Motorsport is dangerous. I think that tagline is more popular than Britney Spears’ jumping up and down in a skimpy schoolgirl outfit in Ooops I Did It Again with small hands all over her… well… you get the point.

I’m not going to go into details as to how motorsport evolved from two people with a steam engine to becoming 1000 horses running around in the engine bay screaming “Hail Maria!” every single time the pedal is pressed. No, I think I’m going to focus more on the fact that motorsport is… dangerous.

Imagine yourself sitting on a well-prepared Proton Satria CA4A 1994 model with full Mirage conversion, 4G93 sitting in the engine bay complete with 4-throttle system, 4-1 extractor and stainless steel pipes, Cusco roll cage, Toyo Proxes R888 wrapped with Endless brake pads cupped by 4-pot calipers and a full bucket seat with rally spec 6-points harness, and you flip your car 12 times, hitting the barrier at 80km/h. Just 80km/h.

You think you can survive that unscathed?

Now imagine yourself going into a corner. For a lack of a better example (we ARE in Malaysia, anyhow) imagine yourself going into Turn 9 of Sepang International Circuit. I hate that turn. You took Turn 7 and Turn 8 with 3rd gear and switched to 4th once you’ve cleared 8’s apex. You could change to 5th but you decided to maintain 4th gear to milk the gearbox for its 28 thousand ringgit worth. You took a glance at the mirror and saw a friend’s Honda EF9 with B18c inside, and you know he’s going to overtake.

You stayed on the outside line, and just passed 100m braking point, you dropped to 2nd, turned the steering wheel and came face to face with the EF9’s driver door, you didn’t notice he turned earlier to take a chance on Turn 9 by overtaking you before you turned.

Remember the 12 times flip?

Motorsport is dangerous. I don’t think anyone can ever say that enough. Only with proper respect towards the sport we all love, and with the proper attitude, can we accept the fact that motorsport is dangerous. If you are unable to brain that thought, you’re probably way over your head, which is usually accompanied by a simple mind-set; no worries, I won’t die, I can repair my car because I’m freaking rich, I have three thousand more cars at home I can use if this one is damaged, I can control my car, I am a race car driver, I am the definition of a race car driver, I define motorsports.

If you do have the said mind-set, I recommend taking a different sport. I hear kiting is quite popular this time of the year.

At the very least, you can be sure to enjoy the facilities our circuit has provided in case of emergencies. The medical team is helpful to determine injuries and will be able to provide help as though you are in ICU, and the some of the marshals have more experienced handling accidents than your local tow truck/call-man.

What if the same accident happens during Touge? Or Rally? Brain this then: you are taking blind corners after another on a 2-lane road still being used by container trucks on a regular basis. If you think you can stop in time by tailgating the car in front, if the front car suddenly hit the brake because a container truck head has just emerged from the blind corner 30 meters from your current position, by all means tailgate them.

Wear proper footwear, make sure your tyres are prepared for the drive. If you can’t afford expensive semi-slicks, then make sure your tyre threads are good, no puncture, no foreign stuff stuck on the tyres, and ensure the correct tyre pressure are pumped in (32 front and 30 rear is a good start). Make sure your car is serviced, checked and inspected. Parts to check are usually your lower arms, drive shafts, steering rack, braking system, tyres, and the usual prayers before you start. If you want, adjust your camber and wheel alignment accordingly based on your car and your weight.

If you don’t know how to check them, take your car to your trusted mechanic and ask them to inspect your car for you. Just tell them you’re about to take crazy corners at insane speed, they’ll know what to check. If your mechanic doesn’t know what to do and asks you what the hell is a lower arm, you should probably change mechanic.

words: Al-mu Syarisyawal Ahmad