INTRODUCTION by EPSN SCARsports
* ...our reporters at permas jaya, johor bahru will bring you live updates of the upcoming race, at the longest circuit in malaysia, high speed, ample opportunities for overtaking, suspensful and most thrilling race of the year! Back to you, steve...
STEVE: This year's race would be similar to last year's maiden event. The first race will be for everyone who have at least 30RM to spare, whereas the second race is for drivers which has at least 60RM (or could get 60RM) for 2 races! There is no prizes for winning, except for bragging rights.
TRACK- The 0.9km track runs in a clockwise direction, with bumps, dirt and challenging terrain for drivers to negotiate. Any rookie driver has a chance of winning as this is a very unpredictable track full of surprises! The race duration of 10 minutes, means it is an all out speed challenge, requiring tricky overtaking skills and neat turning at the racing line for maximum grip, due to the high chance of spinning during turns.
KART- The Beginner kart will ensure a fairly even race with no advantage to drivers in terms of technical aspects. The freeze in engine-development means all drivers would have the same 80 C.C. 2 stroke 8 horsepower engine, hence the race would be a challenge to the driver's skill with a vehicle they may not be familiar with. Braking and grip for all karts are different, hence it is best for a driver to 'feel' the kart in the first lap as much as possible to tune themselves to the kart!
I'll now go over to the amateur driver to describe the turns and tribulations of the circuit. Zx, please...
ZX - Well there are 9 sort of turns in this track, I was a rookie last year and could share some experience
ANALYSIS
Turn 1 - is the most dangerous turn, for me I have 2 accidents there last year, including the horrific head on collision with Chinghei which totalled his kart. Anyway, due to the fast straight line speed, down hill acceleration, blind spot and poor grip of the track, this is the most incident causing turn in the whole track! DO NOT ACCELERATE WHEN TURNING as one could spin. contrary to rumors, it was CH's mistake which crashed into the side tyres flinging his kart into the racing line; for I was directly behind him at the turn, I could not avoid him, hope this clear things! (still a hit and run though, but race intergrity more important anyways)
Turns 2 and 3 - Depend on the exit on turn 1, a driver can past through turn 2 and 3 with full throttle most of the time. This is a good place to overtake rookies and heavier vehicles which tend to brake. A good slingshot here means a faster acceleration up the long uphill, which is an advantage for lighter karts anyway. This is an easy turn, and always incident free, as the grip is the best here.
Turns 4 and 5 - Basically they are small bends and not turns. It is full throttle up hill, and could actually be considered a long uphill straight all the way to turn 6. Overtaking here would be simply a speed for speed challenge, there is no real racing line to adhere to. This sector is fairly narrow. Turn 5 could be tricky for rookies but once u get it, it is really nothing to worry about. I'd never braked here.
Turns 6 and 7 - May look scary after the long straight but it is fairly easy to maneuvre, as the track here is wide and suprisingly good grip for turning. incident free, and could work like 2/3, a sling shot to the hairpin 8. Turn 6 is a must to take the largest turning radius for cleanest track, as the cliff would throw sand into the circuit. Turn 7 is an opportunity to overtake if the faster driver takes the outside with full throttle and dive down the inside line at 8, braking at the last minute, overtaking them. Could work if executed properly. No braking needed.
Turn 8 (hairpin) - Trickest turn for me of this circuit. Rather difficult to negotiate as the inside line is bumpy. Almost certainly a spin for all rookies and braking point depends on how the driver steer. Drifters may not need to brake but need more skill. As for me, drifting has not given me the best results, and the most impotant aspect is to exit 8 quickly, and not spinning. Heavier karts have better grip, i think, haha and that's this is my weaker turn. Chances are, no one would crash but everyone would oversteer.
Turn 9 - The final turn is one big bend and has several methods to negotiate. Depending on the exit on 8, different racing lines can be adopted, but not much advantage to anyone. Most importantly is the acceleration from 8 which can catapult anyone through 9 easily. A fairly wide track here means great overtaking opportunities at the long straight of start/finish line.
STEVE: next section of the programme would be the pre race party event at kbox holiday plaza.
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PRE-RACE EVENT: Party!@ kbox
(to be updated soon with juicy pictures, interviews and trash talking)
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RACEDAY FORECAST!
STEVE: We shall now go to our resident endorsed driver, ZX, to provide his take on this year's race as compared to last year... What do you think, ZX?
