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But first, let me backtrack a bit. No doubt you’re here reading this because you saw the main picture and were intrigued by it. You’re probably wondering: why the heck would anyone want to bring a family MPV to a trackday, the least sporty kind of car imaginable?

Motorsports

I brought a 7-seater MPV to Sepang Circuit and didn’t die

IN Mitsubishi, Grandis, MPV, Sepang, Trackday

It’s not what you drive that matters, it’s how you drive it

Peugeot is the first mainstream car manufacturer to join the series after a sweeping revamp of the technical regulations, and made its competition return this weekend at the 6 Hours of Monza, the 4th round in the 6-race 2022 WEC season. Its weapon of choice? The new 9X8 Hypercar. Here’s a video of its very first lap in action:

It was initially hoped that the 9X8 could make its live debut at the 2022 Le Mans 24h, but the newly-formed Team Peugeot TotalEnergies elected to skip that and instead focus on further testing to ensure the car’s race-readiness. This included a 15,000km test session and a marathon 36-hour endurance run to put the crew and their processes through their paces before wading into battle.

Motorsports

The Peugeot 9X8 is the next Le Mans Hypercar contender

IN Peugeot, 9X8, Le Mans, WEC, Hypercar, Motorsports

The radical wingless racer made its race debut in the WEC this past weekend at Monza

With a dearth of knowledge in Singapore on EV systems in general, the students faced a bigger challenge building the R22e than usual. While the teams in charge of the chassis, aerodynamics, and suspension tuning had the benefit of their predecessor’s experience and data to guide them, those in charge of the electric powertrain found themselves thrown in the deep end. From programming the motor controller to even proper safe handling procedures for high-voltage electrical components, there were a lot of lessons learnt in the R22e’s journey, which has implications not just for NUS’s FSAE team, but eventually for the automotive sector in Singapore, particularly once the students enter the workforce.

Happenings

Say hello to Singapore's first home-grown electric race car

IN NUS, FSAE, Motorsport, EV

The NUS FSAE team’s R22e is more than just a speed machine, it’s a stepping stone to building EV know-how in Singapore’s auto sector.

And it’s getting serious, with many of the biggest car manufacturers throwing their hat in the ring. Take Porsche for instance. Back in 2017, it made the decision to leave the World Endurance Championship, which it had dominated for the prior three years, to focus on Formula E. And aside from running its two Porsche 99X Electric Formula E cars, it even has the Taycan Turbo S performing safety car duties for since the start of this season.

Motorsports

Here’s five reasons why you should check out Formula E

IN Formula E, Porsche, Motorsports, EV

A weekend with the TAG Heuer Porsche team at the Jakarta Formula E race taught us a thing or two about how this engine-less series is more exciting than you expect.

Well, just drive whatever you have, of course! That's what happened at a recent gymkhana open practice session organised by Singapore Auto Gymkhana Group (SAGG).

Motorsports

If this Honda e can race, so can you

IN Honda, E, EV, Gymkhana, Motorsport

It’s not what you drive that matters, it’s how you drive it.

Billed by Bridgestone as a semi-slick tyre and its first-ever dedicated tyre for trackdays, it’s nonetheless homologated for road use. But as you can see from the photos, it has an extremely aggressive tread pattern which you probably wouldn’t want to get caught with in the rain.

Happenings

Bridgestone heats up trackdays with new Potenza Race tyre

IN Bridgestone, Potenza Race, Tyres

Bridgestone’s new Potenza Sport has already proven faster than main rivals in independent testing; Potenza Race to go even quicker

The collective brainchild of Ken Block and BBi Autosport, the Hoonipigasus was built to be the fastest overall at the Pikes Peak International Hill Climb in Colorado, USA, which celebrates its 100th running this year. BBi has had several class wins on Pikes Peak in various 911s and Caymans, so if anyone can pull this off, it's them.

Starting with a Porsche 964 as a base, BBi stuffed a 4.0-litre flat-six out of a 911-gen Porsche GT3R racing car behind its rear seats to make it mid-engined, then gave it two massive turbos (the biggest ones that turbo maker Garrett has ever made) and all-wheel drive. It runs on methanol, revs up to 9,600rpm, and produces 1,400hp at sea level.

Happenings

The 1400hp Porsche 911 “Hoonipigasus” is Ken Block’s latest insane ride

IN Ken Block, Porsche, Porsche 911, Hoonigan, Pikes Peak

And he’ll attempt to conquer the Pikes Peak Hillclimb in it too.

For me though, the Golf GTI has always been a bit of a letdown. Granted, most of my experience has only been with the Mk7 and Mk7.5, but for all the myth and legend surrounding those three letters, and the accolades heaped upon it by automotive media everywhere, most of my encounters with a GTI has left me feeling distinctly unenthused.

