everything is paperless? Once you have an account with them (which is free), you'd just need to head to the event that you booked yourself for, and put a deposit for the Q*Star / Transponder, and you can hit the tracks. Easy right?

Visit http://www.lmsports.com.sg/ for more details now.

It's such a fuss free track session compared to other event organisers that require you to sign all sort of indemnity forms at each session.

Time can be better spent at slowly pasting the number tags on the car.

Wonder how many drivers out there "collect" number tags like I do.

Next to set up is the GoPro.  And pose with it like a Car Show model!

Seriously, my photographer (aka my wife) makes me do all the silly pose and insist on putting it on the blog here. It's just a GoPro anyway, not advertising for them but good stuff must share, so I'd recommend it for tracking: Good quality video that even when downsized to Youtube friendly version, it's still very acceptable.
I'm using the GoPro Hero 3+ Black edition by the way.

As usual, I'd preach that having the proper racing gears is very important even though this might just be a friendly track session. It is still motorsports and there is still certain amount of danger to it.

The right tyre pressure is also essential to ensure sufficient grip on the track. And also helps in efficient usage of the tyres. Tyres are too expensive to just waste them.

Unsure about the right amount of tyre pressure for your tyres, head down to one of the LMS organised tracks sessions and I'd be glad to discuss with you.

Another essential checks is to check on the amount of engine oil. Too much is okay, but too little and you're in for trouble.

It's been a routine for Jonathan of SK Garage to provide support for the track day. Whether he or his crew is there, their tools will definitely be there to assist. And you'd be surprised how popular these tools can be.

The modifications used for TTA recently had not been removed to simulate a similar driving  experience as that "fateful" day at the TimeToAttack (TTA) competition. For those who knew how I performed for the actual TTA competition, I'd not give any excuses for my incompetence. But to reassure myself that I could perform, I just had to make sure that every other condition was the same, except for the difference in track conditions.

Thank God for the awesome weather throughout the day. The track was in great condition and many of the other track users were also enjoying the session as much as I do.

And when I return from a hot lap looking like this, you can only expect that I've clocked satisfactory timing.

A new personal best at 2:31:806. Woohoo!

It's moments like these that I feel assured of me and my R's performance. But honestly, don't ask me why I can't drive in the dark during TTA last month. I doubt making a pair of spectacles would help much.


Here's a video of my driving for this track session:




And thanks to the Lifestyle Motorsports team these awesome photos:

Looking forward to the next session at Sepang International Circuit!

2013 Time To Attack - Sepang: Round 2

My last attempt on the Time To Attack competition was in July 2012. It was a great eye-opener and it also left me wanting to compete again.

TimeToAttack 2012 Round 2

For those who don't know about Time Attack Competitions – The Mission is to achieve the fastest Circuit Lap Time possible in differing car categories according to car, engine and drive type.

TIMETOATTACK is Malaysia’s first and most celebrated Time Attack event currently based in the Sepang F1 Circuit.





Registrations at the booth where you collect a goodie bag and the official race tags.




The main highlight of joining such competitions is to enjoy the moments with like-minded friends.




Competition seemed tough with cars from all makes and models. Thankfully the competition is mainly categorized into the street car, supercar and race car categories with each being further classified according to his or her car’s drive train layout, engine type, as well as the extent of modification done to the car.




Excited to conquer the tracks as it is rare that the track is filled with so little cars and each driver will compete against time instead of each other.





Here are some photos of me on the track.
Notice the new modification? (Will talk about it soon!)











Went home empty-handed from this competition despite the great performance on the wet track condition during the 1st session.  I was on 3rd position with a time of 2:41.





Catch my disappointing performance in the dark as I navigate through the tracks blindly.



Overall it was a great learning experience despite the poor performance on the track that night, I realised that I should never join a night race!



Background information:

 The Inaugural Success: TIMETOATTACK Round 1 in 2010 was a huge success as part of Zerotohundred.com’s 10th Anniversary effort. Showcasing a maximum of 100 elite participants ranging from high performance Japanese cars as well as European Exotics.mainly categorized into the street car, supercar and race car categories with each being further classified according to his or her car’s drive train layout, engine type, as well as the extent of modification done to the car. With this being the basis of equal competition, each attacker was given their allocated laps to prove their worth. Commonly referred to as a Time Attack, it was made popular by the record-setters at the Tsukuba Time Attack in Japan. Thought of as a proving ground for Track Day enthusiasts and Tuners, the unique and competitive time focused challenge sets apart the boys and the men on the race circuit. An event by Zerotohundred.com, The Car Enthusiasts’ Community. TIMETOATTACK debuted in May 2010 with exploding success throughout the 4 rounds held that year. It was a series of Time Attack event commemorating Zerotohundred.com’s 10th year anniversary. The TIMETOATTACK also acknowledges all participants’ achievements with a prestigious Hall Of Fame that lists in detail a driver’s name, car, tyres used and their best lap times. It is the only Time Attack Event that offers this feature and a permanent one that will be proudly displayed on TIMETOATTACK.net and Zerotohundred.com!

