Bufori BMS R1: race version of the Bufori CS

Bufori R1
Click for enlarged image

This is the Bufori BMS R1, a FIA GT3 specification car brought together by the people at Axle Motorsport and Bufori’s Bufori Motor Sport (BMS) division in just 9 and a half weeks. Such a short notice is actually quite crazy to be able to do something like this. The big team above actually includes some ex-Formula 1 engineers so it was an excellent opportunity for locals to work together with real pros and hopefully gain some knowledge.

alex-bufori-r1

Why the rush, we asked. Axle boss Alex Yoong’s answer was simple – the Macau Grand Prix is probably the best place to showcase the car in action, so it was that or nothing. It’s the last race of the season, and the whole world will be watching this particular race because usually champions will be determined at a final race. It’s the best opportunity for the team and its car to get maximum international exposure and attention.

bufori-cs-03

Apparently despite having our own F1 track, Malaysian motorsports isn’t thriving due to a lack of funds to go around so you really need to have a strong proposition to make before you can secure decent sponsorship for R&D and etc. They had something that needed to be proven and there’s really no better proof than action and results.

bufori-cs-rear

Bufori had actually already begun development of the Bufori CS before the decision was made to produce the R1 race car based on the CS road car. Before that, Bufori had also contacted Axle to talk about things. Bufori wanted a race program to get its name out there and to them Axle was probably one of the best people to manage their racing activities for them.

P1060045

The race program will benefit the development of the CS road car in some ways other than promotion for the car. Some knowledge gained from racing will be able to be transferred to the road car development, especially in terms of making it handle better, etc. The car is left hand drive and is based built on a steel space frame with an aluminium honeycomb safety cell.

bufori-engine

As for the engine, I got the answer I wanted at the media preview of the car – the Bufori CS and the R1 will use a turbocharged version of the 2.0 litre GEMA engine. The race car actually uses a GEMA engine supplied from Mitsubishi. It’s basically the 4B11T from the Lancer Evolution X, mounted longitudinally and mated to a 6-speed Quaife transmission driving the rear wheels. The engine is managed by a Motec ECU and Motec engineers were in Malaysia to help calibrate and configure the computers and sensors. We don’t know for sure how much power the engine is making now as the engine has never been dyno tested, but the engineers are estimating over 400 horsepower, which is plenty in a 900kg car.

bufori-motec

The road car will use the same GEMA engines but supplied by Hyundai instead. This is a continuation of the engine supply contract Bufori currently has with Hyundai – the La Joya uses Hyundai’s 2.7 litre V6. In Hyundai terminology they are called Theta engines and the unit will probably be derived from the 2.0 litre turbo Theta engine installed in the Hyundai Genesis Coupe, driving the rear wheels as well.

P1060110

There will of course be some other differences between the road car and the race car. For one, the race car’s aluminium honeycomb safety cell will probably not make it into the road car as it is too expensive. The engine will also be mounted further up front instead of being right in the middle and pretty much almost right next to the driver. But the carbon fiber and kevlar (vacuum packed method for the R1) composite body will be retained, as this is what Bufori uses to build all its cars.

P1060150

Hopefully the car will do reasonably well at the Macau GP. I’m hoping for some good results but anything could happen given that this is pretty much a very untested car. Bufori and Axle claims the project is entirely self-funded but as you can see there are sponsor logos on the car. However judging by the sizes of the logos the money won’t be able to cover much.

UPDATE: Video added!

Look after the jump for more photos of the Bufori R1 race car.

[zenphotopress number=99 album=618]

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Paul Tan

After dabbling for years in the IT industry, Paul Tan initially began this site as a general blog covering various topics of personal interest. With an increasing number of readers paying rapt attention to the motoring stories, one thing led to another and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

Comments

  • Bogus on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:28 am

    waa…so nice…

    i like white :)

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  • celicazz on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:32 am

    they r using the lotus' rear lights dont they?

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  • hvannees on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:44 am

    WOW!! quite amazing..

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  • Wow!! Feast to the eyes!

