By Mohd Azhar Ibrahim

TAIPING, Dec 19 (Bernama) -- The normally serene Taiping Lake Garden was abuzz with activities as four-wheel drive enthusiasts congregated here for the second edition of the Larut Hill International 4x4 Challenge on Nov 15-16.

Making its debut last year, the annual Larut Hill International 4X4 Challenge is the culmination of a five-year Asian 4x4 Rally Series organised by the Malaysian Automotive Association (MAA).

PROMOTING 4X4 RALLY, RACING

"The competition aims to further promote the sports among 4x4 rally and racing aspirants, while at the same time setting a platform for interested sponsors to discover and hitch promising talents," said event secretary Steven Ng.

The two-day competition, which was jointly organised by MAA and Four-Trax 4x4 Academy, required 4WD teams to complete a total of seven Special Stages (SS) on Day One, to qualify for Day Two, whereupon the top 11 teams would then go for a timed drive up Larut Hill.

"The Special Stages have been comprehensively planned and crafted to allow beginners to get a grip on the various difficulty levels involved in a 4x4 race, step-by-step," said deputy event director Thomas Foo.

With 17 vehicles registered for the lineup, the event attracted driver-navigator teams from Taiwan, Australia, Germany, France and Scotland apart from homegrown talents.

However, for the Port Klang Customs teams, it was a non-event.

Last year, both their Land Cruisers were put out of commission during Stage One of the competition. Not wanting to suffer the same fate this year, they thought it would be wise to test the waters before the flag-off, since these were the same tracks used then.

Sadly, their vehicles did not even make it to the starting line after being badly damaged in the tryout. Understandably, the customs chaps felt they were jinxed

ELIMINATION ROUND

The competition was flagged off by Nga Kor Ming, the Member of Parliament for Taiping who represented the Perak Menteri Besar.

Nga was accompanied by MAA President Datuk Dr Mohd Mydin Mohd Musa.

"We are glad to be working once again with the Perak State government to further promote this tranquil hill destination and hope to see more 4x4 enthusiasts joining us in making Larut Hill International 4x4 Challenge the most talked-about item in the 4x4 event calendar," Dr Mohd Mydin said.

One Malaysian team each was eliminated in Special Stages One and Two before the foreign teams joined the casualty list.

The France-Germany combination of Joan Greg Plouviet and Max Von Romatowski's quest came to an end at SS4 while Taiwan's duo Huang Chun Eh and Chong Wee Siong's turn came at SS6.

Both participants and organisers had a strong sense of deja vu when, just like the previous year, dark clouds began building up in the afternoon; casting doubts on the possibility of completing SS7.

Sure enough, soon it began raining cats and dogs and SS7 had to be cancelled

RACE TO THE CLOUDS

Fifteen teams comprising 11 that qualified and four that were selected to join the race up Larut Hill were all geared up for SS8 in Stage Two the following day.

Those who had participated in last year's event are familiar with the 72 steep elbow-bend turns that ?adorn' the 13km road up Larut Hill. Hence, it's no surprise that most of those who scraped their vehicles at these hairpin turns were first-timers.

Defending champion Eddy Wong shaved off 20 seconds from his previous record to clock in at 14 minutes 40 seconds, while Australia/Scotland newcomers Cris Will and Brett Macnamara managed a respectable 15 minutes and six seconds.

First-timers Azman Baharuddin and Razali Ramly of Redah 4x4 Team gave a good impression of their capabilities with a commendable performance at 15 minutes 39 seconds. Azman is a seasoned 4x4 overland adventurer while the 26-year old Razali was the youngest participant.

OVERALL RESULTS

Eddy Wong/Romey Julius retained their Championship and were awarded the Sultan Azlan Shah's Challenge Trophy and RM3,000 cash prize. They get the honour of having their names engraved on the trophy, which would then be displayed at the Perak State Administrative Office.

Chris Will and Brett Macnamara made an impressive debut by coming in second and secured the runner-up trophy and RM2,000 cash prize, while Chen Siong Chong and Seh Hock Eng finished third and walked home with cash prize of RM1,000.

The Larut Hill International 4x4 Challenge is fashioned after the annual Pikes Peak International Hill Run in Colorado USA, which, at an altitude of 14,110 feet high, 12.4 miles long and with 156 turns, is the world's highest auto race and quite possibly, the most grueling event in all of motor racing.

Just like the determined racers at Pikes Peak, those who did not make the list at Larut Hill are most probably holding on to what Arnold Schwarzenegger had said in his Terminator movies:

"I'll be back!"

-- BERNAMA