PERODUA M5 RACING TEAM LAST MINUTE CONFIRMATION FOR ROUND TWO, MRC

20 May 2008, Kuala Lumpur: Driver Lim Leong Onn and co-driver Kamarul Anuar Mohd Razzali may have won the first Round of the Malaysian Rally Championship 2008, but their hard work almost amounted to nothing as the Perodua M5 Racing Team has waited until the last moment to confirm its participation for Round Two in Perlis this weekend (24 & 25 May).

Until today, the Perodua M5 Racing Team hasn’t officially registered its Team for the rally which will be held in the PPB Group’s Sugar Cane plantation in Chuping. But the drivers know the cars are being prepared and the Team’s registration is expected any time now. To the organizers, Wheel Sport Management, it looked as though Round Two was to be without three key cars, a move which could have dashed the hopes of the Perodua Team taking home any Championship trophies.

The Perodua M5 Racing Team had one of its best results ever in Round One in Bahau, Negeri Sembilan in March with three cars finishing in the top five.

The winning Perodua teams were Lim and Kamarul Anuar who finished first in their 4WD Viva Turbo, Kan Chee Hong and Bernard Chin, third, in their 4WD Myvi Turbo and P Nandakumar Suresh Parkash Sharma, fourth, in their 2WD Myvi.

A team which has confirmed it will not be competing in Round Two is the SR Motorsport Team of James Russell and co-driver Douglas Pickering. Team Manager Paul Russell said they had failed to secure and prepare a new car in time but hope to be ready for Round Three in Kuantan.

Karamjit Singh and co-driver Jagdev Singh, overall winners of the Felda-AAM Malaysian Rally Championship 2007, who placed second in Bahau in a rented Proton Satria, have retrieved their Mitsubishi Evo 8 from Port Klang and are looking forward to taking the podium again this round.

In a surprising twist they will be driving for the GSR Pennzoil Racing Team together with the all-female team of Kancana Nanda Kumar and co-driver Dzainurhayati Mohd Daud.

Brothers Gunaseelan and Jayaseelan Rajoo make up the third team for Pennzoil. Gunaseelan announced today he will drive a Mitsubishi Lancer Evo 9, having put his trusty ten-year old Proton Putra out to pasture.

Round Two therefore looks like a battle between the Pennzoil and Perodua teams. Karmajit is quietly confident he can do well. He said, ““Failing any mechanical problems, we expect a good rally and result this weekend.”

The MRC will also play host to a team from India who are joining the Malaysian competition for the first time. Jasbir Singh Randhawa & Musa Sherif are flying in this week to get a feel for a Malaysian rally course so that they have a competitive edge when they compete in the Asia Pacific Rally Championship in Johor Bahru in October. They will compete in the same rented Proton Satria Karamjit used in Round One in Bahua.

The Raja of Perlis Tuanku Syed Sirajuddin Putra Jamalullail will flag-off the nineteen rally cars at Dataran Dato’ Sheikh Ahmad at 12 noon on Saturday.

The rally is being held in Perlis in conjunction with the DYMM Tuanku Raja Perlis’ birthday celebrations.

The prize-giving ceremony will be at 5pm on Sunday at the same venue and the winners will be presented with their prize money and trophies by the Menteri Besar of Perlis, Datuk Seri Dr Md Isa Sabu.

The public is invited to both official events and to the MRC family carnival which will see plenty of fun activities and competitions including an Autokhana, futsal competition, classic car and motorbike show and performances by Akademi Fantasia entertainers.

The MRC is organized and promoted by Wheel Sport Management Sdn Bhd and sanctioned by the FIA and Automobile Association Malaysia (AAM).

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