The Venturi Motors x Espace “Track Out” track day brings petrolheads from both sides of the border together at the Sepang International Circuit
Petrolheads are a funny bunch. We form quite a unique community, because unlike other social cliques, there is very little pouting, posturing and posing.
In fact, if you were to throw a bunch of us together at a race-track as strangers, the odds of us forging friendships by the end of that session are very high indeed!
And this is exactly what happened during the Venturi Motors x Espace “Track Out” night at the Sepang International Circuit in October.
See also: Spending 48hrs with the Lamborghini Esperienza Neve
Petrolheads from Singapore and Malaysia had the opportunity to reaffirm their bilateral relations at the racetrack thanks to an enduring passion for emotionally-charged ‘fun’ cars.
Venturi Motors is a KL-based outfit (photo above by DK: iykyk cars like the R26.R are on constant rotation at its showspace) that specialises in the sale and sourcing of cult cars.
See also: Simon Loasby talks to us about the Hyundai Concept THREE
As a collective, it curates a community around a common love for cars, and not just any car at that, but fun cars, with accompanying creative collaterals to set the correct tone.
“We’re focused on growing Venturi Motors’ motorsport lifestyle ecosystem,” says 36-year-old co-founder Lawson Lee (pictured above).
"Our trackdays, rallies, gatherings and curated experiences are designed to put people first, and to bring like-minded enthusiasts together in a non-intimidating environment. By fostering genuine friendships and memories on and off the track, we’re building a community that stays engaged and naturally sees Venturi Motors as their trusted partner.”
Best of all, the events and activations are a “safe space” for petrolheads to indulge in their passion for soulful ICE cars, especially in a climate overrun by the glorification of electrified appliances.
For more lifestyle, arts and fashion trends, click here for Options Section
A few visits to the Venturi Motors showcase at “The Gasket Alley” in Kuala Lumpur over a span of the few days this writer was there saw a regular rotation of pretty eclectic machinery. However, it is not just about WYSIWYG with Venturi Motors, because its clientele knows that the team is capable of sourcing special “Modern Classic” cars from not just within Malaysia, but also from Japan and further afield, if need be.
Such cars don’t necessarily have to be the most expensive or the fastest, and it certainly isn’t about showing-off.
However, they need to have some personality that can be appreciated by the cognoscenti beyond that of a mere beast of burden or A-to-B transport.
Almost without exception, the painstakingly sourced cars tend to be visceral and analogue: mechanical, lo-fi and rare.
The other party to “Track Out” is Espace Service, a veteran Singapore-based tuning / maintenance workshop that has been specialising in motorsports and sportscars for the better part of almost four decades.
According to Espace spokesperson, Tan De Shuen (pictured above), “We approached Venturi Motors after one of its recent trackdays and decided that both parties were aligned in what we wanted to achieve with the “Track Out” track-day, as well as how it would be curated with regards the community to be engaged and the creative assets that set the tone.”
Lawson agrees, “Espace and Venturi Motors share a common DNA: passion for cars, design, and lifestyle. We bring a refined curation of experiences, and Espace brings the motorsports edge. This collaboration made sense because both brands believe in creating meaningful, authentic experiences for enthusiasts as opposed to just selling products.”
In spite of a shared passion for such retrolicious, analogue machines, the collective does not languish in the past and has stepped up with the times, likely due to the fact that the online outreach is led by dynamic, digital natives. These evocative, cult driver’s cars may be powered by fossil fuels, but the people behind the community-building activities are far from being dinosaurs.
Community activations are galvanised to action through the infinite possibilities offered by the digital medium, simply because there is no faster and more efficient way of getting the word out to a large group.
Passing out printed flyers may add to the sense of nostalgia (remember the bygone days of impromptu garage band concerts?), but it is the immediacy that comes with digital dissemination that serves as a devastatingly effective call-to-action.
With rising prices and lower tolerances for spirited driving in Singapore, many petrolheads have begun to invest in such driver’s cars across the border, with Venturi Motors able to source, sell and store the cars for the owners.
With the relatively lower purchase price, access to a huge pool of cult performance cars, and most importantly, the roads and tracks to drive them on, keeping a small fleet of fun cars in Malaysia is quickly becoming a reality for enthusiastic drivers in Singapore.
The best track-days are the sort where no one has anything to prove, and everyone just wants to have fun and go home safely. With just 40 cars in total, “Track Out” was a cosy event with chill vibes that ran from evening to midnight.
The relatively small number of cars out on track at any given time meant it was possible to complete a few hot laps before meeting the other cars on the circuit.
To the avid car-spotter, it was an intriguing smorgasbord of cars in action, which saw rare exotics like a RWB 911, 911 S/T and Huracan Sterrato rubbing shoulders with JDM machines and a clutch of Continental hot-hatchbacks, such as the Megane Trophy-R and R26, as well as stripped-out, track-prepped machines.
The camaraderie that comes with a passionate community is hard to replicate (and cannot be forced) and it was fantastic to reconnect with old friends, as well as make new ones over the strident trumpeting of sports exhausts and tortured squeal of racing slicks.
At the race-track, the atmosphere is a convivial one, because true petrolheads see the people and look beyond the badges on the bonnets. One may “run-what-you-brung” at “Track Out”, but most participants have other special cars at home in rotation. Despite this, everyone is down-to-earth, willing to share and it’s cool that things never deteriorate into churlish displays of one-upmanship.
A participant from Singapore, who prefers to remain anonymous, brought three cars to “Track Out”. He also happens to be a long-time client of Espace, so it was a happy coincidence that the two companies embarked on the “Track Out” collaboration. “I started off by purchasing a modern classic car from Venturi Motors before joining their events and track days,” he tells us.
“One of the most memorable experiences for me was at the Chang International Circuit in Thailand. Venturi Motors handled everything – from towing my car from KL to the track in Thailand. All I had to do was to fly into Bangkok in true “arrive and drive” fashion. The whole experience was seamless and the track day vibe was incredible – super chill, well-organised and full of great people.”
In case you’re wondering how folks can bear to take their prized possessions to the circuit, you have to understand the psyche of these owners, which is succinctly summed up by Lawson.
“For me, cars are meant to be driven. Preservation has its place, but nothing beats the experience of being behind the wheel. Driving connects you to the car in a way static ownership never can. Our philosophy at Venturi Motors is “Living with Cars”,” and not just storing them as garage queens.”
