Super GT 2013

This year is my 3rd time attending the Super GT race in Malaysia. This year there is no Big Car Gathering event because the focus was on Super Bikes instead. So, I did not receive any free tickets this year like the past 2 years. In addition to my accident I did not want to go to the event without my Celica. However, my uncle scored 2 free tickets and asked me to go with my cousin brother. The difference with this year's carnival is the gallery of classical american car which does not interest me at all. So I went around scanning for JDM beauties. Sadly, I did not find much this year which was disappointing. I remember last year Toyota launched the Toyota 86 during the Super GT and this year Subaru launched its twin the Subaru BRZ. I spotted several chrome sticker covered cars like the movie HOST but also some cool European car such as the McLaren MP4, Lotus Evora and a nicely upgraded Audi R8.

Since I have watched the last 2 years' races, the Super GT did not have any charms on me and every year I missed the drifting event just outside the main entrance. This year I spent a lot of time in the drift area and spotted some JDM beauties. Since it is the drift event, majority of the cars here are rear wheel cars such as Mazda MX-5, Mazda RX-8, Toyota MR2, Toyota MR-S, Nissan 350z and Nissan S15. I also caught some of the drifting moments especially the 2 Toyota MR-S I spotted and also the Nissan 350z driven by Malaysia's own Drift Queen, Leona Chin. My most valuable find this year should be the exclusive Mazda RX-7 FD3S with the rare widebody Veilside Fortune bodykit which made a great appearance in the Fast & Furious: Tokyo Drift movie. The photos below are from the drifting event.

Better Than Thought

After 3 weeks, I finally got the chance to visit my Celica in the workshop. Finally I got a closer look at what is the damage. First off with the good news. The only damage to the front in the front bumper (plus fog lights). The radiator and ATF cooler which are the parts just behind the front bumper are unharmed meaning that the engine is safe. Moving to the driver side, the fender and wheel are could be seen damaged from the photo in the previous post. The damage includes broken brake rotor, broken rims and broken lower arm. I am so happy that my rare TRD anti roll bar is unharmed. The coilover might be bent and calipers need to be checked. At the rear, the rear bumper is gone, rear skirt melted by exhaust tip, exhaust tip dented and one rear lights smashed. Below are some photos of damaged parts.

In total, the front bumper with fog lights, right fender, right front rim and tire, one headlight, one brake rotor, one rear light, one rim and rear bumper are confirmed gone cases which needs replacements. Small parts like lower arm assembly, right door, right side skirt and exhaust tip remains unknown at the moment. Brake caliper and coilover needs to be checked. The problem is to locate some of this either rare facelift parts or hard to retrieve parts for the Celica. The front facelift light with build in H.I.D. is as rare as a gem and the suspension is long obsolete. I would not even know what to do with the rims because rims come in a set of 4 and I broke only one. The nut remover is also missing. So, the good news is the damage were not as serious as I thought but locating these parts is not an easy task. I provided the workshop with some leads I have for sourcing these parts.

Could Be The End

A catastrophe has struck not only me but my beloved Celica. I met with an accident a few days ago. The accident was caused by my action of braking by emergency. It caused the wheel to lock and coupled with wet, slippery road, my car spun. It hit a metal divider on the right and cross three lanes on the highway and hit the metal divider on the left and finally I maneuvered the high speed spinning car into a clear area hitting a third divider. The car stopped and all electric current was gone. I tried to open the door but it was damaged but I managed to get out. I could see the front bumper far away, the right fender smashed and I felt a horror chill. I was more worried about the well-being of my car. I heard people saying the lower arm broke and because of the spinning the rear was damaged too. I knew in my heart that the damage would be huge but I hope for the best as I notice the hood is not dented.

There are many things that is going in my head currently. Number 1 would be the sadness and guilt I feel about crashing the Celica. Number 2 is my concern with the insurance people. There are cases where original parts are replaced with fakes or parts claim do not match the car. For instance, a different bumper or different lights. I am driving a facelift Celica where parts are not easily found. So, usually pre-facelift parts are used and the age of the car could be an excuse to why parts could not be found. Finally, I am worry about the handling of the car after it is fixed and the rare parts that I mod on my Celica. It is well known that once a car is involved in an accident at the suspension area, the handling will never be the same as it was. Celica is off production for quite some time and parts especially modification parts are hard to be found. I doubt I will get back what it was before.

Now all I can do is wait for the insurance claim procedures and get the car fixed. Every day I just imagine how the car would be and it is messing with my head. I really want to know what is the current condition of my Celica, what will be done to fix my Celica and the parts that will be used. The most important thing is to use original parts whether is new or used. I did have a friend whose Celica crashed and he manipulated the insurance personnel and changed the transmission from automatic to manual. Of course being the motor-head like I am, I want to do the same but it is illegal and I am not going to stoop so low. In the end, I am really guilty and sorry about wrecking my beloved Celica and I hope for a great recovery.