What do you get when you put 30 car enthusiasts and media, 280bhp of power in a lightweight chassis, dozens of pylons and a sun-kissed open space with intermittent sea breeze? An adrenaline-packed, fun-filled afternoon of course! As part of its already packed Leg 1 of Shell Helix Invasion Tour 2011 itinerary, the Shell-Zerotohundred collaborative event also included an autocross challenge, specially prepared by Lotus Cars Malaysia. Danga Bay, Johor Bahru was selected as the venue.
The weapon of choice? Nothing less than Lotus' only 2+2 mid-engined special - the sexy Lotus Evora.
The Evora is the first product of the five year plan laid out by Lotus to expand its lineup of cars, beyond its track-specialised offerings. The Evora, which is an all-new platform from Lotus Cars, offers more luxury and practically amidst its sporty handling and badge. If you think Lotus sacrificed performance over practicality, think again. The 3.5L Toyota 2GR-FE DOHC V6 mid-mounted lump which produces 280bhp and 320Nm of torque, blasts the 1,350-kilo chassis from 0-100km/h in just 4.9 seconds and propels it to a top speed of 260kmh.
So... a specially-prepped Lotus Evora and a bunch of pylons. How difficult could it be, right? For those unfamiliar, autocross is a low-speed race where you would negate your car through a combination of slaloms, turns and 360-degree roundabouts (usually in fast succession) to reach the finish line in the fastest time possible. Ultimately, autocross rewards precision and fluidity.
The autocross challenge was divided into several categories - Media, Expert and Fast & Furious. Expertly laid out by veteran racer and champion autocrosser himself - Lotus Cars' Oh Kah Beng, the short course featured a slalom, a wide right-hander and a 360-degree roundabout before finishing in a marked box. Each contestant had a total of two timed runs without any additional familiarisation or test runs. Not only did some contestants have to deal with negating an autocross track for the first time, they also had to contend with the unfamiliar Evora. In a quick test run, Oh set a benchmark time of 22 seconds.
First up was the Media category, where some familiar faces including blogger Teoh Kar Yeong aka KY from KYSpeaks.com, were competing for honours. A total of eight people from the media participated, with Oh Kah Beng in the passenger seat guiding them. Fellow participants and spectators cheered on, as media participants went all out to find the cleanest lines and quickest path round the short, tight course.
In the end, Ting Young Lim from Autogridz outclassed everyone with an impressive time of 21.7s, which was also, surprisingly one of the fastest times of the day. So you thought the media couldn't drive, eh? Not too far behind was Yap Kam Foo from Traction with 23.35s. Blogger KY grabbed the final podium spot with 25.39s.
Meanwhile in the Expert and Fast & Furious category, things were super competitive. Supercar owners from Bluejacket Club and Lotus Club car owners battled it out in true petrolhead fashion. There was even a side wager amongst them. While most opted to drive the Evora, several brought in their own cars. Funnyman Syed Haizir aka 'Botak' brought in his Ferrari F430 Spyder, with its hood down.
Whilst veteran professional race driver and Bluejacket's President Erwin Azizi came in with guns-ablazing in his Porsche 996 GT3 RS. The battle for the quickest was certainly keenly contested. There were dramatic spins, hairy oversteery moments and plenty of understeer amidst kicked up dust and screeching tires.
It took delicate steering and throttle work, but in the end it was Erwin Azizi who came out the clear winner in the Expert category followed by Jart and Dato' Andy.
In the Fast & Furious category, Lotus Cars' Dato Eric took top spot, with Satia and Syed Haizir biting behind.
The autocross challenge was a fantastic end to the eventful and exciting Shell Helix Invasion Tour 2011 Leg 1, which saw some 37 supercars travelling all the way from Kuala Lumpur to Johor Bahru with strategic stops on the way.
Funnyman Syed Haizir also took Satia for a ride in a carefully negotiated police buggy.
You can bet there were tons of laughter all round when he took it in the course.
The Shell Helix Invasion Tour 2011 continued with Leg 2 which brought an even larger entourage up north to the island of Penang.
