Kookaburra Race Cars

Vi-Pec Standalone ECU by Open Tune

2011-06-14T10:05:00.005+08:00

You can have all the mods in the world but without a good ECU to maximize its performance and engine management, it will be almost worthless. This has prompted the team to actively search for a standalone ECU so that the tuning can be customized to the mods.

Hence, Team Nexuscraft Kookaburra Racing is very glad and grateful to have Open Tune supply our race car, the Toyota Levin AE101, with a Vi-PEC V44 standalone ECU and fuel injection management system. Vi-PEC aptly stands for Versatile Intelligent Performance Engine Control. The highly tunable Vi-PEC V44 comes standard with motorsports related features like anti-lag, flat-shift and launch control. A perfect ECU to be used on the race car.

Having a good, capable and reliable ECU is not enough. The features available is only good if a tuner is in place to understand the needs and bring out the best in the standalone ECU's capabilities.

Hence, professional tuner, Mr Yee of Open Tune did just that. The Levin was actively tuned live at the Sepang International Circuit by Mr Yee and with countless hours to maximize its performance to the very last detail. Our team driver, Kenny Hwang worked hand in hand with Mr Yee to customize the tuning and tracking the car to ensure it meets all testing scenarios and to customize to driver and track usage.

The outcome of this tuning session is very positive and the power band generated is fantastic! The team looks forward to more tuning by Mr Yee as more modifications comes into the car to further utilize its power, a hidden gem in the Toyota 4AG engines.

For more info on Open Tune, you can find them at www.opentunemy.com

Stay tuned for more updates as we continue more modifications and tuning to the Toyota Levin AE101.

Kookaburra Levin New Leash of Life

2011-06-12T21:08:00.001+08:00

The Kookaburra Toyota Levin AE101 is currently undergoing some major revamp (modifications) and to correct some problems it had earlier from the previous setup. Also couple with some top notched works, it'll bring the power of the bird to new leash of life it has never seen before.

Stay tuned for the latest fixes, better parts, better tuning, better performance!

Kookaburra Levin at ToyzMech

2010-09-16T16:48:00.005+08:00

The Kookaburra Toyota Levin is currently under some touch up work to further enhance it's race worthiness for upcoming races. Stay tuned to some of the works done.

In the mean time, if you would like to catch the Team Nexuscraft Kookaburra Racing Toyota Levin AE101, come see it being showcased at ToyzMech Sdn Bhd in 79 Jalan SS25/32, Taman Mayang from now till the 25th September 2010.

On the 26th September 2010, you'll see it in action at the Sepang International Circuit morning and afternoon. Come check us out!

Torco Racing Lubricants

2010-05-15T15:01:00.002+08:00

We are proud to announce the partnership between highly acclaimed Torco Racing Lubricants (Cosmic Elite Enterprise) and team Nexuscraft Kookaburra Racing in conjunction for the Sepang 1000km Race.

Torco Racing Lubricants were popularly used in the USA for racing and have produce fantastic results on the dyno. Race proven. Dyno Proven. It's undoubtfully, Torco was the lubricant of choice for our race cars.

For the engine build, we used Torco MPZ Engine Assembly Lube to grease all areas during the building process of the race engine. Coupling Grease was used as well in the process. The rebuilt race gearbox used the Torco SGO Synthetic Racing Gear Oils which improved the gearshift smoothness and drivetrain longevity and maximizes efficiency, more so important in endurance racing.

During the run in of the race engine, the Torco Premium Break-in Oil was used. Once all smooth and running. A change to Torco SR-5 Synthetic Racing Oil was used after the run in period together with Torco MPZ Magnetic Friction Reducer. Tested on the brand new race engine on the dyno, it produced an additional 2hp on the wheel with just the change of engine oil. The engine ran smoother and temperature was stable. During shakedown track practise, the oil has proven its longevity of its quality as well. A truly amazing engine oil which can unleashed more power that already apparent on a well built brand new engine.

For more infomation on Torco Racing Lubricants, you can check out Cosmic Elite website at http://www.oilguru.com.my. Cosmic Elite also distributes Q8 oils and Lubegard oils.