    Thanks a lot for sharing this Paul! Great job as always. :)

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  • teamsleepnine on Nov 17, 2009 at 8:26 am

    i lol'ed…..the thing look more like a amateur build drag race car than fia homoligated gt3 race car!!!!

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  • Bugogi on Nov 17, 2009 at 8:31 am

    erm, this car is to enter go-kart race in Macau ah?

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  • Good luck to the team!!

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  • pish3n on Nov 17, 2009 at 9:16 am

    Saw this car at Kepong today morning on a trailer. If not mistaken 2 of them. Nice car

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  • 9w2myv on Nov 17, 2009 at 9:23 am

    Well done Bufori.

    As long, 'MADE IN MALAYSIA' i will support.

    Event the driver not 'follow' Malaysian road rule's – 110kmh.

    Yehaaaaa

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  • nabill on Nov 17, 2009 at 10:12 am

    such big potential,talented individuals…shame about the lack of funds and sponserships….best of luck

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  • mystvearn on Nov 17, 2009 at 11:04 am

    Nice car, but I don't fancy the grille shape

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  • fique D on Nov 17, 2009 at 11:38 am

    Nicee.. agree wit u mystvearn… looks like it from antique radio's … heheh

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  • redfueler on Nov 17, 2009 at 1:06 pm

    hey,how much it will cost for road car?

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  • angel on Nov 17, 2009 at 1:12 pm

    the front grill so ugly..

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  • rickyll on Nov 17, 2009 at 1:53 pm

    Great job! As long as we put in our best effort, credit should be given where it is due. The experience gained by those should inspire them to further their interest in the motor industry.

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  • Simon on Nov 17, 2009 at 3:42 pm

    wooohooo, I am on Paul Tan!!

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  • Lightning McQueen on Nov 17, 2009 at 3:48 pm

    nabill said,

    November 17, 2009 @ 2:12 am

    such big potential,talented individuals…shame about the lack of funds and sponserships….best of luck

    ============================================

    Waa nabil r u going to support people wasting money just for sponsoring this and that guy racing for nothing…

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  • shawal on Nov 17, 2009 at 4:04 pm

    As a Malaysian i wish ya'll the best of luck…

    Also as a malaysian, i would suggest you change the car's mouth, …the front air intake… combine and make a more conventional shape… cuz its friggin ugly… and the chrome looks way too cheap…

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  • shawal on Nov 17, 2009 at 4:07 pm

    can see the rear wuz inspired by 612 scaglietti

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  • ammar on Nov 17, 2009 at 4:19 pm

    Awesome. Malaysia's first home-built sports car. This is what we need to improve our car industry. Home grown small scale performance car manufacturing. It'll help improve our engineering and R&D knowledge base, and hopefully increase the interest of our future engineering students.

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  • lowprofile on Nov 17, 2009 at 5:06 pm

    finally, a malaysian product i can be proud of… now make that road car AFFORDABLE!!! i strongly suggest the turbo 2.0 (for the performance oriented buyers) and perhaps an easily tunable 1.6 that is used in the new Forte for budget buyers who just want the looks and RWD (i think this group will make up the largest number of buyers).

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  • it dun have to be pretty to ran fast!

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  • stephenstreets on Nov 17, 2009 at 5:50 pm

    Aiyar Dude, At least its our very own pure breed home grown racing car by Bufori. I am very proud of it, and was extremely surprise that bufori was into racing spirit. They fork out their own money, time, R & D, man hours and best part Bufori isnt even from our country but the people are. They did not spend RM 200 million ringgit unnecessarily like our gov on F1 but from their own pockets.

    What ever happens i fully support these guys! The car does look awesome though!

    teamsleepnine said,

    November 17, 2009 @ 12:26 am

    i lol’ed…..the thing look more like a amateur build drag race car than fia homoligated gt3 race car!!!!

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  • nighttrain on Nov 17, 2009 at 6:12 pm

    Did somebody say below 500hp & 400Nm could not qualify as GT3 car? Install twin 4B11T motors at 45 degree angle to make it a V8!

