In an endurance race anything can happen and that was precisely what unfolded in the Malaysia Speed Festival Merdeka Race powered by PETRONAS Primax on Sunday night (1 September 2024) at the PETRONAS Sepang International Circuit.

What was a race to complete a grueling 99 laps of the 5.543km track began unconventionally fierce from the very start as competitors in six individual classes of racing jostled for track positions. There were four safety car situations with the first safety car deployed as early as three laps into the long night of racing that was flagged off in the evening just as the sun set and after the singing of the national anthem.

Though the race had its favourites, uncertainty loomed throughout the 99 laps that kept spectators firmly on the edge of their seats. Only 42 of the 77 cars that started, completed the race. The very first retirement occurred just two laps into the race while the last to breakdown, four laps from the chequered flag in a night that revealed its fair share of celebrations and heartbreaks.

What was astonishing however – and never mind that he retired (after 72 laps) – was the all-inspiring drive put in by the pair of “Boy” Soh Zhi Xian and Tan Wai Hoong who placed their first generation Trackerz Racing Perodua MyVi in the overall top 5 and subsequently the lead of the race after just 26 laps, staying well ahead of a grid dominated by more modern and powerful machines the likes of Honda Type R and Vtecs, Suzuki Sports and Toyota GT 86.

And in the end – and this was equally unexpected – the winning car and overall champion was the fourth generation (a car built between1987 to the 1991) #60 Honda Civic driven by the trio of Gan Kim Koa, Lee Wai Cong and Hayden Haikal who crossed the finish line to complete the 99 laps with a total time of 4 hours 54 minutes31.789 seconds – more than 20 seconds ahead of their nearest competitor. And they accomplished this on the back of spinning the car in the early stages of the race relegating them to last place.

“We were literally running on fumes over the last two laps and I was just trying my best to keep the car from stalling,” said Hayden who drove the final stint. “This is also the car’s second time back after not racing for six years.” The trio also won their Super 1800cc Class.

Finishing second place overall and also winning the Vision HKS Super Touring Class was the trio of Faizal Naim, William Yong and Al Amin Mohd in the Millennium Racing 1 Honda Civic.

Coming in third overall was the pair of Mohd Fahrizal Hasan and Syed Mohd Rizal in their FAWSTER SMRT Toyota GT86. The duo was also crowned champion in the Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup.

“We won on good strategy, we kept it clean and both drivers did our jobs with consistent lap times. We made three pit stops according to plan. Honestly, being in a lower class we did not expect to finish so high up considering we only managed to qualify 12^th fastest,” said Fahrizal. “The win also places us in the lead of the overall championship in the Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup with two more rounds to compete.”

Only the top three overall winners completed the 99-lap challenge with the remaining 39 competitors crossing the chequered flag at least a lap down.

The six classes of racing contested in the Merdeka Race included: the Rennplatz Standard Production; Rennplatz Standard Production Max; Vision HKS Super Touring; Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup; Super 1800; and MSF Super Production with a total RM50,000 in prize monies up for grabs for the top three winners in all six classes of racing.

RESULTS

Overall

1. Gan Kim Koa/Lee Wai Cong/Hayden Haikal                                                        99 laps
2. Faizal Naim/William Yong/Al Amin Mohd              Millennium Racing 1       99 laps
3. Mohd Fahrizal Hasan/Syed Mohd Rizal                   FAWSTER SMRT             99 laps

Rennplatz Standard Production

1. Siah Woei Ping/Chong Chin Young                                                                          98 laps
2. Chio Wen Cheng/Kingston Tan/Tse Ka Hing                                                         97 laps
3. Freddie Ang/Jwan Hii                                                                                                  96 laps

Rennplatz Standard Production Max

1. Tan Wooi Loon/Roni Risman                                     Piston Project                      96 laps
2. Ahmad Firdaus/Mohamad Najib/Lee Kun San      Fawster 22ProShop            +14.626s
3. David Kang/Gerald Goh                                               Sokudo Shenzo Racing X Agi 95 laps

Vision HKS Super Touring

1. Faizal Naim/William Yong/Al Amin Mohd              Millennium Racing 1          99 laps
2. Jonathan Lee/Justin Toh                                               TEDCO Racing                  +1:19.160
3. Mohd Irwan/Aiyub Alamghir                                       Sokudo Shenzo Racing      96 laps

Vision HKS GT86 x BRZ Racing Cup

1. Mohd Fahrizal Hasan/Syed Mohd Rizal                   FAWSTER SMRT                 99 laps
2. Muhd Khairul Nizam/Sean Khoo                                EXN-JR Speed Sucimuci   97 laps
3. Kenneth The/Danny Chang                                                                                           94 laps

Super 1800

1. Gan Kim Koa/Lee Wai Cong/Hayden Haikal                                                            99 laps
2. Yau Weng Wai/Low Zhe Wei                                                                                        94 laps
3. CY Khoo/Gilbert Ang                                                                                                      89 laps

Super Production

1. Jonathan Xie/Leong Jia Le Kent                                  Xie-Kent                                98 laps
2. Muhammad Nurazmi/Shamir Aizan/Raha Ahmad 55twelve X A RC Racing     96 laps
3. Ng Tiam Lai/Eugene Lin/Mark Darwin                                                                      94 laps