Watch: Let Indonesia’s top drivers demonstrate Hatch Culture in a Honda City Hatchback
CY Foong · Dec 27, 2021 12:00 PM
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Fitra Eri and Avila Bahar show how fun the City Hatchback is.
City Hatchback to replace Jazz in having its own OMR.
Take a look at the Honda City Hatchback and chances are you might like its sportier looks than the model it replaced, the Honda Jazz. But if you need some more convincing in its sporty pedigree, then we have a couple of racing drivers to prove the City Hatchback’s sportiness.
Honda Indonesia’s official YouTube channel uploaded a video over the weekend that showed two of the country’s best racing talents, Fitra Eri and Avila Bahar, hooning around a track in a pair of Honda City Hatchbacks.
The 2021 season of the Honda Jazz Speed Challenge, the last of its kind as the Jazz is replaced by the City Hatchback
Before the two drivers brought out the City Hatchback’s mettle in a series of challenges, they gave a small tribute to the discontinued Jazz. The Jazz has its own one-make race (OMR) competition in the archipelago called the Honda Jazz Speed Challenge and also competed in the Indonesian Touring Car Race (ICTR). The City Hatchback will be replacing the Jazz in its own OMR and in the ICTR.
After saying their goodbyes to their race-prepped Jazzes, the two drivers hopped into a pair of Honda City Hatchbacks. But what exactly is ‘Hatch Culture’? Well, as Avila briefly explains, it’s a youth-oriented activity with one of those called ‘Sporty X Adrenaline’.
It’s essentially a gymkhana course where our drivers go through a few challenges around the track including drifting, a 180-degree slide, performing a J-turn, and precision parking.
The first three challenges were done with what is claimed in the video to be the standard City Hatchback RS that is sold in the country. It is worth noting that the Indo-spec City Hatchback RS is different from the Malaysian-spec of the same name.
Malaysian-spec petrol-powered City Hatchback shown.
You can check the review here.
While the Malaysian City Hatchback RS is powered by an e:HEV hybrid unit, the Indonesian namesake is powered by a 1.5-litre i-VTEC (121 PS/145 Nm) petrol engine. This motor is paired to a CVT automatic or a 6-speed manual transmission.
While it’s nice to see the skills shown by the pair of drivers in the standard City Hatchback, the final challenge shows them swapping for a wild-looking City Hatchback.
This model will be used in the 2022 season of ITCR and though there are some changes in the bodykit, a tuned-up suspension, brakes as well as wheels, it’s essentially powered by the same 1.5-litre mill as the standard City Hatchback.
Compared to Malaysia, it seems that grassroots racing is openly more available in Indonesia with Honda having not one but two OMRs in the country. Besides the City Hatchback, Honda Indonesia has the Brio Speed Challenge that is aimed at more amateur racing drivers.
Traded advertising for a career that fits his passion for cars. Enjoys spotting cars during his free time and has a soft spot for Japanese Kei cars but drives a thirsty manual sedan.