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  • overflow (Member) on Nov 17, 2009 at 6:54 pm

    Bravo!! a good start for bufori..well done

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  • Ferruccio on Nov 17, 2009 at 6:59 pm

    I applaud the effort by these guys but they're still doing things the good ol' 'last minute' Malaysian motorsport way of doing things. Still not professional. Somehow someway we need to break out of this mentality and operate like the european teams.

    My point is that this was initiated so last minute. Did they even have time to do a proper shakedown test at Sepang or did they just finished building the car at the factory then shipped it straight to Macau for the race this weekend?

    Building is just the the first challenge. When it hits the track many, many things can go wrong and it ALWAYS does, guaranteed. Thats why teams do shake down tests. Testing also allows them to understand the car to undertsand the performance. Macau is an unforgiving track. Alex is very familiar with it but the car is not.

    It's a bit strange because this project does not reflect the ethos of the Bufori company. They never liked to run on hype. They pride themselves in high craftmanship and attention to detail which is similar to the philosophies of a professional race team. I wonder if they are really comfortable with how Axle Motorsports is running their car. Bufori has a lot to lose in terms of reputation

    For PR this project is cool and sounds good for Malaysians but from the perspective of a racing team, it looks highly unprofessional in its technical planning and operation. Shiny new branded racing parts do not make a professional team. Looking at their preparation it looks like a highly risky project and if they finish it would be down to luck.

    C'mon Alex Yoong, you've seen how F1 teams and international GT teams operate. This is unbecoming of a man of your level of your experience!

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  • harap tidak terputus d tengah jalan seperti esna venera selepas pemergian pengasasnya. walaupun ia berasal dari negara lain tapi sekurangnya ia tidaklah penakut seperti Proton yang menjual Mv Agusta dan mereka yang membubarkan projek kereta sport Proton

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  • shaifz1 on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:01 pm

    Hopefully the Bufori flying high with Malaysian flag even though the road version may not available just yet.

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  • nighttrain on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:07 pm

    If it's customizable, I'll ask for a wider, longer and lower version. Sweet.

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  • torque (Member) on Nov 17, 2009 at 7:47 pm

    All the best Bufori…make us proud!! Just like what gie7 said, hoping your effort is not half way…go go go! Oh..loved the overall design thou…

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  • Kudos to Bufori for giving it a try.

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  • I love This Car on Nov 17, 2009 at 11:38 pm

    l love the car

    stuff all u who dont like the grill

    it was not finished that is y it look bad
    yes there was 2 cars

    the car is low but the paint makes it look higher than it is
    bufori has been in malaysia 4 about 16 year but we r getting no healp from the gouverment

    and i am proud to say that i am proud of my dad 4 buliding this car and 4 all of the people who built the cars because they did not sleep or see there family 4 about 3 days and some 4 even longer

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  • whats wrong wit the front grill and back exhaust!!!??? it look like a total retard.. everything is a failure and dint even had a chance to dyno?

    typical malaysian, wanna poop only dig hole. Clearly shows that is not even close for a race…

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  • design language like bristol cars

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  • I love This Car on Nov 18, 2009 at 3:05 am

    i was just joking about alll of the thingd that i had said

    SORRY

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  • proud to b living in on Nov 18, 2009 at 3:52 am

    very proud of the BUFORI team doing what most countries wish to do.

    Malaysians should b proud to have a team that puts the countries pride b4 there own.Has anyone actually given credit to our Malaysian for the hard work that goes in building something that amazing.I am not Malaysain but wish everyone who is are proud of their nation and what they can achieve when they put their mind to it.WELL DONE BOYS. Let the world see what 1MALAYSIA can do.my prays r with u all as u deserve a thank you from all

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  • Head Hunter on Nov 18, 2009 at 3:56 am

    Congratulations to Bufori and Axle for being able to build a race car despite the short time given.

    Why should people say that this is just a waste of money?

    If you watch F1 and see big teams splash their money, they say passion.

