Essential Motoring 101

I didn’t expect to be in a thrilling escapade on a broad daylight. I was given the opportunity, for the first time ever, to be on a taxi ride on the burning tracks of Sepang International Circuit. Imagine being in a luxurious BMW 5 series with a car racer behind the steering wheel! This was one wild, speedy adventure that words cannot simply describe! Anyway, I was only able to
record the moments on video on board the sporty BMW 1 series so please continue to read on.

Where would you want to go, sir? I’m Johannes, your driver for the moment.

Petronas organized a little tour on the racing track for the members of the media to be further acquainted with their drivers in the 7th edition of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race. The race happened last weekend in a grueling 12-hour racing competition.

The team manager of the Petronas Syntium Team gave a brief insight on what were to be expected in the car during the tour. Being a total beginner of what racing is all about, I was in my most possibly receptive mode in that moment. Concurrently, I was chomping on some good food. The joy of slurping down a bowl of mushroom soup after a plate of nasi minyak with chicken came to a halt when the team manager mentioned about the consequences of eating before embarking on a high-speed vehicle. He warned us that on past experiences passengers either had a heart attack or threw up at the end of the tour. I was like.. WHAT?!! He assured us, though, to inform the drivers should either of us could not stomach the experience.

After hearing his stories, fear almost had me chicken out on the whole affair. But I thought to myself, heck, I came all the way from PJ and it would be wasteful if I never try it. To further console myself, I took a leak in the toilet and head straight to the front of the pit. My heart rate started to pick up in speed then on…

The BMW 130i Sports flanked by (from left) Johannes Stuck,

Farique Hairuman and Stuck senior, Hans-Joachim.

All of us had to wear a head cap before wearing a safety helmet for hygiene purposes. There were 3 media people and a driver allocated for a car. The cars were two 130s and a 5 series. I hopped into the 5 series for the first round. On the initial acceleration of the car was quite smooth. I could hear the engine hummed gently although the driver on board, Hans Joachim Stuck, a former Formula 1 racer from Germany, kicked on the gas pedal after leaving the pits.

It was a comfortable ride though but it was short-lived when the first curve approached. Hans easily swiped the machine against the corner. Seated on the back, I was struggling to hold my composure even though strapped with a seat belt. I was literally combating with the G-force, using every muscle to support my torso from being ‘sucked’ by the gravitational pull. I couldn’t help but giggling at the action. During the initial moments on the track, I was squealing in pain at the first few curves. It was soon enough that I was able to brave it without struggle.

There he was again, negotiating every corner with swift tugs of the steering to the left and then right, with the engine showing no sign of strain. The 5 series was like a swan – continuously paddling along the tarmac streams with its webbed feet, unafraid of any upcoming disturbance. It was pure sport driving with endless comfort all the way. Still, the ride was exhilarating enough to pump up the rate of my heart beat. I thanked Hans for his superb maneuvering and bade him good luck on the race, upon getting off the car.

Still feeling OK when I got off the car, I was feeling game to give it another shot on the tracks. Luckily, there was another empty seat in one of the cars. This time it was the 1 series with Johannes Stuck as the ‘taxi’ driver. I got more confident on what to expect this time around and so I took out my camera before he started the ride. Armed with the camera, I braced myself to have a good shot of the driver and the horizon. I was in the back seat again but had to slouch a bit due to poor headroom of the BMW 130.

Another view of my taxi driver, Johannes Stuck.

The start-off was pretty smooth until after we hit on the tracks, Johannes gave a sudden rev on the machine, firing the engine to gain momentum. It felt more fun this time on the 1 series. The luxury hatchback was much sportier than the 5 series when sweeping up the corners. The engine was much louder, of course, but power and torque was ever present on tight bends. I, as usual, rooted myself on the seat with a camera in my hands, pulling every muscle of my body to capture the drama on video. It was slightly chaotic while filming it particularly at a part of the track where two curves came in seconds between each other. Johannes was coolly balancing the machine, occasionally drifted the car on the corners while maintaining speed all the way. I was hoping for a longer ride on the track but after seeing the path where Johannes was turning into, I had a feeling that it was all over. I was saddened by the fact, like a child sitting on a horse of a merry-go-round that gradually came to an end. I really had more fun on this car than the earlier one. Here is a video to describe the excitement :

I asked Tengku Zariman, the Public Relations Executive of Petronas Motorsports, on whether more of such track activities organized in the future. He replied with a yes but it will be some time next year. It would probably be a long wait but at least the chicken in me did not overpower my decision on today’s adventure. Although I was not the driver but it was all fun and no regrets at all, enjoying every moment of the experience till it lasted.

The media people with the speed demons for the camera.

Although they did not win the race but it was all worthwhile according to the drivers. Stories of the MME Race can be found HERE, courtesy of Petronas Motorsports.