Scheduled to officially kick off in 2012, we attended the preview round of MegaLap for a taste of what this new event has in store.
When this new event was announced in October, it got us pretty excited to see the time attack racing genre arriving on our doorsteps.
Last week, it was a surprisingly cloudy day. If you're unfamiliar with the weather at the Sepang Circuit, it's either blazing hot or sogging wet... but nooo.... not this time.
As the teams and their mechanics worked on getting the best out of their machines, there were a few cars that were present in the pits but were not officially part of the action. We would have loved to see this R3 Lotus Exige 300RR burn the track rather than be a static display.
With some cars fresh from the Saturday Night Fever event the night before, not all of them were in pristine condition. No matter, a quick fix here and a botch there - good to go!
With six categories originally planned, the racers were split in seven categories: FF, FF (Forced Induction), RWD (NA), Lotus (NA and Forced Induction), Dragstar 4WD and Open.
The FF class was dominated by Hondas. More specifically, Civics and two Integras.
The RWD (NA) category had only 3 contenders. Still, Torres Christian in the 350Z took the class win with a healthy 10-second gap between the two M3's. Other than racing against the clock, throw in a nail-biting near miss with a Lotus at turn 14.
The FWD forced induction (FI) category had some interesting entries. Other than the staple Golf GTIs, there was a Megane RS, a Satria Turbo, a Scirocco and a Polo.
Completed just in time for the MegaLap preview, Spark Motorsports entered a new Evo 7 and a S15 into the open category. Halfway into the event, last-minute surgery was required on the rear fenders of the Evo due to tyre rubbing issues.
The Lotus category saw even tighter racing action as Zender in a Exige GT4 locked horns with Japan Super-Taikyu Champion, Dominic in an Exige S. Earlier in the day, it was Zender leading Dominic but as his times tumbled, Dominic sliced out a lead of 0.2seconds, taking the win in the Lotus FI category.
The FF class saw a FD- EK-EG finish with Desmond Yee of N1 Racing taking the win in his Civic FD2R. Second place went to Ahmad Fauzi Ab Latib's Civic EK9 and third to Wong Yew Choong and his Civic EG.
Look who turned up too! Girl Drifter Leona Chin, taking a break from drifting with her S13. She was also seen trying out a Westfield SE and had some time in Spark Motorsport's S15. You can't miss her bright red helmet!
The sole rotary of the day as driven by Koh Aik Leong. Coming in fourth in the open class with a 2:44.7689, it certainly was the only car which delivered both a striking visual and aural show.
While looking though the entry list we couldn't help notice this No.77 Civic driven by "Asman Purple Wolf" from home-grown Cybernetic Racing.
Catchy race names aside, it set the perfect mood for the entire preview round - everyone was having fun, leaving all the knuckle-fisted drama only on the track.
Not forgetting the Malaysia versus Singapore sub-trophy - the points are calculated based on finishing positions and race categories. It is awarded to the country that the driver is representing. With the help of Akina (who is Malaysian), the Singaporeans scored enough points to win this round despite having a Malaysian-dominated top three finishers in other classes. Next up: The real deal on 11th February 2012!