    If small teams they say wasting money.

    Racing is about passion, defies logic and beyond most people's comprehension.

    It's about spirit, dedication and pure commitment to racing.

    I hope the car finishes the race. God speed Bufori!!

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  • proud to b living in on Nov 18, 2009 at 4:21 am

    MALAYSAINS should b so proud of the BUFORI TEAM FOR ACHIVEING the impossible.Will done .Malaysia has done what most countries dreams of doing.I am not Malaysian but very proud of ur nation to pull together this dream,just hope every Malaysian is as proud as I am.To say that u as a team are capable of producing this car is a miracle. You have shown the world what this country is all about 1MALAYSIA .Wishing u all the best in the race, my prays r with u all. Just hope every Malaysains is proud as I am of the team. WHATS NEXT BUFORI??????????

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  • we as a country shou on Nov 18, 2009 at 4:33 am

    Good work BUFORI team u have made our nation proud.Hope the GOVERNMENT is aware of ur work, that u have done for the country.

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  • jayjay on Nov 18, 2009 at 4:48 am

    the engine is practically sit beside the driver. it is so near i would reach orgasm by the vibration of the engine.

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  • Ferruccio on Nov 18, 2009 at 8:40 am

    Lets celebrate and express our pride etc AFTER the race this weekend shall we? Thats usually the norm. ;)

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  • bobdbilder on Nov 18, 2009 at 8:52 am

    This is a very Track Day oriented car. Its also known as a Tin Top. Only the exterior will be of any resemblance to the production CS.

    I like MoTec stuffs. They're pretty. And if you hook up enough sensors in, they'll give you a lot. Those pedal sets are awesome too. The chassis looks like its been machined from a single billet of Aluminium. All bespoke and nice. But just looking at the location of the engine, you'd know that there was serious engineering done here. By getting it as close as possible in the middle, you get decent balance. This is really mid engined stuff. My bet is that the dash is all gonna be Carbon Fibre. But the last thing you want on the track are those wheels.

    If people say its ugly, they've probably never seen a Gillet Vertigo.

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  • Leonardo on Nov 18, 2009 at 6:35 pm

    Good effort Alex, but given the short preparation time and no shake down it will be an achievement if they can manage to finish the race.

    Yes, racing is about passion and advanced technology, not about wasting money.

    Aesthetics takes a secondry role over function in a racing car and it is a bonus if it looks good.

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  • aaron on Nov 18, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    good luck in the race alex.. although the preparation is rushed, to be able to complete this project on time is an achievement in itself! unlike most drivers, you have the advantage of building the car from ground up so i would like to believe you will eventually do something good in this car. you have raised the hopes of malaysians that we can build our own cars with passion and technical excellence.. having been to korea and seeing most koreans are proud of their country and use korean cars.. i hope your project is the beginning of the end of our crowded highways filled with outdated japanese models and poorly designed local cars by our 'bumiputra talent'

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  • Rudeboi on Nov 18, 2009 at 8:28 pm

    Read this report http://www.autoblog.com/2009/11/17/bufori-drops-t…

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  • nighttrain on Nov 18, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    Hey rudeboi, why dontcha drop this link to on autoblog's site. Maybe they can see what it's all about.

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  • I love this car too on Nov 19, 2009 at 1:20 am

    Hey I Love This Car, later can u bodek ur dad so that he let u pinjam the car for a spin? Then u let me go behind the wheel for 2-3 laps la ok or not? I belanja u teh tarik la fren..

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  • Well I am proud of our local talent and truly local cars.

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  • Martin Byrne on Nov 19, 2009 at 4:53 am

    This car and team have a number of new avid followers in Australia. I think the work done to create this car from the ground up in the time frame and (I assume limited budget) has been an awesome effort. Given they will be going up against the main manufacturers in the GT category I think it is an excellent effort and I wish them all the very best.

    For those who indicated some concerns regarding the professionalism of the build and comparing it to more "professional teams" – lets remember that those teams have been going a lot longer, have much larger budgets, custom built facilities (at a huge cost) and are in reality starting with a factory built car.