Contact information:
Cosmic Elite Enterprise Sdn Bhd
No. 8, Jalan Gangsa SD5/3E,
52200 Sri Damansara
Kuala Lumpur,
Wilayah Persekutuan,
Malaysia
Mobile phone : 6012 303 4378
Telephone : 603 6275 3188
Fax : 603 6277 7293
Email : cosmicelite@gmail.com

Toyota Levin AE101 Dyno

2010-05-13T15:39:00.006+08:00

Team Kookaburra Racing sent their race car, Toyota Levin AE101 to the rollers to make some final tuning adjustments in preparation for the Sepang 1000km Race in Sepang International Circuit in 3-5th of June 2010.

Catch the video in action here.

Kookaburra Levin Latest Look

2010-04-22T18:53:00.009+08:00

Team Kookaburra Racing Toyota Levin AE101 spotting the latest look in preparation for the Sepang 1000km race in June 2010. Special thanks to Team Kookaburra Racing partners Nexuscraft, Kegani Autotech, Ultra Racing, Torco by Cosmic Elite, PC Depot, ZeroRH+, Malaya Optical and Kegani Motorsports.

Pictures by Eddie Wong and Fabian Yee. Many thanks to them for the wonderful pictures.
(all images are copyright and proprietary of Eddie Wong, Fabian Yee and Kookaburra Racing)

More pictures here at : Eddie Wong Photos and Fabian Yee's Photos.

Coming Soon : New Look for S1k

2010-04-05T18:16:00.004+08:00

The Team Kookaburra Racing Toyota Levin AE101 race car will spot a new look for the upcoming Sepang 1000km Race (S1k) in 3-5th of June 2010.

Stay tuned for the latest!

Some New Electronics (Part 1)

2010-01-19T01:02:00.006+08:00

So we needed some improvement in the electronics segment on the track car, Levin AE101. In came shift lights, rev limiter and communication devices. Kookaburra Racing tested the new electronics during the RCA track day.

Reviews as below.

Micro Dynamics Shift Light with External LED - DSL1

In brief, this Micro Dynamics shift light is easily installed. To setup, all one needs to do is to rev the rpm till half intended RPM for the lights to come on, and push the blue button till the red light blinks and it's set. The bright red external LED was installed into the dashboard meter cluster.

It is easy to see during track as the LED is bright. It'll come on red solid at the intended RPM and once the rpm passes 200-300rpm, it'll blink till one shifts.

Easy to use and very helpful especially during the heat of the race. An item, every race car should have!

Micro Dynamics SmoothCut RL5 Rev Limiter

A shift light needs to go hand in hand with a rev limiter so that one the engine is protected from over rev. A shift light gives the optimum or planned shift rpm where the rev limiter protects the rpm from exceeding especially during racing where the last thing one needs is a damaged engine!

The Micro Dynamics SmoothCut RL5 is a simple rev limiter mounted on the dash and allows for rpm to be set easily at half the intended rpm.

For our 4 cylinder Levin, we can set it at anywhere between 2,000 rpm to 11,000 rpm. Very useful and quick and easy to run.

Puxing PX-777+ Walkie Talkie with Helmet Headset and Peltor 7-SH Headset

Being able to drive and communicate with the pit is utmost importance during practise and race day. It is also important to communicate between driver and passenger in the loud race car for training purposes. Thus, the team procured a few budget units of Puxing PX-777+ walkie talkie as well as helmet headsets for this purposes. This units function well as it's intended use. The range was very good and the clarity perfect.

Also, from the pit wall, a noise cancellation Peltor 7-SH Team Manager headset was used. Peltor, a name famed in the racing scene for communication devices was indeed very good and perfect for the job.

Look out for Part 2 for some more electronics added.

Levin AE101 Chassis and Safety

2009-09-05T22:06:00.034+08:00

When the Levin came back from Ultra Racing factory, quite a fair bit of work has been done to the car. Elson Tong, Marketing Director of Ultra Racing was kind enough to custom make and offer some serious chassis and safety performance goodies as required by Kookaburra Racing. As Kookaburra Racing will be fielding the car in up-coming endurance races, Ultra Racing will be working with the team together with Kegani Autotech's assistance for the development of more specific performance parts to enhance the car's chassis and safety performance.

Safety is the utmost importance in any race car. First thing to be added was the door crossbeams to the existing Safety21 roll cage. Ultra Racing professionally welded the crossbeams with racing grade steel. This door crossbeams is to protect the driver in an event of any side impact as most of the door skeleton has been removed.

