GSR PENNZOIL TEAM 1,2 IN ROUND 4 MRC

2nd August, 2008, Bandar Penawar, Johor: The Minister for Tourism, Dato’ Seri Azalina Othman Said, flagged off the fourth round of the Malaysian Rally Championship 2008 (MRC) in this picturesque seaside town last night.

18 cars were flagged off. The race started this morning with the first car leaving the Desaru Golden Beach Hotel at 11am. The second and final Leg of the race will finish on Sunday afternoon.

After the first day of competition, the two yellow and black Mitsubishi Lancer Evolutions of Team GSR Pennzoil are leading the pack with Karamjit Singh speeding through the oil palms of Felda Kledang 2 ahead of his teammate Gunaselan Rajoo by nearly four minutes.

“Desaru is proving to be a challenging and very bumpy rally so we had to be careful and not go as fast as we had liked. SS3 is particularly tricky because it starts out very fast and suddenly narrows down and becomes twisty and this is especially challenging for bigger cars like ours. “Thankfully we have a comfortable four-minute lead so we can take it easy and preserve the car tomorrow,” said Karamjit.

Karamjit is partnering Indian National Rally Championship’s best co-driver Musa Sherif for the first time and he is happy with the new partnership.

“He did his job well considering we have had very little practice. In the first few SS we took it easy but after that it was business as usual,” he added.

While Karamjit and his co-driver Musa Sherif may be able to take it easy on the second day, Gunaseelan and his brother Jayaseelan will have to find more speed on Sunday as Kan Chee Hong and Wayne Cheah in their Perodua Myvi 4WD Turbo are just 22 seconds behind.

Driving an aged rented Proton Putra 4WD, Indian driver Arjun Rao is continuing to make a mark on the local rally scene, clocking the fourth fastest time of 1:07:13, just 43 seconds ahead of veteran driver Mike Ari in his equally old Proton Wira 2WD.

Perodua M5’s Lim Leong Onn lost control of his Perodua Viva 4WD Turbo after the rear stabiliser bar snapped, sending it into an oil palm in SS3. He was able to complete the stage but could not continue Leg One as the car was seriously damaged in the collision.

According to Lim’s navigator, Khairul Anuar Mohd Razzali, the car became unstable after the rear stabiliser failure and that was how they ended up hitting the tree.

“We completed the SS but the car was so badly damaged that we could not proceed. Apart from the failed stabiliser bar, the front of the car was wrecked and the chassis may be slightly bent. The front suspension and rear axle also had to be replaced and the mechanics are replacing them now,” Khairul said.

“I have a very stiff neck now and after the doctor has had a good look I will need a good night’s rest to recover. If it doesn’t hurt too much then I can continue tomorrow,” he added.

Lim had clocked the fastest times in the first two SS before the accident happened.

Leading privateer Sutan Mustafa Salihin was holding on to fourth place when he had an accident in SS4and damaged his front left suspension. Sutan could not complete the day.

“Unfortunately there was a culvert hidden under the bush which we had not spotted during the recce and we fell straight into it. “I don’t know how a big rock like that could have ended up in the middle of the road,” Sutan said.

Sutan replaced the damaged suspension parts and will continue in Super Rally format on Sunday to collect points and keep his championship hopes alive.

“I guess it is part and parcel of rallying, we will just have to do the best we can tomorrow,” he said.

Privateer Yusof Tumin and clubman entrant Nor Hisyam Ismail also failed to complete the first day.

Many of the rally competitors see this weekend as a preliminary and ‘testing’ ground for the next round, which is also the Malaysian Leg of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). The competitors are keen to practice in the Stages (tracks) in the Felda plantations around Bandar Penawar and Desaru because they are very similar to those near Johor Bahru, where the APRC will be held on October 11 & 12.

This is the fourth year that Malaysia will host a round of the APRC. The other six rounds are each hosted by - Australia, Japan, New Zealand, New Caledonia, China and Indonesia.

Thousands of people from around the region will ascend on Johor Bahru for the APRC which has a total population base of 2.1 billion people, the largest of any FIA Motorsport championship this year. All eyes will be on Malaysia’s southern state as 176 broadcasters beam pictures into 196 countries to a television audience potential of 45.5 million.

The Managing Director of Wheel Sport Management Sdn Bhd (WSM), the official organizer of the MRC and the Malaysian leg of the APRC, Raja Nor Mazli Bt Raja Tun Mohar, said that these statistics are evidence that rallies are good for tourism. She went on to add that Malaysia should capitalize on the potential of the APRC and should consider hosting the World Rally Championship in 2011.

“With the support of the Government, the private sector and the public, Malaysia could host the WRC which would bring immense wealth and attention to the country,” Raja Nor Mazli said.

Raja Nor Mazli went on to say, “The stages within the plantations in Johor are hailed by the International competitors as some of the best rally stages in the world. This, coupled with WSM’s experience in hosting the APRC Malaysian Leg, makes the delivery of a world-class event such as the WRC very achievable.”

Autokhana fun for public
Besides the exciting rally action, members of the public are encourage to test their driving skills against the clock in the Autokhana competition sponsored by the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) at the Desaru Airstrip. For a RM10 entry fee participants can test their driving skills against the clock for the chance to take home great prizes. A Proton car is provided, courtesy of Proton.

The Autokhana will continue tomorrow from 10am with the winners announced at 3pm Sunday at the official prize giving ceremony for the MRC in Bandar Penawar.

Road Safety Display
As the MRC stresses safety in Motorsports, there is also be a booth by the Department of Road Safety, which will be promoting its road safety campaign to the public.

Meet Reality TV stars
Another treat for the public is the chance to meet the participants of the new reality TV show “Malaysia’s Next Rally Champion 5,4,3,2,1…Zero to Hero”.

15 rookie teams of driver and co-driver are competing to become Malaysia’s next rally champions.

This round of the MRC they will test their driving skills on a gravel course in Proton Wiras courtesy of Proton, a co-sponsor of the show.

The show will go to air in October on Astro Ria. “Malaysia’s Next Rally Champion” was initiated by WSM to build a pool of young rally drivers with the intent of keeping the exciting sport of rallying thriving in Malaysia.

The MRC is organized and promoted by Wheel Sport Management Sdn Bhd, sanctioned by FIA and the Automobile Association Malaysia (AAM) and co-sponsored by Ancom Berhad, Felda, Silverstone, MAM and the Department of Road Safety.

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