    You would be very surprised at some of the people involved in this project and their backgrounds – some big player teams would love to have their skills and experience on their side.

    Yes time is a big player in this but I am in awe of the guts and determination show by BMS in taking on this project and to put their cars up against the big boys – lesser companies would not even think about it. Again congratulations to all at Axle and BMS – we in Australia wish you all the very best.

    To those who do not like the look of the car – get a life – it's brilliant!

    Does any one know of a site that will be streaming the races at all – we will not be seeing the races on any broadcasts and I would love to watch what I can.

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  • zafedz on Nov 19, 2009 at 9:04 am

    Aiiyaaa…left hand drive kaaa??

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  • Jaybond on Nov 19, 2009 at 4:51 pm

    It certainly does look like a purpose built race car, with spaceframe chassis construction, double wishbone all round (the placement of the rear coilover shock is quite interesting, on the back of the A arm rather than in between). The only other GT3/GT4 car with spaceframe chassis is the Ginetta G50, which was quite successful at least in British GT champ. Wonder if the engine is equipped with Anti Lag system (Motec surely does have), as turbocharged 2 liter engine will have some hard time with the other big cubic inch cars, especially around corners.

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  • Ferruccio on Nov 19, 2009 at 9:52 pm

    Well not necessarily a 2L turbo lump will be disadvantaged against a big cc lump especially on a tight track like macau. The lighter, smaller 4 cyl engine is better for handling, due to 'Lower Polar Moment of Inertia'.

    I would like to add that it is quite worrying to read that this car was built last minute with little or no testing. You don't need experience to tell you that this is not how you prepare for racing. It's common sense. It's crazy. They do have ex F1 people involved in the team so ignorance is no excuse.

    This car should have been built months ago with the month before Macau spent track testing. Of course all this requires money but thats not an excuse either. All race teams will tell you they have money problems. The good ones manage their limited resources well, and make good managerial decisions. This applies regardless whether you're racing F1, V8 Supercars, or karting.

    Perhaps they found themselves in a difficult position where they were running out of time but they were already committed so they had to push ahead instead of aborting Macau. Who knows. Are they not planning for a proper season of GT racing next year? or just a one off for Macau?

    Working 3days 3 nights nonstop is a good sign of passion and dedication. Good workers. BUT it is a sign of poor management. Who are the technical directors and managers??? If they are planning to race a full campaign season later hopefully this is not how they intend to operate. They will kill themselves, and eventually sponsors, if they have any.

    If they're planning a proper season, why jeopardize the effort with poor preparation for Macau? If this is a one-off Macau race, what is the objective? is it just to have fun? A one-off won't do much in terms of reputation for Bufori.

    Malaysia is NOT short of skilled mechanics and craftsmen but we seem to be short of forward thinking team managers. All thinking at the level of 'club racing' style of garage operation. Walk down the grid at MME and you can see 95% of teams (100% of local teams) operating that way despite some running fancy expensive GT cars and team uniform.

    It is excusable to operate that way for a new, privateer team but when the team is linked to a car manufacturer, it looks bad on the manufacturer. I think Bufori is a good brand and I hate to see a company like theirs lowering their standards. I get the impression that Bufori sets very high standards for their road cars.

    Whatever it is I wish this team all the best for Macau and I hope they get to start and finish the race. But if they are serious about racing to build their brand, they need to be a lot more organized.

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  • steven on Nov 20, 2009 at 12:21 am

    Look like a Z4. Nothing new..not like a Noble 600 or wat… even a Kit car look nicer than this. Malaysia… only good with Proton ( check Top gear's review, see HOW GOOD it is). For foreigners in UK or US, they can easily build this in their home garage.

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  • raixa on Nov 20, 2009 at 1:23 am

    Even if this car design is fugly like cayenne as long as it is give a strong competition to other more established team then this car GOOD!!!!!

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  • I'm not impressed with the bodywork, i.e. it looks like a big chunk of plastic & the hood doesn't fit neatly.

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