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Advanced driving skills


Kiwi
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Circuit motorsports in Singapore are made possible when the purpose-built Changi Motorsports Hub opens in late 2011.

 

In the meantime Singaporeans who want to drive on the track, has to make do with the Johor Circuit (www.johorcircuit.com.my) at Pasir Gudang in Johor Bahru, which is a 40 minutes jaunt by car.

 

What do circuit motorsports comprise of? Well, SG Changi Pte Ltd, the developer and owner of Changi Motorsports Hub, has the following events lined up for its upcoming circuit complex. The following listing pretty much sums it up for us.

 

International and regional events :

Super GT Series

FIA 'T'

D1 Grand Prix

Formula Nippon

Japan Formula 3 Series

Asia Festival Of Speed Series

 

Local events:

Singapore National Championship

Karting Championship

Drag Racing Championship

Drifting Championship

Taxi Driver Rally (really?!)

 

Besides competitive events, advanced driving courses should be considered as one of the activities of circuit motorsports. Advanced driving is a personal favorite item as I am not exactly a fan of competitive motorsports.

 

PG track conditions are not very good though.. going on the track hard for 9 laps and you can kiss your tyres goodbye. it's also not as safe compared to Sepang. But the advantage is that it's much much nearer than Sepang.

 

When's the Drifting championship?

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Neutral Newbie
(edited)

Sepang is totally out of my league and the car's (a Fiat GP 1.4).

 

So, PG is more suitable for a track newbie like me.

 

Hoping to try out Changi Motorsports Hub in 2012...

 

I thought the Drifting Championship was held at either F1 Pit at Marina Bay or Changi Exhibition Center recently?

 

The event should move to CMH when the latter is ready in late 2011/12.

Edited by Fifteen
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Sepang is totally out of my league and the car's (a Fiat GP 1.4).

 

So, PG is more suitable for a track newbie like me.

 

Hoping to try out Changi Motorsports Hub in 2012...

 

I thought the Drifting Championship was held at either F1 Pit at Marina Bay or Changi Exhibition Center recently?

 

The event should move to CMH when the latter is ready in late 2011/12.

 

on the contrary, i think for track newbies, Sepang is a much safer track to go on. PG track curves are quite challenging, especially the last few bends. Always see the cars skid there. Sepang got better road surface and if you skid, you'll just go into gravel and not the wall! haha..

 

Damn.. i missed the drifting championship? [bigcry]

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Neutral Newbie
(edited)

[Excerpt - CAR May 2010] This feels absolutely insane. A few seconds ago a right-hand hairpin opened up, I squeezed the 2010 Jaguar XFR's throttle to the floor in third and its V8 hammered like distant machine gun fire. Now the treadblocks are just about cutting through the streaming, sodden racetrack's surface, and I'm spearing forwards as heavy rain lashes at my windscreen, the car careering into a fast right-hander so quickly that I haven't got the spare mental capacity to look down and see how fast 'stupid fast' is. I don't think 128km/h is wildly overstating things.

 

Then it's a quick flick left, and then to the right and it's past the point of no return and into fully committed oversteer. There's that familiar spike of even more adrenaline when your heart skips and you wonder if you've terminally overcooked it, but the Jag rolls in nicely, its tail slips smoothly wide and its snout takes a bite out of the apex with a little lock in reserve. More throttle to hold the slide and I slowly slip wide towards the slick kerbing and wet grass run-off and the unforgiving tyre banks at full lock, full throttle. There is a margin for error, but it's small, so I grip the steering wheel hard and race my left knee against the transmission tunnel in an attempt to resist the building forces.

 

Suddenly the orange light warns of a car in my blind spot illuminates in the wing mirror, and the black XFR behind me - driven by Jaguar chassis guru Mike Cross - tucks up alongside, same angle, same speed. I think its V8 spit violently as it clips the limiter. Cross is edging nearer and nearer and I can see his wipers not really clearing my rooster tail of spray, and I feel my escape route being squeezed. Like I said, insane.

Edited by Fifteen
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Neutral Newbie

Track Car Makeover List

 

I hope to make this list 'sticky'. If you have in mind of anything else, please be free to do so [;)]

 

 

BASIC LEVEL UPGRADE

 

a) Suspension firm-up to minimize rolling (eg. KW Suspension)

b) Engine bay mounted strut bar to enhance vehicle's rigidity

c) Alloy wheels to enhance steering and handling

e) Road and track compatible tires (eg. Continental ContiSportContact 5P or 3P, etc)

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Neutral Newbie

BASIC LEVEL UPGRADE

 

a) Suspension firm-up to minimize rolling (eg. KW Suspension)

b) Engine bay mounted strut bar to enhance vehicle's rigidity

c) Alloy wheels to enhance steering and handling

e) Road and track compatible tires (eg. Continental ContiSportContact 5P or 3P, etc)

f) Brakes upgrade for improved braking power (to facilitate a good turn-in)

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f) Brakes upgrade for improved braking power (to facilitate a good turn-in)

 

Track driving demands hard cornering and braking so a good set of brakes are necessary.

 

The Rotora brand is one of the aftermarket manufacturer of hi-performance brake systems for automobiles.

 

 

 

 

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Track driving demands hard cornering and braking so a good set of brakes are necessary.

 

The Rotora brand is one of the aftermarket manufacturer of hi-performance brake systems for automobiles.

 

Are you the same person as Fifteen? [sweatdrop]

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Neutral Newbie
(edited)

Thanks, pal. It's good to know about this; might be handy when the needs arise for new brakes.

 

On a separate note, are there women who like advanced driving (ad) or track driving (td)? I know this is mainly a male arena but then who knows there is a local Vicki Butler-Henderson out there? (Vicki would be an excellent track driving coach though. She even got her mum onto the track in a Lamborghini) No...no..no, it is not another female-is-better-driver debate again :o

 

Vicki's fan page is here : vb-h.net

Edited by Trackdaysg
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Neutral Newbie

Anybody knows how we can sign up for BMW's advanced driving course and how much it is?

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Anyone knows where can I go to learn more advanced driving skills? Control car during skidding, wet road condition...etc

Not sure what is the scope of BMW and Mercedes's driving courses. Anybody has attended those and what is your feedback?

Else are they any other/better alternatives?

===========

 

I think there is still 1 run by Ex racing driver Albert Poon but in Johor.

 

Try to Google & see if anything else comes up.

 

Its good to go for it cos then u wil see exactly how good your driving skills really r. Most pple can drive fast but thats easy. Just step harder on the acclerator.

 

Learning to control your car in an emergency & the limits of your car & yourself wil b invaluable when u encounter a real emergency.

 

I see many "ricers" here but wonder how many can really handle an emergency well.

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Sepang is totally out of my league and the car's (a Fiat GP 1.4).

 

So, PG is more suitable for a track newbie like me.

 

Hoping to try out Changi Motorsports Hub in 2012...

 

I thought the Drifting Championship was held at either F1 Pit at Marina Bay or Changi Exhibition Center recently?

 

The event should move to CMH when the latter is ready in late 2011/12.

 

===============

 

PG track very bumpy & got concrete wall to kiss if u slip up.

 

Safer for u to go Sepang & play play there. [drivingcar]

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