With 56 professional teams battling against most of Malaysia’s best drivers in a Formula 1 track of the Sepang International Circuit, the second edition of the Sepang 1000-Kilometer Endurance Race, popularly known as the S1K has flagged off during the weekend from June 3 to 5. Showing that power was not everything in an endurance race, Team Ultra Racing took the overall crown with a sensational style in their 1600cc Toyota Levin machine as it upstaged the higher powered 1800cc cars. Featuring Kenny Lee, Christopher John O’Shannessy and Hsiao Tung Wei, the team took eight hours 32 minutes and 1.455 seconds to cover 181 laps of the 5.543-km.
Commenting on this year’s race, the Ultra Racing trio went on, “Basically, we got together a very good team. Most importantly, this is a group of die-hard and very passionate people when it comes to racing. It should be an exciting experience and enjoyable time at Sepang. ” Farriz Fauzy of MOFAZ Racing also found that the cars were going faster this year on the new Federal tyres, which is the official tyre for this year’s S1k race. “I have tested the Federal tyres. It seems that the tyres performed better than last year’s tyres that we used; especially they deliver better grip in the corners … which carry higher speed, I reckoned that we will be clocking better times this year.” said Farriz.
The S1K is one of the most competitive endurance races in South East Asia, and a stepping stone for newcomers to the racing world. Cars that are participating only in two classes - Class 1 with engine capacity between 1601cc to 1900cc , and Class 2 with cars below 1600cc. Each car taking part in the S1K race must have a minimum of two and a maximum of four drivers, and the first team to complete 1000km will be declared as the winner. The endurance race also requires the competitors to have a valid competition license issued by the Automobile Association of Malaysia or Motorsports Association of Malaysia for circuit racing. The first team to cross the finish line will be taking home RM30,000 (Class 1) and RM25,000 (Class 2).
Introduced for the first time to the Malaysian motorsports, all the teams in the race are using FZ201 195/50R15 supplied by Federal. The tyre in the Touring Car Category with S1K was more as a show of support for the development of Malaysia’s motorsports. Federal provides the best compromise between cost and performance; by using one-make-control tyre for the entire race teams, this makes the S1K an ideal playing field for all. These products also had to undergo an extensive series of tests to determine their durability before the committee who are responsible on making final decision on the most suitable make of tyre for this special racing event. Furthermore, it fits best for those who wants to experience fun; competing against top international drivers in a Formula 1 driven track.
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