Mazda Astina B6: Found and Lost
I have never dreamed that one day I would be driving a modified car, since my heart and soul had been firmly planted on Yoshimura pipes and Battlax tires with the throttle on my right hand and the clutch on my left. So you can probably say I was a little shocked when I was, errr, influenced to install 17-inches on all fours of my Mazda Astina with super-hard Hi-Lo PRS Adjustables and found myself dreaming of that sweet, sweet B8 engine with LSD gearbox.
I blame Botak and Am for everything.
Anyways, my 17-inches Wedsports were wrapped by 205/40ZR17 Nexen N3000 tires and it was my very first soft-compound tires. To be honest, I was more than excited when the car was hanging on to the tarmac in a ridiculous grip by going through corners. That’s why I decided to take the car for a Touge session back in October 2009.
I have nothing but praises for the Nexen tires and will not hesitate to use it again. The tires are great even in the rain.
To cut the long and brag-ful story short, it was a fine Tuesday evening when disaster struck.
I was on the way home from Cyberjaya and decided not to rush the drive as I had a photography job I had to attend in Petaling Jaya. I took my favourite corner, following a Honda City at 70km/h. No, I was not tailgating him, I was just minding my own business taking one of my favourite corners at a much slower speed than I usually did.
When I was a few meters from exiting the corner, all of the sudden my rear right tire skidded and I lost traction on my rear wheels. I countered the steering and the car swerved too fast to the right. My car slammed the left wall, right on my rear-left fender. I countered the steering again and the car swerved to the left, but I was heading straight to the metal divider.
I hit the divider at around 60 – 70km/h head on.
The impact caused the car to recoil and the car turned 180-degrees, facing the other side.
The usual getting out of the car and reaching for the cigarette first before calling anyone who could help action was staged. I had just experienced my very first accident.
The car was damaged severely, with my front chassis ripped apart, my radiator, air filter, extractor, and pretty much most of the frontal part was damaged. Cost of repairing was simply too great and it was decided by the higher power that the car was to be scrapped.
Lessons learnt, I suppose. I learnt a few minutes after my accident that there was an oil slick on the road, right where my rear tires lost its traction. The minor pulling caused by the car’s open differential made the countering effort futile.
To make my heart even more upset (sheeshhhh!), the car was suppose to be sent for final repair and paint job the very next day.
Enough said? Yeap, you can say that. My replacement should be rolling out next week, and it should give Botak’s 4G93 carburator Satria a companion on the road.
text & pix: Al-mu Syahrisyawal Ahmad
felt very sorry for u syawal
just once i get to see the astina rolling on the touges…
Syawal: No worries bro. I’m just glad that I get to feel how the car felt like on corners. At least the satisfaction is always there for me to remember
Your car and Botak’s should have a new companion soon!
oh really?! u gonna get a satria then? can’t wait… so the wedsport gets to move from ur astina to the satria then? goodluck owning one and learning to drive it. I shall say it’s a good car to own
that’s why botak keep on using it i guess :p that evil green machine…
I feel sad for ur lost, but since ur gonna have a new ride…….. i guess the `big boss` have decided that ur astina is not meant to be botak`s green menace and am`s euromonster touge companion. I hope ur new ride is.
[...] Mazda Astina B6: Found and Lost « Traffic Magazine Online [...]
Syawal: My new ride will have a little bit more of this and that, and hopefully will make Botak and Am curse and swear a little more than usual. It’ll be a two-door, though.
Salam…. Wal,… I’m in a deep shock to see dis pic,…..Dun tell Me dat after this You’re gonna get Urself a rx7 or rx8?
Neway gud luck…. really likes to follow U guys on touge session,…but I’m scared of Botak powerfull ‘greenbini’,…
Thehehehe
bro.. nak nangis gua tengok astina jadi macam ni.. angkat la lantis plak sebagai ganti..
owner angkat satria 95 model la bro.. penat aku bakar suruh amek lantis.
Syawal: Mule-mule memang nak ambik Lantis B8, tapi terjumpe pulak Satria 1995 dengan Mivec bodypart wit 1.8 engine. Takde pikir panjang dah.
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