Honda Malaysia Racing Team makes final preparations for the Sepang 1000 km Endurance Race

A few weeks back, we ran a story about Honda Malaysia Racing Team getting back on track, literally. And that they will be fielding two souped-up Honda Jazz cars to compete in the Sepang 1,000km Endurance Race – Car 17 and Car 26. Our stickers are on Car 17, the red Jazz, just so you know.

Since the story ran, both cars have undergone more development to get them ready for the race. But there’s a problem and it is one that’s not easily tackled. The team is not happy with the current rear suspension setup; the torsion beam is making things tougher.

“It hops,” said Car 26’s driver, Ezan. “The suspension is making the car’s rear skip, especially at the mid-corner and at the exit, which makes the car unstable. And because of that, we are unable to come out of the corners at full throttle. But we are constantly trying to refine the suspension with the data that we have.”

Since its first test in Sepang, the Jazz have slashed four seconds off their lap times, thanks to the remapped ECU, tweaked camber, different gear ratios and a more powerful engine. The team now has to sort out the rear, although they admit the H-beam suspension set up does not allow a lot of tuning options.

“I think we’ll earn an extra second if we get the suspension right,” said Farriz, Car 26’s other driver. He added that the race is not about power. Since it is an endurance race, the driver has the added challenge of wearing out the tyres or using up all of the fuel too quickly.

Car 17 will be driven by Aaron Lim and Eddie Lew. If you’d like to catch the action, the 1,000 km-long race starts at this Saturday, December 8 at 12 o’clock in the afternoon and should be finished at 9.30 pm, depending on the weather.

We’ll leave you with a short video clip, which properly introduces the notable members of the team. You’ll also get to see the team, and the car, in action.

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