Pre-Wedding Photoshoot at SIC

I'm thankful to have a supportive wife who enjoys motorsports as much as I do. It was to the extend that she arranged for our pre-wedding photoshoot at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), and even included the R in our photos.






It was such fun bringing the R into the grandstand which the public usually gets there by foot.






The best part was capturing us at turn 15; with me in full racing gear and her in a beautiful bridal dress.







I feel every bit like a racer when I look at this solo photo of me.





I'm glad to have such an experience as part of my adventures in motorsports.

[Review] FK Massimo Racing 3 - Part 2

Following up on my previous review on the FK Massimo Racing 3 (see entry here: http://www.shawn-ang.com/2013/05/review-fk-massimo-racing-3.html), I've made a startling discovery when the workshop showed me a photo of my cylinder head.

The cylinder head were still as clean even with such long mileage and frequent tracking. 

Well, I guess regular servicing coupled with a good and reliable engine oil is important to keep your car in good condition. In case you are not convinced, my R turns 5 this year.

My 1ST time at Changi Karting Circuit

It felt like the WHOLE WORLD has been to the Changi Karting Circuit ("CKC"), Singapore’s 2^nd and newest karting track.

Opened in May this year, on a reclaimed land in the vicinity of Changi is an area which hosts Singapore’s Aviation Airshow every 2 years, the area was transformed into a track with just under 1.1km in length with over 12 turns.



When I finally had an off day on a Sunday, I jumped at the opportunity to join the boys of SK Garage at bringing an old race kart to CKC for a few laps.


I brought along all my "barangs" from my usual racing gears since driving a race kart would require one to be properly suit up.

The wife love to capture me at the weirdest moments. I need to fire this photographer!

More physically challenging than driving a car, warm-ups are a must when karting to prevent any injuries. In fact, warm-ups are a must for all sports in my opinion.

I feel awkward facing the camera to do warm-ups after friends laughed at my previous photo at SIC.

In case you are wondering, I've bought a new Alphinestars Kart Suit for S$320 at CKC itself as I wasn't ready to thrash my own Alphinestars Pro Suit.

My decision was proven to be worth it when I went home to find stubborn oil stains on my new suit.

"Ang ang" (meaning RED in Hokkien), just like my surname!

Since it was my 1st time there, I decided to hit the tracks with the in-house fun kart first to check out the different turns.

The others joined in for the fun kart session too, since it was only limited to 10 minutes ( for S$30).

Friends & their girlfriends from SK Garage

The fun kart was NOT FUN at all. Apparently there were karts that were slower and was harder to steer. And I was "suay" enough to have got one of those. The whole time I was wondering why was everyone overtaking me so easily, and getting depressed at my possible weigh-gain that caused me to slow down.


After reaching back the pit, I was further agitated when the new suit I bought could not be removed. It was supposed to be the same size as my Pro Suit! Had I put on so much weight since the LMS track day on 14 July 2013?

There she go taking photo of me (again) at the weirdest moment. A little help please?!

And there I was sitting there wallowing in self-pity when the timing for the fun-kart emerged. I clocked a time of 1:06. I was speechless. Could I get any worst than that?

I almost gave up on karting, thinking that I should just stick to driving. That was when Jonathan took me to the side of the track for a breather.





One thing I must admit is that we are both petrolheads and nothing but ourselves will ever stop us from our pursuit in becoming faster.

I was suit up again in no time, to take the race kart out to the track.

I think I can pass of as a Red Lions!

My 1st attempt on a race kart.

Out on the tracks.

I must say that a race kart feels a lot more like taking my R out on the track compared to the fun kart. The difference is akin to bringing a normal Honda Civic onto the tracks as compared to a Civic Type R.

One of the best thing about karting is seeing the kids on the kart.

The Austwins, just in front of me.

Makes me inspired to start my kid on kart when he or she is big enough to fit into one of those karts. I just hope my child (then) will show some mercy and not tear me too much.

Pity that the race kart broken down in no time. I guess it was rather obsolete anyway.

Towed back to the pit after the engine died.

The few hours spent at the CKC was enough to get me hooked onto karting. For one, I don't have to travel 4hours up North just to race.

I'd be back when the kart is fixed!