As an unabashed lover of fast driving, hot hatches are definitely right up my alley, but the Mk7.5 just didn't serve up enough thrills. It didn't help that it debuted in something of a renaissance period for hot hatches, with the FK8 Honda Civic Type R, Hyundai i30N, Mk4 Renault Megane RS, and even its corporate cousin the Skoda Octavia RS245, all muscling in on the GTI’s turf.

New

1 Step Forward, 2 Steps Back: Volkswagen Golf GTI Mk8

IN VW, Volkswagen, Golf, Golf GTI, Hot hatch, Hatchback

Amongst hot hatches, it’s always been the VW Golf GTI that’s left BP’s resident racer, Jon, the coldest. Can the feistier new Mk8 change his mind?

In a joint statement released on 27 January, Formula One, along with Singapore GP (SGP), and Singapore Tourism Board (STB) made the announcement that F1 will return to Singapore for another seven years starting from 2022 – with a difference.

Happenings

Formula One to return to Singapore

IN Formula One, Grand Prix, F1, Singapore, 2022, Night race, Street circuit, Marina Bay

We’ll get to enjoy F1 cars tearing around our streets yet again from 2022 to 2028

Which is why TKA has opened a new track for traditional petrol-powered karts - both speed-restricted fun karts as well as full-on pro race 2-stroke karts - over at Jurong, across the road from the SAFTI Military Institute. It’s the same site that was previously occupied by KF1 Arena, and before that, Kartright Speedway.

The track itself isn’t very long, nor is it very complicated - just 700m and 11 corners in total (compared to KF1 Kranji’s 960m and 17 turns). What it is though, is wide - with 10m being the minimum at any point.

Happenings

The Karting Arena | New kart track opens in Jurong

IN Singapore, Motorsports, Go-Kart, Go-Karting, Kart, Karting, Race Kart

The Karting Arena Jurong is said to be designed “by racers, for racers”

Paired to a 6-speed manual (!) transmission in the Kona, the 1.0-litre was a mightily capable engine. A brilliant mix of engagement and efficiency, it was no Kona N, but still managed to brighten your commute a bit.

New

Downsized but Decent | Hyundai i30 Hatchback 1.0 Turbo

IN Hyundai, I30, I30 Hatchback, Hyundai i30, Hyundai i30 Hatchback, Komoco Motors

Hyundai’s shrunk the engine of the popular i30, but the equipment list has remained properly sizeable.

This isn’t an all-new car of course, nor is it even a facelift (that comes next year, when the Countryman gets new headlights and Union Jack-themed taillights just like the rest of the Mini range, as well as new digital displays). But though it looks no different, the 2020 Countryman JCW’s updates run far deeper than facelifts conventionally do.

With 306hp and 450Nm now on tap, the new Countryman JCW has made gains of 75hp and 100Nm over the 2019 model - a full one-third more power and torque than before. That’s all courtesy of an updated version of the B48 2.0-litre turbo engine, which is now in the same spec as you’d find in the BMW M135i, M235i, and X2 M35i.

As a result, the 0-100km/h time drops from 6.5 to 5.1 seconds, and it’s powerful enough flat-out to warrant a 250km/h electronic speed limiter. It’s rather a different beast to drive now, and finally feels special enough to justify its existence (and its price tag).

New

Rally the Troops | Mini Countryman John Cooper Works

IN MINI, Countryman, JCW, John Cooper Works, MINI Countryman, MINI John Cooper Works

The biggest and most expensive Mini you can buy gets a lot more power for 2020, finally giving it performance that’s worthy of the JCW name.

The Lamborghini Huracan STO though, isn’t one of those. Standing for “Super Trofeo Omologato” (which translates to Super Trophy Homologation), the STO is the most extreme road-going Huracan ever, and is derived from the tech and philosophy of Lamborghini’s factory race cars, the Huracan Super Trofeo and the Huracan GT3.

Happenings

The Lamborghini Huracan STO is the wildest “Baby Bull” yet

IN Lamborghini, Huracan, Supercars, New

Wild new aero tweaks, weight reduction and chassis changes are inspired by the Huracan Super Trofeo and GT3 cars.

“It’s one of the worst experiences for a driver, to find their car up on blocks with all four wheels gone. Some alloy wheels can cost thousands to replace, but these unique rim nuts will stop thieves in their tracks. Making wheels more secure and offering more product personalisation are further proof that 3D printing is a game-changer for car production.”

Raphael Koch, research engineer, Advanced Materials and Processes, Ford of Europe.

Happenings

Ford Develops 3D-Printed Wheel Nuts

IN Ford, Wheels, Rims, Tyres, Security, Technology

As car security systems become increasingly more sophisticated, thieves are targeting car parts instead, including alloy wheels. Ford has the solution...