Round 2 of the Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) once again presented one of the most unpredictable and yet exciting races in the history of the series championship. With 169 cars competing in various categories the entry list exceeded the previous largest entries and provided the racing spectacle that racing fans needed.
Race Cars Open
Even before the first race began there was already drama where pole man Keifli Othman from team Mayhem-Fast Autoworks Maxxoil had his car eliminated from the grid due to technical infringement. This causes some tensions in the team but they would eventually recover from this setback in the main race. This was not the only casualty as Faidzil Alang from team Fast Lap Autoworks who was in attendance was without his race car due to a broken engine which leaves the category’s championship points now open.
With both Keifli and Faidzil having to watch the race from the sideline, the race was going to be between Mark Darwin of SITTY-DNT and Shazull Hisham from team Evotech to capitalise on the absence of their main rivals.
Sure enough once the first race got underway Shazull and Mark were going head to head at each other in the opening laps. Their infighting must surely have hampered their progress and they were soon joined by a trail lead by Mark’s teammate Ahmad Akid, Thailaksharma-Mervin from team Millennium FatboyRacing and Shamir Aizan Hanafiah from Evotec Prodrag.
Towards the closing lap Mark had lost a few places with Ahmad Akid and Thailaksharma-Mervin assuming the position to chase Shazull who was having a comfortable gap in the lead. By the time he crossed the line Shazull had an impressive gap of 16.453 seconds ahead of second place man Ahmad Akid.
Just when the podium finishers of the first race thought that their fortune would be intact or there abouts in the main race, Keifli’s car was cleared by the race officials and would be on the starting grid for the main race, but albeit starting from the back of the grid. This was the race which had everyone on the edge of their seats!
As the lights turn green Shazull made an absolute flyer of a start and was followed closely by Shamir who had also made a brilliant start but was in close contact with Ahmad Akid and Mark going into turn 1. But all the attention was on Keifli who was scathing his way right from the back and by the time he arrived at turn 1, he was already ahead of the mid-field!
While Shazull was having a close race of himself defending the threats from Evotec Prodrag’s Shamir and the two SITTY-DNT’s cars, Keifli was on a move, charging through the field at a blistering pace. By the time the leading quartet approached turn 7, Keifli was already in the group, and this was still on the opening lap! With sheer determination and combined with his renowned race craft plus a very capable car, Keifli took the lead at turn 12!
Fans were in awe and on their feet when Keifli passes the pit straight in the lead on the first lap which was unbelievable! Through out the remaining laps Keifli maintained his quick pace and did a 2m 20.641sec lap time and by the time he took the chequered flag he was 6.826 seconds ahead of second place man Shazull who was followed by Shamir in third.
“For sure the setback that we encountered just before race 1 did some damage to our championship points as it’s a long season and anything can happen. But it did not demoralise us and we kept our head up high and eventually rewarded us with the result that we needed. I had a very good car today and all credit must go to the team for giving me this car. The result today speaks volume and I still have my championship points lead still intact,” said Keifli.
Race Car 1800
Kesavamoorthy Ayyavu is back to his winning ways when he won the Race Car 1800 category. Driving for team SITTY – DNT Racing’s Honda EK, the seasoned driver from Johor hasn’t lost his race craft as he battled hard with Round 1 winner Winston Tan-Philip Tang of team JDM Racing, finishing ahead of the latter by more than a second. It was an all Honda EK dominance in the category as the partnership of CY Khoo-Harve Singh from team MaxxOil Racing Team took the final steps of the podium.
Race Car 1600
Team F Tuned Racing and Dream Chaser took a win apiece in the Race Car 1600 category in Round 2 of the MSF. With a two race format but with the second race rewarding more points, Team Dream Chaser continued their title ambition target by winning race 2. The team’s driving partnership of Geraldine Read and CY Ong however were tested a little bit harder this time around as the competition around them were getting stiffer. But their display of consistency and keeping out of trouble in both rounds of this season’s MSF has rewarded them with large points haul to date.