Next beam added by Ultra Racing was the diagonal bar across from the B-Pillars with the higher point of the bar at the driver's side. This is to protect the rollcage from crushing in should the car rolls in an accident on track. Kookaburra Racing did not want the bar to be welded on permanently. Instead, we wanted it bolted so that it can be easily removed in the event that work needed to be done to the back or if the car is too heavy. This flexibility was done perfectly by Ultra Racing and bolted safely.

Some race cars have the 4/5 point racing seat belt harness bolted to the floor board of the race car. Although this is a workable solution, the best safety location would be approximately 15-20 degrees below the hole where the harness goes through on the seat. A cross bar was added to the C-pillars to allow the mounting of the racing harness. This cross bar also works to stiffen the chassis in the rear; another way to reduce understeer common in front wheel drive cars.

We proceeded to replace the current 2 point front upper strut bar with Ultra Racing's stiffer 3 point front upper strut bar. This would improve the rigidness in the front and the steering response. Also, it looks sturdier and nice in white!

In order to mount our new red Racecraft full racing bucket seat, we needed modifications to the seat railing. Not simply any kind of modification, but one done well as this is a safety item to the driver and also the ability to adjust the seating positions quickly during driver changes in an endurance race. Ultra Racing custom made the seat brackets for the new seat to fit on the existing railings with various adjustment points to enable different driver's seating position requirements eg. height, angle and track.

Not only the Levin got work done to it, the car storage area itself is in progress of being revamped to showcase the car.

Currently the Toyota banner has been put up and the walls painted. In the near future, the team name and logo will be up together with partners and sponsors of Kookaburra Racing. The floor will also be painted, where right beside it, a storage and tools area will be in place with all spare parts, race tyres and rims arranged at the side of the car. More of this would be featured at a later date, once completed.

For more information about Ultra Racing products and services, kindly visit http://www.ultraracing.com.my. Ultra Racing wide range of products are distributed in many stores in Malaysia, as well as in many countries worldwide.

Ultra Racing (M) Sdn Bhd
No. 25, Jln Bukit Permai Ultama 3,
Tmn Industri Bukit Permai,
56100 Kuala Lumpur,
Malaysia.
Tel : 603-42804213

AE101 Goes to Ultra Racing

2009-08-26T13:51:00.009+08:00

After a few shakedown sessions, Kookaburra Racing decided to do some work on the Levin AE101. Base on the requirements, we needed more protective roll cage braces on top of the current Safety 21 roll cage and fitting of new seats.

When one talk about roll cage, Anti Roll Bars and metal works, the first to mind is Ultra Racing, the Chassis Tuning Specialist. Ultra Racing has a long standing partnership with Kegani Autotech and naturally, Kookaburra Racing has the car shipped to Ultra Racing for chassis tuning works.

Ultra Racing also help us fit the bracket for a new RaceCraft bucket seat.

More pictures can be found here.

An update of the completed job by Ultra Racing and further shakedown and test results will be published here.

AE101 Take On SIC Again

2009-08-24T14:12:00.005+08:00

On 23rd August 2009, Team Kookaburra Racing brought the AE101 Levin to SIC for another shakedown and practise during it's regular open track day. More tests were done on the car before heading into the workshop for stiffening work. Once completed, more updates will be featured here.

AE101 at the pit ready for some action!

On track featuring Jeffrey Ewe

Also on track, Stephen Kok

Kenny Hwang helped prepped the car

Some serious work soon to be in progress!

More pictures here.

Video of the Levin AE101 in action, driven by Kenny Hwang

Almost Race Pace Levin

2009-08-11T14:43:00.003+08:00

The Kookaburra Racing Levin recently hit the Sepang International Circuit for a private track day event on the 10th of August 2009 to run further shakedown and handling tests. The Levin was running great throughout the day under Kenny Hwang's hands.

The suspension is setup just right for now. However, the handling department needs a little more tweaking. Some body strengthening for extra stiffening and also further protecting bars needed for the roll cage at the doors. Also in the plans, some data logging facility would be useful for driver training and tuning.

Nonetheless, on road purpose semi-slick Maxxis tyres, the Levin was easily doing 2:46s with rev limited to 7000rpm (still in shakedown phase).

Levin Gets a LongAcre In Car Lap Timer

2009-07-22T16:22:00.006+08:00

At a recent MME track day on the 21st of July 2009 in SIC, Team Kookaburra Racing brought the race Levin to track to test some car settings, ventilation as well as a new toy, a LongAcre Hot Lap In-Car Timer. Julian Ng and Kenny Hwang took to the track to give it a run. We had some issues with the borrowed test unit of the lap timer and thus decided to purchase a new one which we will see in the new few weeks.

