HCOC Track Day
It was a bright and sunny day on 31st July 2008.. There was thunder.. The thunder of engines waiting to tear up the quiet of the Sepang International Circuit.. The feeling of anxiousness to get the car going and get it going as fast as it can go.. To push the car to the maximum handling capability.. It was..
The Honda Car Owners’ Club Track Day!
It all started with a simple promise made during the Club Elections by the committee. Meeting after meeting was held. The idea almost died prematurely as it looked so daunting a task. The Club does not have the financial backing. Would there be sufficient interest? Would we be able to get the track? Would there be mishaps? Many other issues arose through the meetings.
However, the committee sucked in our breaths and decided it was a calculated risk we were willing to take. E-mail after e-mail were exchanged. As the event was going to be on a weekday, understandably, invitations to other Honda car clubs were returned with only 1 confirmed participant. We lost our sponsors in the final month coming to the event as none confirmed their participation. However, the members were giving us 100% backing and agreed to bear the additional cost of the track day. That gave us the courage to forge ahead. Invitations were issued to members of the local autocross racing community and to members’ friends.
In the end, we managed to achieve the targeted number of cars for the track day. It was ON!
The day came, and participants met up at the pit area for registration and a safety briefing. Thereafter, there was a half hour ‘Familiarization Drive’ held for people new to the track.
Once the ‘Familiarization Drive’ was completed, the track was opened up to every participant. It was a sight to behold as almost every version of Honda Civics and Integras tore through the track full throttle. The sound of the VTEC engines at max rev was a symphony of beauty.
The participating cars included no less than 3 of the new Civic Type R’s (FD2 Type R) and 3 of the new Civic FD models. Making it’s way around the track was also a cute ‘lil fully restored 1st Generation Civic. 2 Civic EFs were also spotted making their rounds on the track. There was a very unique Turbo Integra that was on the track as well.
The club ran some MME simulations in conjunction with testing the club’s track Civic as well as to give participants a taste of racing in one of Sepang’s most famous races.
Thanks go to the participants, for their support; to the committee, who worked hard and never let the dream die; to Sepang, for letting us use the premises; Zane Loo, who sacrificed driving on the track to help manage the event and to all those involved to make this day a success.