Strong competition came in the form of the very much improved partnership of Soffiz Hardy and Wan Ahmad Farouk from team F Tuned Racing who won race 1, Mohd Fazree Bin Md Ali-Mohammad Rashidi B Hamdan from team DNT, One Motorsport’s Mohd Henzee Hamzah-Akina Teo Chai Yong and Mirza Syahmi of Mayhem Motorsport.
Special KEI
Mohamed Hafez Kamarudin from Guns-FTuned Racing maintained his dominance in the Special KEI category by winning the main race after a long battle with second place finisher Kamal Shukri Mohamad Shariff/Mohamed Zahid Mohamed Latiff from team Kie Garage.
The pair were trading places and at one point it looked like Mohamad Shariff/Mohamed Zahid had the upper hand in controlling the race. But the experienced Hafez waited for the right moment and he made it stick and crosses the line convincingly in first place. Coming home in third place in both races is ARS-FTUNED Racing’s Muhammad Aslam Bin Moh Ariffin.
“It was a good clean race and I had a lot of fun dicing with Mohamad Shariff/Mohamed Zahid Mohamed Latiff in both races. Obviously I will need to make further adjustment to the car as the class is beginning to draw some strong opposition which is good for the championship,” said Hafez.
Saga Cup (Expert)
Another popular category in the MSF, the Saga Cup this time around produced an action packed race filled with incidents and dramas. Any notion that Round 1 winner Boy Wong from ST Wangan Racing will be having an easy race was quickly erased with news of two of his past nemesis making their entry in this highly charged race.
Tommy Lee and Faidzil Alang’s participation was expected to elevate the racing spectacle and they did not disappoint. Add Alif Hamdan from JNA Racing and SMRT’s Jay Choong to the mix, Boy Wong should be worried as he would have a tough battle to stay either in front or keeping up with these guys. Unfortunately Alif did not start race 1 due to issues with his car.
If there’s one thing that Boy Wong has learnt from 2 seasons in the Saga Cup is that to qualify in front and and make a good start. And just like clock work, this was exactly what he did for both races.
With a good clean start Boy Wong was once again in the mix with the faster Super 1500 NA category which was good as he eliminate the need to fight with similar speed cars from his category. But this was bad news for the quick trio Tommy Lee, Faidzil and Jay Choong who were having to battle against each other which allowed Boy Wong to inch away.
The fight for second place was one of the highlights in this category with Tommy, Faidzil and Jay Choong trading places along with some paintwork numerous times throughout the duration of the race. At some point they were almost together abreast and could even be covered in a blanket and yet they were still on track racing unscathed.
Towards the closing stage of race 1 Tommy Lee managed to have a slight gap between Jay Choong who by now has snatched third place from Faidzil and the trio remained in this order right to the end.
In race 2 Boy Wong once again made his stunning start and this time around he was actually in the overall lead in the opening lap ahead of the faster Super 1500 NA cars. Again his brilliant start kept him in clear air and avoided the clash with his class rivals and while out in front Boy Wong produced a new class lap record of 2m50:362 seconds. Incredibly Boy Wong finished second overall in the group, 5 seconds behind Super 1500 NA winner Logesvaran.
It was deja vu for Tommy Lee, Jay Choong and Faidzil as they had to do it all over again and fight against one another in race 2! But their on track battles were proving to be a hit with the fans and it almost mirrored their first race. The trio finished race 2 in that order behind race winner Boy Wong but Tommy was excluded from his second place due to technical infringement of his car. This promoted Jay Choong to second and Faidzil in third place.
“Many would think that I had an easy race but to be honest, I was pushing as hard as I can till the end! With Tommy and Faidzil who are race winners and champions, you never want to hang around when these guys are here, so I really had to make a good start, which was very important. Once I could be in the group of faster cars at the start I knew that I would be safe from the attacks of Tommy and Faidzil and even Jay Choong. It was a good race and it was good fun having them in the series,” said Boy Wong.
