Length: 43km
Routes: B57, B66
Nearest Towns: Batu Caves, Ulu Yam, Gohtong Jaya
The biggest blessing we have being residents of the Klang Valley is, as the name suggest, we are located in a valley. That means we are pretty much shielded from torrential climates from the east, we get the benefit of highland produces, and for the wheel headed, lots and lots of mountain passes.
Our route this time is the default choice amongst supercar owners of the Valley that connects the capital city to a city amongst the clouds. When the late Tan Sri Dato Sri Lim Goh Thong set out to create the Genting Highland Resorts, little did he know that what he would create is some of the best and most sought after driving roads in Malaysia.
What to expect?
The route is split into two sections. One section is from Bandar Baru Selayang to Ulu Yam via the B57 Jalan Sungai Tua. The Bandar Baru Selayang Fasa 2a Petronas is sort of the unofficial start line and this route does go through densely populated areas. So a word of caution, please do practise safe and responsible driving when heading out to the actual route. There’s plenty of space to flex your right foot out in the hills. And yes this route crosses two hills. One that leads to the quaint village of Ulu Yam, the second course is an uphill climb towards Gohtong Jaya.
The course
This route is true roadster country. It’s nowhere near as intense as the Janda Baik route seen in Episode 1, but it is entertaining nevertheless. Smooth flowing, well sighted, amazing countryside, spellbinding views, throughout the entire course I could only picture me in something with the top down, naturally aspirated, 6 cylinders up front with powers going to the back wheels.
The first part of the route as mentioned passes the Empangan Batu lake, which passes through a rather twisty uphill-downhill heavily cambered course. Caution at corner exit as these roads are no strangers to accidents caused by the hasty and the overtly optimistic
The second part of the course, the B66, is a straight uphill dash towards Gohtong. It’s usually less crowded than the initial route as most prefer to reach Gentings via Karak Highway. Nevertheless thats just a blessing to enjoy this amazing route. Its thoughtfully laid out with an overtaking lanes in the right places so its a total joy to use.
Hazards
Bailk Kampung Crowd / Holiday Makers
Its a connecting route between villages, so overloaded Perodua’s and MPV’s are common sight here. Best to overtake in a safe area, remember this is no race track and those guys are driving with their loved ones on board, so dont be an arse!
Tourist Vehicles
Its a hard one this, some tourist vehicles are slow and dont really move all that fast due to the terrain. But be advised these are people who use this route day in day out, so going toe to toe with them especially on the downhill or in bad weather is foolhardy, like kidnapping Liam Neeson’s family.
Idiots
Yes this route, thanks to its fast paced nature, close proximity to the capital and because of where it leads is a fan favourite to all the Initial D fanboys in Malaysia. But one must realize just because you drive a panda coloured Tureno don’t mean you’re Bunta Fujiwara.
And once more, THIS IS NOT A RACE TRACK. If you idiots crash out in this route and cause chaos and make the headlines, the cops have no choice but put speed humps and heavy checks on this route which takes away the charm of this routes. Be thoughtful and hone yourself before going banzai into the turns!
