History has been made and the books have been marked to reflect just that. It’s been an absolutely thrilling weekend with the inaugural street race that took place on the streets of downtown Kuala Lumpur. The organisers have said that almost 200,000 spectators flocked to the venue to watch these cars zoom around the 3.2 km city circuit.
Prodrive Racing Australia and lubricant aficionado’s Castrol welcomed us with open arms to check out their incredible machines, piloted by talented duo Chaz Mostert and Mark Winterbottom.
Speaking of machines, the Aussie drivers helmed a pair Ford Falcons that’s powered by a Ford Performance Racing-developed, 5.0-litre V8 Ford Boss block that kicks out an estimated 640 hp at a scarcely believable 7,450 rpm. All this power is channeled to the rear wheels via a six-speed sequential Albins ST6 gearbox.
With that sort of grunt, it’s no wonder that these cars can achieve speeds of up to 255 km/h down Jalan Ampang and then subsequently braking hard to take the corner onto Jalan Sultan Ismail – a feat helped out by AP Racing’s 395mm rotor brake squeezed by a six-pot caliper. Consider this: off the mark, it’ll do the century sprint in 3.5 seconds. Given a longer straight, the Falcon would have hit a top speed of 300 km/h!
Weight is a crucial factor in racing, so much so that the drivers themselves can’t lose nor gain weight as the cars are scrutinised at the beginning of the season and must consistently tip the scales at under 1,400 kg. The car on the other hand, is made from a controlled chassis while the body panels are lightweight composite materials.
This winning team is helped through the grueling season not just by its dedicated crew but also its named sponsors, such as Castrol who’s new lubricant Edge is the blood line that keeps the beating heart of this beast running at its best. The blend of innovation and science found at the bottom of every can of Castrol Edge means the team only has to rebuild the engine at an interval of 2,500 km.
Chaz and the team were ecstatic when they clutched the winning podium title and are already looking forward to racing here again when the V8 Supercar Championship comes down here in 2016. As for us car lovers? The sights and sounds of Chaz flailing his machine down Jalan Ampang at 250 km/h is truly sight to savour and behold.
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