Super 1500 NA
This category sees a new serious entry in the form of Logesvaran Kaliaperumal. Renowned for building race winning Perodua Kancil which he previously contested in the Saturday Night Fever (SNF), Logesvaran has now turn his attention to the Super 1500 NA category and will take the fight against main contenders from Team RAB Prodrag’s Mohamad Shahril/Shamir Aizan and Momentom Racing’s Keu Sian Shi.
Many were predicting that there’ll be close racing as Mohamad Shahril/Shamir Aizan and Keu Sian Shi who has been dominating the class would be joined by Logesvaran in the category. But it did not materialise as Mohamad Shahril’s car was a non-starter with engine issue while Keu Sian Shi who was in the fight for top position with Logesvaran in the opening lap of race 1, also had engine issue which drop his paced dramatically.
With no outright challenge and a quick Proton Satria, Logesvaran was in a class of his own winning both races comfortably. And he had the pace too clocking a respectable 2m48.649 seconds lap time considering it was his first time out on track with the car.
The Super 1500 NA is building up to be a three-way fight once Round 3 gets underway. After the conclusion of the weekend’s race, the championship points between these 3 top contenders are close and should all of them make their entry next round, expect some fireworks!
Super Street
AHM Penrite Racing’s Alif Hamdan took 2 wins in an action packed Super Street category in Round 2 of the MSF. Starting from pole position the experienced racer didn’t hang around at the front once the lights went out and quickly defended his position going into turn 1 against the fast moving Millennium Motorsport Asia’s Mitsubishi EVO 3 driven by the partnership of Nishiram Singh/Karamjit Singh. In the mix was FTuned Racing Team’s Raja Imran Shah with his Proton Satria EVO 3 and incredibly, the Proton Satria of Lau Seng Kiat who was from a different class!
Sporting a new livery Alif’s Mercedes A45 AMG seems to have more speed this time around and looked well planted especially around the bends. Behind him, Nishiram Singh/Karamjit Singh were not about to let him out of their sight and was pushing Alif lap after lap. This went on for several laps but Alif was able to respond every time the Mitsubishi EVO 3 is inching closer, by going even faster.
Once Alif crosses the chequered flag he had a margin of 5.808 seconds ahead of the Millennium Motorsport Asia’s Mitsubishi EVO 3. Taking third spot was FTuned Racing Team’s Raja Imran Shah who would eventually display their true form in race 2.
In race 2 Alif once again managed a good start and defended his position going into turn 1. But this time around he had FTuned Racing Team’s Raja Imran Shah in close pursuit. The pair remained close throughout the race and was never more than 2 seconds apart. Every time Raja Imran Shah was getting too close, Alif would respond by going quicker and was banging 2m 34 seconds lap times for 2 consecutive laps. But Raja Imran Shah too had something in reserve and he responded by doing a similar time to stay in contact with Alif.
It was close racing but the order would remain unchanged until the chequered flag with Alif comng home first, 1.623 seconds ahead of Raja Imran Shah and Millennium Motorsport Asia’s Wan Mahathir Bin Wan Ibrahim/Muhaimin Norsuhaimi. Telescopic flag pole Atlantic site is where one can go to get the flag to cheer for their favorite team.
Proton 1800
After his disastrous 2016 season Ngah Motorsport’s Lau Seng Kiat finally got his act together and has rose to the occasion by remaining unbeatable in both rounds of this season’s MSF.
In Round 2 the Johor driver won both races and once again displayed his incredible speed with his Satria GTI, and was never bothered by his class contenders. Incredibly in both races Lau Seng Kiat was battling with the larger and faster cars from the Super Street category while in the second race he was even classified as finishing 3rd overall!
His close contenders who completed both the races behind him namely 3 SPV Automotive Nicholas Aw Kai Foong-Sp Took and 35 Vag racing Eelan would definitely have to raise their game should they want to bring the fight closer to Lau Seng Kiat in the coming rounds.
