Tekno RC at Malaysian National League Round 5

Tekno RC Team driver Boy Roumlarp from Thailand together with Tekno RC’s Ilias Arkoudaris made the trip to Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia. Ilias reports back from the race:

3Stone Park, one of the premier RC facilities in Southeast Asia

“It had been a few years since my last visit to Malaysia for a race, so when Tekno RC Malaysian distributor Kent Sung came up with the idea of attending the final round of the Malaysian nationals (MNL5), it was a no-brainer. Booked my flights and arranged everything for my trip, despite the busy schedule because of the worlds, as I could not wait to meet my old Malaysian friends and make new ones.

Kent Sung, a kind hearted person with a great sense of humor and an amazing palate!

Kent together with Tekno RC driver Tommy Fung picked me up from the airport on Thursday morning and we headed straight to the track after a much needed Asian style breakfast.

Typical Asian style restaurant.

The plan was to practice as much as we could on Thursday and figure out a good base setup for all Tekno RC drivers. Friday is the “official” free practice, so everyone was expected to show up and do some laps. The track was extremely dry when we arrived because of the lack of rain so it got dusty by the end of the day. Luckily we figured out a few things and we were able to come up with a good base setup for everyone.

We TQ’d the pits!

Boy Roumlarp together with his dad Surachai and his sister Ben arrived on Friday morning at the track. After a short discussion with Boy he had a few laps around the track and felt comfortable with his NB48.3 right away. Danny K (the tallest 12-year-old I have ever seen) was also there and proved to have a blistering pace at 3Stone Park. I can say I was quite impressed by his incredibly aggressive driving style. Danny Teh, SL Wong, Ku Chi Siong, Tommy Fung and Kent Sung also practiced throughout the day. Their cars looked fast and I was happy about that.

Surachai Roumlarp (AKA The Monster Truck Champion), the hardest working mechanic I have ever seen.

Saturday was qualifying day, with five 10 minute long races on the schedule, drivers had to deal with a very dusty track under incredibly hot and humid weather conditions. We worked on car setup with everyone and steadily improved results as the day progressed. Tekno RC Team driver Danny K, showing an entirely different and much smoother driving style throughout the day, managed to TQ 3 out of 5 rounds and the overall TQ with Boy Witsarut in third place. Great job Danny and Boy! ??

End of the day meant wrenching on the cars for the finals and also some beer, arigato Katoh San!

Sunday was the finals day for both classes (Semi-Pro and Pro) with Tekno RC drivers looking excellent in both. After the Semi Pro Class semis, SL Wong would start in second place in the final, closely followed by Ku Chi Siong. David Lim (local driver and six-time Malaysian Champion) starting from pole with Boy Witsarut on second and Danny K in third in the Pro class, good job everyone!

 

In the 60-minute long Pro A-main, Boy managed to lap the entire field on the 20-minute mark, finishing up three laps ahead of the second-place driver. Danny K also had a good race, managed to maintain the second position for half of the A-main until a marshal, unfortunately, stopped his engine, ending up sixth overall. Danny Teh and Kent Sung finished in seventh and 13th place respectively after a quite difficult 60 minutes of racing.

Pro Class podium. Boy Witsarut 1st, Kenny Chin in 2nd and Didier Perin in 3rd position with Danny K overall TQ.

Semi Pro Class podium. Ku Chi Siong 1st, Adam Fikri in 2nd and George Coleman in 3rd position.

 

Some interesting facts from the race:

  • Tekno RC drivers managed to win both Semi-Pro and Pro classes, also getting the TQ in Pro Class!
  • NB48.3 was the second most popular brand in the Pro class A-main and overall one of the most popular cars in the entire race.
  • Racing in Malaysia under scorching and humid conditions can be very hard not only for drivers but their equipment as well.
  • Tekno RC Team driver Danny Teh managed to get second place overall at the 2016 Malaysian National Series, well done sir!
  • Kent Sung’s desire for good food is incredible.

I would like to thank everyone who made this trip possible; Kent Sung for organizing everything, Katoh San for his kindness and dedication to RC, Danny Teh for all his help for the growth of Tekno RC in Malaysia, Tommy Fung for the good laughs we had, Vennese and super Thai mechanic / engine expert Flunk for letting me stay at their place for a night and also helping me with my racing, Cynthia Lye and Kelvin Yong for being my friends and last but not least all Tekno RC drivers for their support and hospitality during the race. I hope I can come back again soon!”

Until next time KL! Thank you, ありがとうございました, Terima Kasih, ขอขอบคุณ everyone!! ??