Gopeng buckles up for Oval racing
MALAYSIA’S very first Oval racing championship will roar off in March at Perak’s T-City Gopeng Motor Speedway.
Oval racing, which is popular in America, is a form of car racing on an oval-shaped track.
Introduced in Malaysia in 2018, this is the first time the Legend Car and Bandolero Car classes will be held as a full-fledged championship.
For the competition in Gopeng, there will be six rounds featuring an Arrive-and-Drive Legend Car class for amateur and professional drivers, and the Bandolero class for children between the ages of eight and 15.
“Oval circuit racing is still in its infancy in Malaysia but the level of interest has kept increasing since the series was introduced in 2018. The first two years have been about enabling local drivers to become more familiar with the concept of competing on oval short tracks,” said US Legend Cars Malaysia principal Ben Tan.
“Both the Legend Car and Bandolero Car classes provide a level and competitive playing field, and the cost of participation is not prohibitive, making it an ideal ground for those who aspire to start racing as well as those who want to hone the skills of a new motor-racing discipline.”
The Legend Car class will be divided into three categories for novice, national and international drivers, while the Bandolero Car class is for novice drivers. The championship has attracted entries from Malaysia, Australia, China and Hong Kong.
The arrive-and-drive Legend Car class will see drivers competing in identical race cars with a minimum car and driver weight of 590kg, and powering a factorystock Yamaha FJ1200 engine rated at 132 brake horse power.
The Bandolero class for children will feature cars powered by 30 brake horse power 570cc Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engines with a minimum combined car and driver weight of 340kg.
The power-to-weight ratio of the race cars make it extremely quick and agile compared to racing a traditional saloon car, and competing on a 240-metre asphalt oval circuit almost guarantees close and fierce competition from start to finish.