To mark the arrival of the 2009 Lancer EX, Mitsubishi distributor Cycle & Carriage organised a stunt driving course on the sprawling grounds of Changi Exhibition Centre. Heavily subsidised, the weekend event could only accommodate half of the estimated 400 people who wanted to sign up.
The 200 participants – the youngest of whom was 18 and the oldest 50 – were coached by three instructors flown in from Melbourne’s Driver Dynamics, said to be one of Australia’s best schools in advanced driver training.
The highlight of the four-hour session was the 180-degree handbrake turn, which chief trainer Kevin Flynn admitted “has nothing to do with road safety, it’s purely for fun”. It might be useful for getting that choice parking lot in Suntec City, though.
Enjoyable, too, was the so-called Mitsubishi Speedway Challenge. Basically a short slalom followed by a sweeping left-hander and a hard “hands-free” stop from 60km/h, this exercise was more challenging than the handbrake turn station, but it wasn’t exactly WRC.
Neither was the third and last activity, a dramatic series of multiple 360-degree spins induced by braking on a specially prepared surface. The anti-lock brakes were deliberately disabled on the cars used for this, of course.
Also handicapped, so to speak, was the degree of difficulty set for the participants. All the speeding and adrenalin-pumping were kept at low, easily accessible levels, so everyone could experience some extreme driving without scaring themselves or the spectators silly.
Aspiring Tommi Makinens, however, looked a little uninspired after the event.
MX-5 driver Aaron Cheah wasn’t one of them. Visibly pleased, he told us, “It was lots of fun and good value for my $68. I was expecting an elaborate Lancer test drive, not this stunt show!”
