A Night to Remember...

Well, haven't written anything for quite some time now...

Finally I got some work last Thursday so I couldn't write any updates on our activities, even now I'm supposed to be busy, but as usual, I'm slacking off.. :-p

Anyway, last Thursday we went scouting on a new Touge route in Mantin at the road leading to its industrial area with the trusty old meteorain :-) this time around, Cloud allowed us to drive the car ^^ haven't driven an iswara for quite some time :-p a nice decent car actually :-) (as it was the first car we had before Ryo went sending it to kingdom come X-p)

There were two routes to the Touge (based on our research X-p extensively done by Cloud... I guess he got tired of our exciting kamikaze attitudes... X-p) one was through the town of Mantin itself, the other was through broga... We decided to take the latter (as we've never tried that route before, during the days when we used to occasionally go up the other Mantin Touge...) and boy~~ what a mistake that was....

Half-way through the route (right after we passed the town of Broga) the tarmac road gave way to a Rally-spec gravel path O_o (since the road seems to be going under some sort of renovations) that went on for the next half an hour or so... Not to go so hard on meteorain (as she got enough trauma from our last climb up Genting and Fraser in one night... X-p) we drove through the gravel roads barely more than 10 KMH... It took us almost forever to get through the area...

When we finally got there, the course didn't disappoint ^^ it's quite a narrow road (with a number of debris strewn at the roadside, obvious signs of disuse...) which was really quiet even at 10 p.m X-) (considering it was suppose to be the road leading to Mantin's industrial area... X-p) from where we started, it began with a mild uphill slope with fairly easy sweeping bends, nearing the top (about 1/3 through) the road twist and turn in violent hairpins, and stoop down the remaining 2/3 of the course for a downhill run filled with more hairpins and tight chicanes, one after the other in rapid succession.

Rather suprising was that at a certain hairpin, there is this dog that sleeps at the middle of the road O_o it does move away when we arrive, but still, whenever we came back, he's there again at his favourite spot (we made 3 runs; one run each). Whatever it is, it's a GREAT course >:-) and we've tagged it as a possible second home course for us ^^ (since it is rather close to our area...)

But better things are yet to come >:-) we went there again on Friday, this time with Turbo Jr and meteorain tagging along as back up car ^^ (in case things go awry… :-p) We started off at 12 am, got there at 1, and scouted the road… To our surprise, all the animals of Mantin really enjoy a sleep on the tarmac O_o

First there was the dog that was there since yesterday, always sleeping at the middle of a hairpin corner… X-( though he always got up and gave way (albeit rather sluggishly) but he may not make it in time if we went blazing through the corner… X-p so that was our first concern (didn’t want to cause any unnecessary casualty for our reckless fancy… :-p)

Secondly, and worst still, there were cows sleeping on the road O_o COWS!!! OF ALL THE PLACES IN THE WORLD TO FIND A NAP, WHY ON THE TOUGE???!!! WORST STILL, THEY WERE ALSO SLEEPING AT A HAIRPIN NEAR THE EXIT!!! X-( albeit a bit by the roadside… All 3 of them, one happy family… X-(

And there was also a whole pack of dogs sleeping on the middle of the road O_o what’s this? A zoo? Well, with all the wild animals running loose on the streets, we had to be extra careful (especially the cows…)

Ryo started off the first run to and fro with Jr riding shotgun (it runs uphill till up to 2/3 of the course, and slopes downhill afterwards… The reverse obviously when running the other way around…). Cloud, in order to save the expensive fuels, decided to stay back with me at the starting point…

After about 10 minutes or so, Ryo was back, and then Jr got a shot at it next… The booming sound of the FC’s exhaust note echoed through the mountains… Again after 10 minutes, they got back... And it was finally our turn, Cloud and I X-)

Of course I was scared shitless X-p so I went in really easy (never even pressed the gas more than half :-p) and on the end of the uphill run, we ran across a police patrol O_o (WHAT ON EARTH ARE THEY DOING AT THE TOUGE IN THE MIDDLE OF THE NIGHT??!!!) We tried to call back to Ryo and Jr to tell them to run off as cops are coming, but as expected, there was no line there at such a God forsaken place… >.>

So we headed back, the plan in mind was if the cops were there interrogating Ryo and Jr, we’d continue on as if we don’t know them… X-p and as expected, the cops were there, having a field day throwing questions and suspicious glances on Ryo and Jr (also inspecting the funny faces they had on their license and IC X-p) SO we slowed down to a very law-abiding pace and when we passed them, Ryo went on and signaled us to come over!! O_o there goes our getaway plan… X-p apparently Ryo had told the cops they were waiting for their friend there, and they were only told to wait there… :-p bummer… Next time we’ll have to coordinate our protocol when it comes to cops… X-p

Anyway, the whole event upset us all and Cloud decided to skip his run and head back (luckily no one ended in the local pound X-p) So we started the journey home and that was the end for the night… Greater things were still to come… >:-)

Ryo had afterwards set up a meeting with Danni, a Touge enthusiast who drives a Toyota MR2… :-) We were to meet up at Sunday night and go for a cruise through the Ulu Yam Touge… X-) Sunday couldn’t have come any sooner…