ZX: er... i dunno steve, but the weather is hotter and the crowd bigger this time. Last year was an empty track, whereas this year we have a much larger crowd, ladies strutting down the grandstand, dress to impress...
STEVE: We're talking about the racing itself and the track conditions, yeah, tell us what one could expect in the upcoming race!
ZX: er... i dunno steve, but say, we have 6 local drivers from singapore; British driving maestro Daniel the Wise, and 2 young drivers, probably singaporean, taking the pole. It would be a crowded track with 9 drivers and i say we can expect many overtaking events!
STEVE: overtaking is what our viewers want to see! As everyone has different levels of experience on this track, and the fact that karts are randomly picked, what kind of race would this be?
ZX: er... i dunno steve, but probably we could expect the more experienced drivers, those who were here last year, to have a better feel for the track and have an slight advantage, that being me, MLGH and DS. Yet again, rookies ziwei, yuting, yiwei and daniel may have tricks up their sleeves, as i have not raced them before. Daniel could be the next lewis hamilton as he is british and i see a connection over that. The 2 young guns seemed groomed to win since birth, they could have more track experience than all of us! Anything could happen, steve.
STEVE: anything could happen! we have 9 drivers of different experience and nationalities pitting against each other in this track! expect lots of excitement and incidents! Would last years accident affect your driving this time? because according to statistics, you have not raced karts ever since that incident!
ZX: well, i would not be affected, but then again, safety is paramount, as always. Our budget is limited and we can not afford to pay for damages. the racing safety stewardess even briefed us that we may pay 400 RM for repairs of the axle. We can't afford that, hence we must abide safe driving. Safety briefings such as these are important to the drivers as it gives a bleak outcome should anything *touch wood* happen... As long as i don't Montoya my kart, i think there should be no problem. Back to you, steve!
STEVE: would the new hygiene guidelines implemented affect anything? we understand drivers may have to wear the sanitary cap to prevent transmission of herpes from the helmet to the sweaty smelly disgusting head...
ZX: I think JB is stepping up hygiene practises to prevent SARS from spreading, and should be applauded for that.
STEVE: That's what i thought! k the drivers are now going to begin race 1 soon... We'll take a short break, and when we come back it would be live updates of the race 1!
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REPORT ON RACE 1
*due to transmission errors of the satellite feed, we are unable to provide live commentary. Instead, we have a race report revealing the EXCITING events that occured, with full illustrations!*
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First race to kick start 2008 kart season!
As expected, Race 1 is enjoyed by all participants, full of surprises, twists and incidents. The 2 unknown young guns have a pole position advantage, veteran driver ZX started from the back of the grid, along with the other veterans DS and MLGH.
Right at the beginning, driver yiwei appears to have a mechanical problem, which has to be restarted, affecting the drivers behind. However, as the race started for zx, he made several exciting overtakings until his horrible mistake at turn 1 near halfway of the race.
"I dunno man, as the amateur that I am, I was too eager at turn 1 and did a felipe massa, steering into the grass. I could have retired from the race but thankfully the marshall nudge my kart so I could rejoin from the back. I had just overtook yut and dan the previous lap and is certainly heading for podium, until that crap. shit happens, yo"
Of the 7, the 3 veterans managed to finish ahead of the rookies, as expected, despite ZX's mishap lol.
When asked about how he think about the other drivers, zx replied smugly that he could trash all of them 'easily, anytime'. Certainly this would mean that Race 2 is apparently for revenge purposes. When asked to compare to last year's race, he replied:
"Seems that track is cleaner this time, as it is 4pm and there were many events before us. Grip is as crappy as usual, and most importantly it is the driving skill that propel one to victory. The 2 young guns are just distractions but I see the potential in them. I feel much better now after my absence from competition, I think I will take it to race 2, if the competition wants it."
It seems that zx is all fired up for race 2 and will certainly trashtalk his way through the intermission exhibition race.
Meanwhile, rookie yuting almost wanted to go for a bonus lap, when everyone was already in the pits. It provided the sort of end race entertainment to relieve the pressures from all the drivers.
"When I saw that guy holding the flag and pointing towards the pits, I thought he meant that I go under his flag! It didn't occur to me that it ends at the pits" she exclaimed, on the first race of her life.
