Now Boarding For Spa-Francorchamp

Will the real Fernando Alonso please stand up. Report by Arvind Kumar

The 8TH of June marked an exciting milestone for Car Magazine Malaysia. 28 Car Magazine readers were treated to a chance to pilot Shell Helix Ultra F1 simulator. Our friends at Shell Malaysia were great hosts and agreed to hand over their simulator so that our readers can immerse themselves on track. The goal: to gain entry into ‘The Ultimate Ferrari Experience’. What’s that you ask?

Here’s how it usually works, first purchase a four litre pack of Shell Helix Ultra or any other HX7 range product. This puts you in the running for Tier One prizes. Tier One first, second and third prize winners will receive cold hard cash of RM1,500, RM1,000, and RM500 respectively. There will be ten in each category.

Now, if you’re one of the first ten Tier One winners, you automatically qualify for the Tier Two special Go-Kart challenge. This will then decide the five lucky finalists who will attend a 5-day 4-night all-expense paid VIP trip to Spa-Francorchamp to catch the 2014 Belgium Grand Prix. Victors will also have access to the Shell hospitality suite, spend time with the Scuderia Ferrari Team and appreciate the behind-the-scenes action in the paddock tour.

The five day roadshow, which was held from June 4th to the 8th in Mid Valley Megamall also includes other exciting activities such as dipping to search for buried engine parts, and to guess how many bottles of Shell Helix Ultra inside the Mazda5. Others may also upload an interesting selfie to take part in the #cleanmyengine Instagram contest.

Shell Malaysia will also conduct the Shell Helix Time Attack Challenge which will gather the fastest simulator pilots from around the country in a finale showdown to decide the winner. Prizes for these contestants include Ipad Minis, holiday vouchers and two years supply worth of Shell Helix motor oil.

As for our readers… they were given three laps on a warm up run to get them accustomed to the controls and the sheer realism of the simulator. Then finally, a three-lap flier in Fernando Alonso’s No. 14 car on Le-Circuit Gilles-Villeneuve of Montreal, Canada. Contestants will be judged over the total time required for three laps.

Competition was tighter than expected, challengers kept upping the ante until finally three winners emerged. They were Jonathan Pang with a time 3:49.3 in third, Mohd. Muzamer with a time of 3.45.8 coming second and finally edging his way into first was Aaron Sim who completed 3 laps in 3.45.0. The winners of the Car Magazine Challenge have also raced their way into contention for ‘The Ultimate Ferrari Experience”, courtesy of Car Magazine Malaysia.

Mohd. Azmer surprisingly has had no prior experience in a simulator but seemed to follow his racing lines smoothly and knew his braking points well. When asked if he expected to win, he was decidedly humble and quoted that he did not expect to win but just gave his best.

Aaron Sim our eventual winner has been in a simulator before. Aaron is currently pursuing amateur racing, regards winning this challenge as a stepping stone in his racing career. When asked about his chances, he modestly replied that his preparation, technique and some luck helped him secure his win in the challenge.

Car Magazine Malaysia would like to thank Shell Malaysia, the winners and brave participants who helped us make this event a success. Plenty of love also to the beautiful Sarah Lian, who kept the throngs of people entertained during the event.