When the time comes, Jr had something up so he couldn’t join us, so was Cloud, thus it was left only me and Ryo… We set out at 8.30 and reached Batu Cave at 9.30… Ryo was really tired so he had a nap… around 9.50, he went out for a leak and ordered some burgers as well… around 10.05 I saw a red MR2 pass by O_o SH****T!!! He’s here!!! and our burger’s not done yet… X-( So Danni had to wait for us till half pass 10 :-p man, we came so early to avoid such an embarrassing moment, and there we were, embarrassing ourselves… X-p standing there with our pants down... :-p

Anyway, Danni was a really cool guy :-) and his car was really beautiful X-) to think it is just one year younger than our FC was astonishing O.o the car looked like brand new, while our FC really showing its age… X-( after some brief introductions, off we went setting out for the Ulu Yam Touge :-) Danni took the first lead… And boy was he FAST!!! O_o (His favourite Touge ground is the notorious Fraser Hill O_o him and his gang would drive from Ulu Yam till Fraser Hill, punch through to Bentong, and ride back the highway… No wonder Ulu Yam touge is considered chicken feed... Considering his level of playing field...)

He was BLOODY FAST!!! And he actually wasn’t pushing it all out (he had his street tires on, so he didn’t want to ruin them… Apparently he has another set of tires reserved only for Touges… O.o) but still, trying to keep up with him was really shaking our boots… X-p Ryo was driving like mad trying to keep up :-p (I didn't drive that night as obviously because I have a bit more sense and not the balls to go THAT fast on my first run… X-p unlike Ryo, more ‘kamikaze’ly insane than I… :-p)

Ryo was going so fast through the corners, that more often than not, the car's traction was only holding on to the road by a thread... Ryo went in the corners so fast in his first run was only because he sees Danni doing it, and he inferred with the simple logic “if he could do it, why not me?” of course, Danni was suicidally fast, and Ryo was suicidally crazy... X-p

There were a number of traffic that night and we overtook them like crazy rude reckless street racers that we are :-p once Ryo went diving into a right-hand corner on the inside while overtaking a civilian when suddenly a car came from the opposite direction!!! O_o Ryo hit hard on the brakes and maneuver back into our lane... A really close call... We were that close to having a head-on collision… That was about the time my heart flew out and scampered under the seats X-p

After that incident, Ryo took it a little easy... :-) to my great relief (though the worst was not over yet.. X-P) because of Ryo's conservative overtaking maneuver, he was left back at one point, Danni broke off and left us trailing a rather long traffic chain... By the time Ryo cleared the traffics, Danni was gone, and Ryo took his sense of reason and sanity out the window as well O_o

Ryo floored the gas, and the FC went screaming through the Touge and at one point, at 180 KMH!!! O_o his average speed through the straights were around 160-180 (the straights were not long enough to accomodate any faster speeds.. THANK GOD!!!). He dived in the corners like there is no tomorrow X-( about that time, my balls jumped out of its pockets and out the window... X-p

By the time Ryo caught up with Danni, I was half-relieved X-p at least Ryo would only be suicidal, and not hell-bent crazy lunatic trying to jump over the moon... X-p however, the inducing heart-attack moments were not yet over X-( Ryo continued to try to match Danni's speed through the corners, and likewise, heart-stoppingly suicidal.. :-p

By the time the first run was over, I could hardly walk... X-p my knees had popped off.. I had to scrap my knee caps off the roof.. X-p I had to try to coax my heart to come out from under the seats.. X-p and my balls were long gone... X-p (I'm a wimp I know.. X-p)

BUT THE NIGHTMARE WAS NOT OVER :-O THERE WAS THE RETURN RUN!!!! X-( worst still, RYO WAS THE LEAD CAR!!! X-(

Some pointers for relief was the fact that the straights wouldn't be as scary (as the FC got more horses under the hood, Danni's NA engine MR2 simply couldn't keep up with the Turbo-tuned FC, so Ryo didn't push hard through the straights) and Ryo could control the rthym of the run as well as any reckless overtaking maneuvers... :-) But that's about it, everything else was 10X SCARRIER!!! X-(

Because Ryo was leading, and that we're not familiar with the course, we barely had any idea on the entry speed of the corners, Ryo just plough his way through, at the very fine edge of traction cohesion... More than once we almost went sideways... and more often than not, the back kept on twitching through every corner under the enormous grip demand Ryo was subjecting the tyres to...

As unexpected, though Danni loses some ground on the straights, he immediately gained it back (and more) through the corners... X-( We were simpy no match for such a skilled driver... :-p

I was relieved the whole ordeal ended with no serious consequences, and Danni gave us a lot of advice on improving the FC's performance and especially the suspension setting and tyre selection :-) he's a really great swell of a guy... ^^ Hope to be meeting up with him again and maybe we can learn a thing or two on improving our pathetic skills X-) (and probably how to keep our balls in its place as well… X-p never did find my balls after that.. X-p)

Uh Oh… I’ve been slacking off for a bit too long.. :-p gotta go to work ^^ Shigoto2… :-)