By Troy Lim

BF GoodRich Motorkhana 2003 It was the 7th June 2003, on a Saturday, that 10 Miatas, both Mk 1s and 2s from the Singapore MX-5 club ventured across the borders of our home ground to the unfamiliar tarmac of Sepang, Malaysia.

For many, it was the first time there and we were treated to a behind-the-scenes peek in the pit area where we witnessed race-prepared Porsches and Formula 3 BMWs along with full-race Hondas and Protons.

After lunch, it was time for the Motorkhana, or Autotest. Basically, for the uninitiated, what each driver has to memorise 2 courses, after which he has to negotiate the course exactly as it is drawn. Touching or knocking over any of the orange traffic cones constitutes a fault and time would be added to your timing, in fact, not following the set routes precisely would result in penalties too.

Being typical 'kiasu' Singaporeans, many started copying directions frantically on scraps of paper, Jack Lim was seen gallantly helping a couple of damsels as they tried to visualise maneuvering round the course.

As the first cars took to the Autotest, many started out tentatively. Some of us might have felt intimidated with so many more powerful cars in the competition: STIs, EVO VIIs, WRXs and other rice rockets that looked like they came straight out of "2 Fast 2 Furious" the movie. But the Miatas had a clear advantage in terms of handling and all-round visibility when it came to reversing around cones, and we all shaved off precious seconds where it counted.

Then suddenly, it rained. Cats and dogs. Some of us decided that the few seconds saved was worth the drenching and braved the torrential shower, whereas some were seen running around frantically trying to put their soft-tops up.

Ivy Tan and Casey Ang clearly stood out as the most outstanding female competitors at the Motorkhana, and even demonstrated more spirit than most of the male drivers there. Wilson Ang was also sporting enough to participate even though his car had suffered minor overheating problems on the way to Sepang.

By the time the first group was done at halftime, Pauline Ng (the head-cheerleader) and May Loh, who had been collating the results, realised that our humble Miatas weren't doing too bad at all. As it stood, from group 1, Peter Hunt, Jack Lim and Troy Lim were ranked among the top 5.

Now, it was time for group 2 to show their stuff. Jwee Peng did a decent run but got distracted by our cheerleaders' antics and made a boo-boo. Oops. Derrick Soon and Choon Siang obviously smelled blood. Determined to make their mark, both of them let rip tyre-screeching turns and hair-raising reverse maneuvers that struck fear into the hearts of other 'serious' title contenders watching from the sidelines.

Derrick's run was clearly the fastest time of the day. All of us cheered. The BF Goodrich video crew was suddenly interested in the Miatas from Singapore.

Next was the Freestyle segment of the competition, this is where the Miata daredevils Jeremy See, Derrick and Jack threw caution to the wind and impressed the crowd with donuts, reverse-180s, breakneck figure-8s and induced side drifts. Jeremy in particular produced so much smoke from his burning rubbers that one might think there BF Goodrich had organised a BBQ instead of a Motorkhana.

By then, there was a distinct air of pride and jubilation amongst the Miata camp. It was a classic David and Goliath scenario, no one, least of all any of us had expected to win anything. Everyone took part in the name of fun.

But at the end of the day, when the smoke cleared, the Mighty Miatas from Singapore were the last ones standing proudly as Overall Team Champions -- holding both the Championship and Runners-Up trophy in its hands.