PG Track Session

After the disappointment over the set-up of the R during the Life Style MotorSports Inaugural Track Day on the 31 March, I spent hours wondering if I had matched the damping to the 5mm increased stroke, would the R had performed as I wanted it to.

With the next available track day at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) being too long later for me to answer that burning question inside, I decided to take it to the Johore Circuit (commonly know as Pasir Gudang).



The Johor Circuit (commonly know as Pasir Gudang or "PG" for short due to its location) is just like the playground at our backyard. Situated just a mere 40 minutes drive from the Tuas Checkpoint, PG is the only motorsport race track in the state of Johor, Malaysia. Best known being a circuit for motorcycles, the circuit hosted a round of the Malaysian motorcycle Grand Prix back in 1998, as well as two races of the Superbike World Championship in 1992 and 1993. In recent years, the circuit had hosted a series of other events for motorcars such as the Megalap in 2012, SMSA S'pore Touring Car Championship in 2011.


On a personal note, PG is the place I grew to love tracking my car. From back then when I was driving my Honda Jazz sliding into each corners, to bringing the R there to conquer each corner effortlessly. I knew it was the place I could rely on to test out the R's setup before she hits SIC again.



Prepping the car for track was fairly easy without the need of the race team from the garage around as what I had wanted to test was mainly the set-up which the mechanics had set for me prior to going down to PG. But adjusting to the right tyre pressure for track was important.


And what I love most about owning a FD2R was the idea of it being a daily-driven and a track-ready car at whim.



All you needed to do was to remove the backseat and hook on the racing harness for safety!

Not to forget the FIA approved racing helmet and balaclava, and racing gloves. 




The track session was a rather short, but fruitful, due to the sudden rain. The R was able to perform again after the adjustments made to the setup and I was able to clock my usual timing despite the used street tyre and the wet track.



The only disappointment that I face now is not having the R pull out of the last bend of PG fast enough for me to be in the range of 01:40s.

MegaLap 2012 - Johor Circuit

Every Track Day set on a Sunday of each month, I've been religiously hitting the Johor Circuit (commonly known as Pasir Gudang or "PG" for short) whenever my schedule permits. I love the informal 5-lap race held each time as the podium spot was inevitable when racing with the cars of a different category. However, it doesn't satisfy my desire to know just how fast I am compared to the "BIG BOYS" i.e. the professionals who dominate the circuit effortlessly with lap-time that I could only dream of.

When I heard of the MegaLap Time Attack Series Round 5 was to be held at Pasir Gudang, I jumped at the opportunity to race competitively.




The pit was all so familiar yet different from the usual track day sessions. Safety was of high regards and every race team brought their tools unlike the casual track day sessions.




I was unable to contain my excitement while I prep my car, just as I usually would do myself.




The competition is separated by the following categories:

• Clubsprint is for Street Tyres - ClubSprint for street cars on street tyres, up to 2.5L capacity. Sub-categories for VTEC/Turbo, NA, and Proton Campro/4G1x.
• Pro is for Semi-Slick tyres - Sub-categories for 4WD, RWD, FF-NA, and FF-FI
• Open 2WD and Open 4WD are for pure competition-prepared vehicles on semi-slicks, SFI-level racing safety gear required

I signed myself up for the Clubsprint - VTEC category as I lack the appropriate equipments such as FIA approved racing suit/ helmet, or roll-cage to join the PRO category.


It was exciting to join an organised race, especially one that provides proper AMB transponders and computerised timing system at PG to allow you to officially track your lap-timing instead of using your own stopwatch!






When the competition ended and the results announced, I was pleasantly surprised that I clocked a personal best of 01:51 on street tyres and came in 4th beside the BIG BOYS like LWS.






Even Jonathan and Watt each got a trophy for the category they took part in.




Overall, it was a good experience to finally be able to participate in an orgainsed competitive race at PG instead of the usual informal 5-lap races during track days. Though I had only emerged 4th in the category, it was a huge milestone for my stock-K20A on street tyres.


Thank you SK Garage for the support during the competition!

PG Track Day - February 2012

At last it was not raining on a track day.

With the clear blue sky, it was a good day to track.





Most importantly, I felt that I was getting rusty from not hitting the circuit in the recent months. Hence, time to go back to my favourite Pasir Gudang to see if I still had my mojo.





And I'm glad to say, my R is still going fast enough to win the 5-lap race at the end of the track session.






Did you know that FD2R are built to be track-ready?

Hence by removing the back-seat, you'd find the hooks for your racing harness. Something that I'm glad it's there.