V.Sixers Track Day in SIC
The V•Sixers: Perdana V6 Club recently conducted their inaugural track day for the year 2004 on the 15th May 2004 in Sepang International Circuit (SIC). The Sepang International Circuit is one of the world’s best-known racetracks. Located at about 50km south of Kuala Lumpur City, the 5,542metre long circuit held its first Grand Prix in 1999 and is an important element in the FIA Formula One World Championship.
The event gathered 30 Proton Perdana of various engine guises. There were the 4G93s, 6A12 NA and the monstrous 6A12 twin turbo 4WD variants. The convoy to SIC started from Petaling Jaya via the North Klang Valley Expressway (NKVE). Throughout the journey on the expressway, all the members from the V•Sixers exhibited good convoy behaviors in order not to get in the way of other motorists. Nevertheless, the convoy of 30 Proton Perdana on the NKVE attracted quite a spectacle!
Reaching SIC, the V•Sixers parked in the designated pit/paddock and head-on to the Common Room for a briefing covering basic instructions, safety, cornering lines, braking points and general track discipline conducted by representatives from the Satria Gti Club and Lotus Cars Club.
The track day started with the members having a “free run” around the circuit to familiarize themselves with circuit layout, note the racing lines and perform last minute set-ups on their vehicle.
After which, members were set off to attack the circuit. This activity provides an excellent opportunity for the members of the club to gain a better understanding of their vehicle. SIC has been specifically designed to encourage overtaking, being very wide and containing at least four slow corners following long straights. The other 11 corners are medium to high speed. Those characteristics lead to the brakes having a hard time, while cars also need plenty of traction to accelerate away. The limits and limitations of the Proton Perdana were experienced and appreciated upon by the members. The experience, knowledge and thus confidence gained will translate to better awareness of their vehicles and prepare the members for similar situations in real life on public roads.
The SIC track day was a successful outing for the V•Sixers. The club hopes to conduct more track days in the future to expose club members to safe driving and track driving in a controlled environment.