Street Tune
Gan Kim Koa-Philip Tang, driving for JDM Racing’s Honda EF9 took victory in both races after a commanding performance. After their upsets in the MSF season opener the JDM Racing’s drivers were determined to retake the championship lead and made the best start leading their class going into turn 1. They kept their lead position right to the end and were never challenged by their class rivals.
Behind them the battle for the podium places, there were several thrilling fights between team DRT/AAR FTuned Mohd Shalifuzam Rosli/Azref Abdul Rani in a Daihatsu Charade and Infinity Speed Works Proton Wira driven by Mohd Shawal Izwan Jamaluddin/Roakhir Abd Malik. Mohd Shalifuzam Rosli/Azref Abdul Rani held onto second place despite a determined challenge from Mohd Shawal Izwan Jamaluddin/Roakhir Abd Malik right to the end.
In race 2 Gan Kim Koa-Philip Tang had a much closer battle with Mohd Shalifuzam Rosli/Azref Abdul Rani during the opening laps with the latter unable to make any attempts stick. Towards the end JDM Racing were able to create a gap which secured their first position once again. Completing the podium in third position are SP Racing Team’s Dzamir Dzuhairulidzham Shah/Admi Shahrul.
Street Tune 1600
UITM Racing JMS Tuner’s drivers pair Hazrin Mad Kaidi/Khairul Amri claimed two victories in the Street Tune 1600 category after fending off attacks from WAKOS GARAGE R.N.R Autosport’s Muhd Hazlami Hazim/Muslim Mustafa.
The UITM Racing JMS Tuner drivers with their Toyota BZR made a perfect start to lead the field going into Turn 1. That turned out to be the critical move as second place Muhd Hazlami Hazim/Muslim Mustafa had to defend hard their position from the experienced Kenny Lee from team Kegani Racing. With the actions going on behind them, Hazrin Mad Kaidi/Khairul Amri led for the remainder of the five-lap race to finish first and was never really threatened by the fighting duo behind.
The second race was more intense as team Unixx Racing JMSTuner pair Mohd Azri Mohamad/Sutan Mustaffa Salihin joined in the battle against the top three finishers. First casualty was second place men in the first race Muhd Hazlami Hazim/Muslim Mustafa who dropped out of the race with mechanical problems.
But the UITM Racing JMS Tuner drivers were once again in control of the race but with a slimmer margin. As the race went on lap by lap Mohd Azri Mohamad/Sutan Mustaffa Salihin and Kenny Lee were inching closer to the leader and than there was contact! Just towards the closing lap the cars of Mohd Azri Mohamad/Sutan Mustaffa Salihin and Kenny Lee had made contact which gave the UITM Racing JMS Tuner drivers the much needed gap to safely take the win.
Although Mohd Azri Mohamad/Sutan Mustaffa Salihin and Kenny Lee would finished the race in that order respectively on-track, the results were reversed between them as Mohd Azri Mohamad/Sutan Mustaffa Salihin were penalised one place position which promoted Kenny Lee to second place.
Jazz Cup
Flex Racing’s Muhamad Roni/Chong Tun Lung and DK Motorsports Mohd Noorhafidzi/Hendra Eryawan took a win a piece in the Jazz Cup.
Muhamad Roni/Chong Tun Lung claimed their maiden win of the new series with victory in race one. They were joined on the podium by runner-up Sauk Store Maba Racing’s Izwan Amin-Zainal Saeim and DK Motorsports Mohd Noorhafidzi/Hendra Eryawan Bin Mohd Dom.
Race 2 was won by DK Motorsports Mohd Noorhafidzi/Hendra Eryawan Bin Mohd Dom, with Flex Racing’s Muhamad Roni/Chong Tun Lung coming home second followed by Sauk Store Maba Racing Izwan Amin-Zainal Saeim.
Round 3 of the 2017 Malaysia Speed Festival will take place at the Sepang International Circuit on 20 and 21 May and will include MegaLap event. To keep in touch with all the latest news and updates, follow MSF’s social media channels by clicking on the link https://www.facebook.com/msfracingseries/