Felix Alim – Boss of ClubITR

Skibeemo: How did you first get into cars?

FA: It started of a long time ago when I was in primary school. My cousin bought a red Honda Civic EG sedan which he colour coded. We used to call each other every night and talk about cars so that’s how I got into cars and Honda in the first place. This is also where I learnt about the NSX and how that was something special when it first came out. It all started from there; calls every night.

Skibeemo: What has been your favourite car to own?

FA: It’s definitely the Integra Type R, the DC2. It was a 2000 model. That car was quite something. It wasn’t that clean when I first bought it as there were scratches everywhere and the suspension was mismatched. There was a GT wing on it – which I actually thought didn’t look too bad when I first bought the car – so I kept it on for a while, then went wingless, then put the stock one back on.

I owned this car for quite a long time; over 11 and a half years. During that time I modified it very slowly to what it was before I sold it. It had a JDM front, stripped out, cage, brakes, breathing mods, ECU tune and all the suspension bushings were replaced; it was a fun and great car to drive. It’s definitely a car that maybe I shouldn’t have parted with but I’m happy to move onto an S2000 or NSX one day.

Skibeemo: How has the scene and aftermarket industry changed since you first got into it?

FA: That’s a good question. In terms of Australian aftermarket companies, shops, sponsors, vendors and competition; there’s more offerings from them which is really nice to see. Their involvement in the community has also increased as these companies are really starting to push their brands out there which is good because in America, sponsorship is massive but in Australia it’s still quite small. So it’s good to notice this slowly building up.

Skibeemo: What are your thoughts on the future of the car scene and aftermarket industry? What trends do you predict we’ll see?

FA: I’m seeing the aftermarket companies even more involved with sponsorship and the likes. With the help of social media, I think it’s a good opportunity for them to push their brands out there, especially with people who own really nice cars in the scene. I also want to see these qualities continue within the ClubITR community and in assisting us with the Annual BBQ. This is what I look forward to in the future.

From a car modifying point of view, I think there will always be a drive for quality products, so that aspect will always be there. The style of modifying might change a little. It’s been quite circuit oriented at the moment which has moved on from the hard parking stuff before that (which is still very nice as I really appreciate that style). Also, as automatic transmissions become the norm for newly released cars, I can see people buying older cars and keeping them as OEM as possible; performing a refresh and just keeping them as future classics. So I’m seeing that too and it’ll probably continue to grow as automotive manufactures stop building cars with manual transmissions.

Skibeemo: Any closing words?

FA: As you know, ClubITR has been running for 10 years now which is fantastic. The amount of support we get from members, sponsors and other vendors is really great and just to see everyone being so positive and seeing positivity within the community. It help keeps me going, it help keeps the club going, and it help keeps other contributing members in the community to push along as well.

In regards to the ClubITR Annual BBQ, the raffle is quite a big component. ClubITR needs sponsors and vendors to be generous in donating prizes and thanks to them, every year it does build up so the event is able to grows a little. Last year’s Annual BBQ was quite the proof and showed that people were happy to see a community like ClubITR was not only still around but also giving back to charities like Cars for Hope. It’s great to see everyone involved.

ClubITR organises small meets that are always centered around food. People join in, they eat and they laugh, they have a nice time, and then we do a photoshoot afterwards. We all catch up in the car park; it’s always good. All this keeps me together. ClubITR for life!

The 2017 NSW ClubITR Annual BBQ will be taking place once again at Lane Cove National Park from 10:30am to 2:30pm on Sunday 19th November 2017.

A big thank you to Felix for taking time out of his busy schedule to have a chat with Skibeemo.