We have to resort to the unofficial timing for the shakedown and clocked low 2:50s with Maxxis semi slick tyres. Good results judging from the fact that the we kept revs to below 6,500rpm as we are still shaking down the test engine.

Some rectification work has been identified and more to come next track day in August!

The Levin with Class A Altezza at the pits

The LongAcre Hot Lap In-Car Timer receiver and display

Julian takes the wheel

More information about the LongAcre In Car Lap Timer here.

Levin Shakedown at SIC

2009-07-12T01:49:00.010+08:00

The Kookaburra Levin was brought to the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) race track for a race practise session recently to perform shakedown and setup. Together with Kenny Lee of Kegani Autotech who monitored the progress of his hard work, Kenny Hwang and Stephen Kok took turns testing the car round the track. Also present was team management, Jeffrey Ewe who kept a close watch on the car.

The Levin performed well and it will definately be capable of making 2:40s times on track. After the shakedown, some minor work needed to be sorted out but all in all, fantastic car and many thanks to Kegani Autotech for their hardwork.

Some photos from the session:

More pictures can be found here : http://picasaweb.google.com/zoggee/KookaburraRacing#

Launch of Toyota Levin AE101 Race Car

2009-07-12T01:22:00.034+08:00

Here it is! Finally, the launch of the new Kookaburra Racing race car - A Toyota Levin AE101. Come packed with a punch and lots of goodies.

It's no wonder why the Levin was picked. In the recent Sepang 1000km race, the car that topped the charts during the race with the faster lap times is Kegani Autotech - Ultra Racing team's Levin with a lap time of 2:41.483 during the race on semi slick tyres. Being 1.6L in Class 2, Kegani's Levin overtook even Class 1 cars of 1.8L like DC2 etc. The Levin is a class above and well balanced and fast car. It even made headlines in previous years races for its performance.

Kookaburra Racing team members have supported Kegani Autotech in the previous races and events. The obvious choice of picking a Toyota Levin as the next race car and has to be tuned by Kegani Autotech. Kegani owner, Kenny Lee, and his crew quickily got together and built a fantastic Team Kookaburra Racing race prepped Levin, complete with cold drawn seamless carbon steel FIA and JAF (Japan Automobile Federation) approved Cusco Safety 21 rollcage, Tein suspension, XYZ 4-pot Big Brake Kit and Ultra Racing anti-roll bars and other goodies too!

See the pictures here:

More pictures can be found on the Kookaburra Racing Facebook site or here :
http://picasaweb.google.com/stephenkok/LevinRaceCar#

Stock Specifications in Summary

Toyota Corolla Levin AE101
- This coupé is powered by a 1.6-litre DOHC 20 valve engine (code named 4A-GE) developed with excellent intake and exhaust efficiency and a stock power output of 165PS and 162Nm.
- Uses a close-ratio 5-speed manual transmission.
- The powerful and reliable 4A-GE engine also combines electronic fuel injection and variable valve timing (VVT) to achieve excellent stock power to weight ratio of 157hp/tonne or 76kW/liter.

New Race Car Soon to be Unveiled

2009-07-04T19:59:00.011+08:00

Team Kookaburra Racing has procured a new race car to compete and take podium finishes in the Sepang 1000km race as well as Malaysia Super Series, both held in Sepang International Circuit.

The car is undergoing major preparation utilizing top performance and quality components like XYZ 4 pot big brake kit and Tein coilover suspension.

Here is a sneak peek of the car. The car will make its debut at SIC circuit real soon. Do watch come back for the latest updates!

Very First Race Car - Toyota Starlet

2009-07-01T00:15:00.012+08:00

This post is specially dedicated to the very first Kookaburra Racing race car - The infamous Toyota Starlet! Many recognize the car from miles away.

It's made numerous headlines and appeared in many races and events, from race track to rally to autocross! Very versatile and humbling car.

The KooKaburra Starlet during a recent event

Watch Kenny Hwang drive the Starlet in Litar Dato Sagar in Kampung Gajah, Perak.

The Kookaburra Starlet was used in the drift scene at One Utama 2005 SSO.

As part of a promotion, the Kookaburra Starlet was used for stunts too by Sean Khoo. *Do NOT try this at home. Stunts done by Professionals*