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STEVIE REPORT - race 1
STEVE: What an exciting race we have at Permas Jaya! We have ALEX from holiday plaza to give his take on the event. Comments, Alex?
ALEX: What a day it has been... we can't discount the fact that a crowded circuit means more overtaking and that is what the viewers want to see. Whoever said karting is a boring sport! Hell, it's not golf. It's like watching DVDs.
STEVE: Right. We shall highlight the events of turn 1. Pretty smooth, eh? Most drivers survived it, excepy ZX's blunder. What does it take to drive into the grass?
ALEX: That was horrible. I mean, it was just like Felipe Massa, you do not accelerate too early out of the corner, he was just being over enthusiastic and it was clearly a rookie mistake.
STEVE: It was rather unlucky that he got stuck in the grass eh! I think drivers should be more wary about the capabilities of the tire traction. I mean, all that over-taking squandered in that silly move.
ALEX: Well, yea. Back to you steve.
STEVE: Rookie ending at the start finish line under the flag. What do you think? Avoidable, or female driver?
ALEX: Probably female driver, we can't fault them... haha everyone got a good laugh on that, even the young gun could enter the pits properly. It shouldn't be difficult to follow earlier examples, so I'd say its the female factor.
STEVE: And there we have it from Alex, this is it, Stevie report. Stevie, out!
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INTERMISSION RACE
STEVE: Welcome back! We apologise for the lack of live feed for the event, but we bring you exciting updates and interviews while having an intermission exhibition race events. The veteran drivers will bring out the elite advanced zhng-ed karts which are faster than the beginner kart anyway... ZX, what do you think about this exhibition.
ZX: What, not interested, ha I dun even know any of them. Actually all of us are just waiting for our turn, for we are next for race 2!
STEVE: Is it confirmed?? Who are the finalists?
ZX: We have me, zx, and DS, danny and ziwei, we four would cut it out and settle all discrepencies on the track like good ol days yo!
STEVE: How would you think Race 2 would compare to race 1? What is the difference?
ZX: Well steve, firstly we are not able to find back our karts, hence we got to adapt quickly to the new kart given to us. This time, we adopted a fairer system to decide the starting line up, by using open numbers style. It is as follows...
1. DS
2. ZX
3. Danny
4. Ziwei
STEVE: ZX, since the 4 drivers have already had a 'feel' for the track and have some experience, do you think the next race, it would be more challeging as it is a more level playing field?
ZX: yea i agree...
STEVE: We turn our attention to the exhibition race, looks like someone had spun again at turn 1! On my records, this is the third time the yellow shirt guy had spun at the exact same spot, which makes turn 1 the most problematic corner of the circuit! I reckon that the dirt on the inside lane is creating trouble for yellow shirt guy, the tyre treads of the softer compound tyres have already worn down, which could be causing a loss of grip especially at corners, and the balance of the kart and early acceleration could throw one into an oversteer at turn 1 causing a spin, just like how you entered the grass on race 1....
ZX: Nah, there is no dirt. Clearly that guy is a noob for noobing there 3 times.
STEVE: Does that mean that you are a noob too for driving into the grass at turn 1?
ZX: ...
STEVE: We'll be taking a short break right now, stay tuned to EPSN SCARsports!
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REPORT ON RACE 2*due to transmission errors of the satellite feed, we are unable to provide live commentary. Instead, we have a race report revealing the EXCITING events that occured, with full illustrations!*
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Pulsating Race Grips Audiences
Karting takes a whole new level as drivers sweat it out in a gruelling part 2 of the day, Race 2.
4 of the intial 7 had enough to last for another 10 minutes, and were joined by 2 wildcard entries and 1 junior racer.
The most memorable part could be the dogfight bewteen ZX and Ziwei, a 3 lap worth of overtaking maneuvres. Race leader ZX was attempting to overtake the back marker, but it proved harder than he thought.
"Definately the most memorable part to me was the 3 lap. Actually I didn't even know he was the back marker, but he was being all David Coulthard on me. He took the racing lines, making it difficult for anyone to pass him, but maybe through luck I managed to get past him"
When asked whether the 2 wildcard entries affected the performance of Daniel and Ziwei, ZX had no comments. The 2 entries delayed the start for them, by the time ZX and DS were already halfway round lap 1 when they started.
ZX went on to clinch the 1st place.
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STEVIE REPORT - Race 2
coming soon...
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