Tag Archives: singapore

MICCOS Drift Challenge 2009 ,16th August 2009

Since we had withdrew from our role as organisers of  the  MICCOS Drift Challenge , Ivan Lim from  Binter Singapore and I  had decided to participate in supporting in the event whom had  newly appointed organiser, Feinto-D on the helm.Ariff did not compete in this event as he had gone off to salvage his placings in the GRA event held in Sepang on the same day.

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As mentioned earlier ,our withdrawal from the event was  due to the absences of safety equipments , like water barrier, tire barrier, cones, fire extinguishers and etc and due to that, the newly appointed organisers had to alter the course to a much   smaller course which in turn is  a much  slower course with  much  more run off space. This was a wise move as at the edge of the course , there’s a steep downward  slope which we fear might cause cars to come barrelling down if they were to veer off the course!!

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Binter’s Toyota Chaser was sent to Malaysia earlier for Ariff to work on the handling set up of the car

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Due to other commitments, we had  missed out the Saturday’s practice,but  we arrived early enough on Sunday  morning to get enough practice .

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Driver’s briefing by the judges Loyai (Team GT-Radial) and Along (Team Toyo).

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After briefing ,we were then given another 30 minutes of practice.

As we were in Group C. We had enough time to drop by the cafeteria at Maeps Exhibition Hall D to grab our lunch. It was full of stalls with local flavors.

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After lunch break, it was time for qualifying . I had some great practice runs earlier but when it comes to qualifying  the weather changed tremendously .As the  temperature drop so did my grip level. Due to my lack of experience with the Asymetrics tires, I had trouble adjusting to the tire and totally ruin my runs thus not being able to get into the best 16.

As for Ivan Lim, he was very consistent with his runs and he qualified at 5th place. Since not qualifying, I became  his spotter during the tandem battle to help him as he was going against  driver’s that he had no experience with.

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Unfortunately, the rain came pouring down heavily immediately after the best 16 driver’s briefing. . Due to bad water irrigation on the car park, the track is all flooded so the competition was held up.

It took almost 45 minutes for the rain to stop and all the top 16 drivers were given some runs to get use with the wet surface of the track.

Ivan had to go against with Kevin Rajoo on his 180sx at best 16, with such , which he  managed to stick by Kevin and won the round ,  credit to  the great performance of the Goodyear Eagle RS-Sport on his Binter Goodyear Toyota Chaser for the  win

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At best 8, Ivan had to go against with Tan Tat Wei from Team Bridgestone in his Toyota AE86.A small and tight  track , along with  wet surface tends to favour the smaller cars, especially  when it comes to tandem battles. Both of them had good  runs but the judges gave an extra advantage point for Tat Wei for keeping closer to Ivan while following. Though losing out at best 8 ,Ivan did a great job drifting his  newly setup Chaser! He was alot more precise and confident while drifting.

Having qualified 5th and losing out on best 8th earned him  5th place overall in this competition. Great job Ivan!

Formula Drift Singapore 2009 ; Behind the scene and left over photos

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As promised, for behind the scene and left over photos from Formula D Singapore 2009 (and also to find out why Leong is wearing a cheeky smirk on his face) please check the forum section or  click HERE

BBC Knowledge: TOP GEAR @ Fusionopolis Singapore 30th July 2009

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Being aired in Korea, Indonesia ,Hong Kong and starting on 1st August 2009 on StarHub  TV in Singapore, BBC Knowledge has a line up of documentaries with captivating insights into places, cultures,science and technology, history, business and the human body and mind ,which sets the international benchmark for factual entertainment.

One of the shows that is aired on this  channel is non other than Top Gear. Known as UK’s premier motoring show, Top Gear appeals to a wide range of audiences which not just limited to people who like cars! Said to be a first class entertainment show,statistic  has shown that  40% of the viewers are women! With presenters  giving unbiased reviews on cars or other modes of transportation while doing their best to wreck them ,Top Gear is also known for its extreme and original challenges and stunts.

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Do women really  find these men attractive?

This is where I come in; I was invited to give an introduction on my driving background and engage in a discussion about the above’s  challenges and stunts with the members of the media present to this BBC showcase event. Three clips were taken from the show ; on the first one , I had to elaborate on how it was done and choreographed ( in the driving sense rather than production)   and the risk  that the presenters were  facing doing them . The other two clips  were much simpler where I had to lead a discussion  on a challenge which Top Gear attempts to  dismissing the misconception that the  general public has on performance cars and modifications. As serious as all this may sound, the sessions was pretty laid back and somewhat filled with laughter and rowdiness which I am sure will make Jeremy Clarkson proud!!

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Posing next to the BBC Knowledge bunting

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Having a sneak preview of the clips before the media arrives

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Being briefed by Rhonda and Siti from Fulford PR company

Besides BBC Knowledge, a channel targeted to children was also being showcased. BBC CBeebies has a collection of programmes that is intended to nurture the child’s imagination and curiosity about the world around them. With titles such as Mister Maker and In The Night Garden, the child is introduced to a land of stories, discovery and entertainment.

It so happens that we had brought our daughter, Johanna,  along for this trip and was glad when was offered to allow her to take part in their activities for the kids segment!

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Johanna ,like a real trooper , was all prepared way before the segment. She even brought a little tote bag with her kiddie essentials along with her

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Like a professional, she set about introducing herself as soon as she arrived.dscn1988

A little product review was carried out …dsc02260

Johanna finds coloring helps her in easing the tension and pre event jitters….dsc02257

She actively  participated in group discussions and reviewsdsc02256

and not wanting to be influenced by peer pressure, did some by herself…dsc02254

She even picked out what she liked and did a good job of expressing it to those attending..

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….nothing like a little nap to recap and review on the day’s event..

We spent a night at the loft studio where the event was held. Called the Fraser place, it was a prefect example of how  a clever design could make full use of such a limited space . A very pleasant place which we will definitely go back to.

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