The Malaysia Speed Festival Series 2018 (MSF 2018) will get underway this weekend at the Sepang International Circuit with a full day of motorsports activities and excitement.
This will be the eighth year of the championship, for what is the biggest car racing series in the country, providing affordable door-to-door racing for Malaysians; and is popular among racers from surrounding Asian countries to participate in. The MSF Series is all about motor racing for the masses and has been successful in creating a safe yet highly-competitive affordable racing environment.
MSF Series 2018 will feature six rounds this year:
- Round 1 – February 25, 2018
- Round 2 – April 8, 2018
- Round 3 – July 8, 2018
- Round 4 – August 31, 2018
- Round 5 – October 14, 2018
- Round 6 – December 2, 2018
This year, the MSF Series expands further by introducing two new important and popular motorsports disciplines – MSF Superbikes and MSF Drift Gonzo, both of which will commence from Round 2. This brings new exhilaration and entertainment to spectators and fans of the MSF Series, intensifying the excitement of witnessing wheel-to-wheel racing.
For Round 1 happening this weekend, the cars segment of the MSF Series features new categories – the Super Production category for naturally-aspirated vehicles up to 1,500 cc produced from 2006 onwards, as well as the Street 2000 category for naturally-aspirated production vehicles up to 2000 cc.
These new categories bring the participating cars in the MSF Series up-to-date with more recent machinery such as the Toyota GT86, Toyota Altezza and Proton Inspira in the Street 2000 category. Meanwhile, you’ll find cars such as the Honda Jazz, Toyota Vios, and Perodua Myvi in the Super Production category.
The biggest attraction will be the Race Cars Open category, where the most extreme of Malaysian motor-racing machinery take to the circuit for 10 laps of flat out racing in a scramble for glory. There have been urban legends and stories of incredible race car builds, and it is during the MSF Series that these fabled vehicles are put to the ultimate test of both power and reliability.
The proof of a well-tuned, production-based vehicle is its ability to clock blistering lap times flat-out consistently. This means putting in lap after lap while in the company of the well-known heat that is always evident at the Sepang circuit. Creating big power in a vehicle isn’t difficult, but getting it to last while tackling the corners is what truly marks out an all-round track monster from the rest.
During the event, the Saga Cup category continues to be the most thrilling and amusingly close quarters racing that you’ll see on Malaysian soil. This year, the category will be split into three sub-categories to accommodate the number of entrants! The top sub-category known as “Saga Cup Pro” is populated by some of the top Malaysian racing drivers such as Damian Dielenberg, Faidzil Alang, and Alif Hamdan as they battle in similarly-specced cars, placing an emphasis on driving skill above all else.
Another big news is the introduction of the new Hankook RS4 tyre as the control tyre for MSF Series 2018. There’s plenty of expectations placed on the tyre given the favourable reports from overseas, and the teams and drivers are expecting quicker lap times. The MSF Series will be one of the first racing series in the world to run the RS4 as an official control tyre.
Local Malaysian suspension specialists Fawster Motorsports have also provided support as an official partner for MSF 2018, as they grow their product range and brand as high-performance handling specialists. The MSF Series will also be supported by Fleet Battery, Malaysian manufacturers of high-powered batteries with high output cold cranking energy.
Spectators are welcome throughout the day, with ticket prices for paddock access at RM35, while access to the grandstand is free. For more information, visit www.msfracing.com.
Looking to sell your car? Sell it with Carro.
Malaysians should go out and give their support to this kind of local events.