Malaysia’s very first oval racing series was officiated with the launch of the 2020 Liqui Moly US Legend Championship.
The championship will consist of six rounds throughout the year at T-City Gopeng Motor Speedway in Perak, which is the only purpose-built oval circuit in Malaysia.
Some of you might have heard about the US Legend Cars Malaysia before, as it has been around in Malaysia since 2018, but this is the first time it is organised as a full-fledged championship.
The series feature two racing classes; Arrive-and-Drive Legend Car for amateur and professional racers, and the Bandolero for children between the ages of 8 and 15.
“The acceptance of oval racing in Malaysia over the last two years has been surprisingly encouraging by the local fraternity, and I am pleased that we have been able to attract both young and experienced drivers, who not only find it challenging, but equally exciting,” said US Legend Cars Malaysia principal Ben Tan.
He said the series was the first step to competing in the highest oval racing discipline, which is the National Association for Stock Car Auto Racing, or better known as NASCAR.
“Oval circuit racing is still in its infancy in Malaysia and the Asian region. The first two years have been about enabling local drivers to become more familiar with the concept of competing on oval short tracks.
“The Gopeng Motor Speedway is a purpose-built motorsport racing track venue with a dedicated oval circuit and supporting facilities.
“Today, the track is not only able to hold sanctioned races, but we are in the process of establishing a racing academy, putting in necessary infrastructure in order to facilitate the development of race teams, as well as the sale of race cars,” Ben added.
The Legend Car will be divided into three categories; novice, national and international drivers, while the Bandolero Car is strictly for novice drivers.
However, both classes provide a level and competitive playing field for all drivers, which is important in making the competition almost entirely depending on their driving skills.
Machine details
All Legend and Bandolero cars are manufactured by US Legend Cars International Inc and the Malaysian championship is governed by INEX Malaysia, an affiliate of INEX, which is the international governing body.
The Legend Car class will see drivers competing in identical race cars with a minimum weight of 590kg including the driver.
It is powered by a factory Yamaha FJ1200 engine with 132hp, paired to a six-speed manual transmission.
Meanwhile, the Bandolero class for children features cars that are propelled by 570cc Briggs & Stratton Vanguard engine, good for 30hp.
These cars require 340kg minimum weight including the driver and have no gearbox. Instead, they are driven like regular go-karts, except with body shells.
The drive
The media was invited for a stint behind the wheel of the US Legend racer immediately following the launch.
It was a sweltering hot afternoon in Gopeng Motor Speedway, but at least that fired up the adrenaline of everyone present to try out the car. After a quick drivers’ and safety briefing, it was my turn to take the car for a spin.
Strapped to a four-point harness, the seating position was low to the floor of the car, while the steering wheel was slightly far to this writer’s ideal position, and it was more inclined than the normal road’s car.
Very similar to the ergonomics of a go-kart, I must say.
Since the car uses a motorcycle engine, the gearbox is also from the same bike; push the gear lever once to engage first gear, then pull to upshift further to second, third and so on.
Clutch in, push the gear lever, and I was ready to get off the line.
As I drove out into the circuit, I gathered more speed and got myself into third (we were told to maintain in third throughout the circuit for optimal speed) and carefully thread my way to take the corner as fast and as efficiently as possible.
The throttle was super direct and engine sounded rev-happy.
And as expected, the steering felt direct and made the car turn very eagerly.
This was because this writer observed earlier that the US Legend car has wider tyre track on the front axle than the rear.
The third gear was an ideal one for the circuit (or maybe for our pace) as it gave enough midrange rev through the corner. It allowed the car to rev until just below the redline before we needed to brake into the next corner again.
If you ever thought that 132hp does not look too intimidating for a 590kg racer, bear in mind that this means the US Legend car has a power-to-weight ratio of 220hp per tonne, which is more than what a Subaru Impreza STI or Lotus Exige S2 have.
And this is why it was also fairly easy to get the car sideways through the corner if you apply too much throttle too early on the way out.
The short test drive slot gave a glimpse of how these interesting racers felt and what they are capable of.
Looking from a bigger picture, it is interesting to see another form of racing set its path here in Malaysia. Together, we will see how oval racing grows as a whole.
Interested to race?
Perhaps one of the key attractions of the US Legend Car Championship is its affordability, which is RM3,000 per race for Legend Car class and RM2,000 per race of Bandolero class.
All these are inclusive of preparation and rental of the race cars, fuel, tyres, brake pads as well as other consumables and technical support.