A group of Filipino car enthusiasts yesterday showed visitors to the car show at the Philippine Independence Day celebrations at Hyatt Plaza their ingenuity in modifying second-hand cars into racing cars that cost less but are as competitive as brand new models. At the car show, the group, called Hyper-T, displayed second-hand Honda cars whose engines had been modified to deliver greater horsepower and suspension had been upgraded to transform them into racing cars fast and durable enough to withstand the rigours of track racing. With its members sharing a common passion for car racing, Hyper-T has been making headway since it started taking part in Sports Auto Cross Racing and Circuit Racing at the Lusail race tracks last year. Ram Ninonuevo, president of Hyper-T, said their group, formed in December 2007, had already finished six rounds in two racing competitions last year and was expecting to make it again to round three in October this year. “We tried to improvise the engines of Honda cars to make them more powerful and competitive for racing; it is budget-wise than buying a new racing car,” Ninonuevo said. Upgrading an engine to get more horsepower and fitting a stronger suspension costs Hyper-T members QR5,000 to QR10,000, depending on the brand of the spare parts they order online on the Philippine website of e-bay.com, the popular portal where one can buy or sell almost anything. Ninonuevo admitted the cost of shipping the spare parts from the Philippines was higher than the price of the parts, but said they found it rewarding since they were assured of getting genuine parts. Their improvised racing cars have caught the attention of other groups in Qatar, who sometimes seek technical advice from them on modifying car engines. “We have been always open to other expatriates who need our help,” he said. He clarified that their modified race cars were “street legal”, meaning they were within the traffic rules and standards, although the group uses the vehicles only for competitions and not for daily driving. http://thepeninsulaqatar.com/Display_news.asp?section=Local_News&subsection=Qatar+News&month=June2009&file=Local_News2009061364616.xml

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