When Elmo Grows up is Coming to Malaysia

Introducing Abby Cadabby! The newest Muppet on Sesame Street joins Elmo, Zoe, Rosita and all of her furry and feathered friends asking, "WHAT DO YOU WANT TO BE WHEN YOU GROW UP?" as they prepare for a pageant on Sesame Street.

Get ready to sing cowboy songs, ride the rails and more when Sesame Street Live "When Elmo Grows Up", a VEE Corporation Production, performs at Stadium Putra, Bukit Jalil, from Friday, 3rd September through Sunday, 5th September 2010. Tickets for all performances go on Sale on 26 June 2010!

There will be special appearances by Elmo and Cookie Monster at the One Utama's New Wing Main Entrance, presenting you the Sesame Street Live Show tickets at the Ground Event and take a picture with Elmo & Cookie Monster for Free when you purchase the tickets at the roadshow from 26-27 June 2010.

Tickets are also available for purchase online at Axcess Ticketing Outlets. Sesame Street Live "When Elmo Grows Up" is flown specially for audiences in Malaysia by Nishchal Creations and promoting partner Toys 'R Us.

Don't miss out on the fun filled family activities and special discounts at the Ground Event to be held at One Utama this weekend.

A GT-R One Two at Sepang

The drivers from the Calsonic IMPUL GT-R, Tsugio Matsuda and Ronnie Quintarelli, took the win at the Round 4 of the Autobacs SuperGT International Series in Sepang International Circuit, Malaysia last weekend, claiming the win in the GT500 series and overall winners, with a total time of 1:50'54.084.

Team Calsonic IMPUL won the converted EBBRO Pole Position trophy which they gained in the Super Lap Qualifying session on Saturday, placing them first on the starting grid. Initially, the team had difficulties with this season's new 3.4L power plant in the GT-R, and with their strong teamwork and combined forces, led them to the finish line in first.

Tsugio Matsuda mentioned in a post race interview, that he felt that the race was doubtful for a win, but they have managed it with a good combination of speed with his fellow driver, Ronnie Quintarelli and the ever hardworking team members and Team Manager, Hoshino, who gave them a chance at the winter test despite the tight finances.

His teammate, Ronnie Quintarelli, added that nothing can beat this feeling of having won the race, with Tsugio and the team all worked very hard for this achievement.

The second place winner in the GT500 category was secured by the Motul Autech GT-R drivers, Satoshi Motoyama and Benoit Treluyer, completing the the race in 1:51'07.417, whilst Takashi Kogure and Loic Duval brought their Weider HSV-010 to the finish line in third, completing the top three finishers of the GT500 category with a total time of 1:51'10.757.

M7 RE-Amemiya Racing of Mutiara Motors secured their win here at Sepang International Circuit in the GT300 category recording a total time of 1:52'09.593.

Ryo Orime from the M7 RE-Amemiya Mutiara Motors Racing Team expressed his gratitude to our local Malaysian Sponsors, Mutiara Motors, who came out to give their full support last weekend and he is happy to give them this victory in return.

"Trouble developed in our suspensions in the last seven laps, so I had to avoid the curbing, and that slowed my pace by almost 2 seconds per lap. Actually, it was a miracle that I was able to make it to the finish", he added.

The second spot in the GT300 race category went to ARTA Garaiya's Morio Nitta and Shinichi Takagi, 27.625" behind the leader, with Takuto Iguchi and Yuji Kunimoto from the Corolla Axio APR GT team completing the top three finishers with a total lap time of 1:53"00.939.

This year marks the 10th edition of the SuperGT International Series since it was firstly held here at Sepang International Circuit back in 1999. The teams will be heading back to Japan for the Round 5 of this series to be held at the Sugo Circuit from 24-25 July 2010.

More pictures at my flickr site.

Rossi Undergoes Successful Operation

Following surgery to repair his broken right leg yesterday afternoon, Valentino Rossi is recovering well at the Centro Traumatologico Orthopedico (CTO) in Florence, Italy.

“Valentino Rossi is recovering well following yesterday’s operation and his morale seems to be high in the circumstances. Tomorrow we will wash and stitch the wound. He has been moved to a more normal room in the hospital and the only requests he has made are for peace and quite, privacy and a television on which to watch today’s race!”, Dr. Roberto Buzzi of the CTO.

Valentino Rossi has suffered a displaced and exposed fracture of his right tibia after crashing in the Morning Practice Session for his home race at the Italian Grand Prix in Mugello last Saturday on 5th June 2010.

The reigning World Champion crashed his Fiat Yamaha M1 at turn thirteen, the fast chicanes at the top of the hill, and was taken immediately to the circuit’s Medical Centre before taken to the Careggi Hospital in Florence by air in a helicopter for a thorough medical run through. He will then be moved to the Centro Traumatologico Orthopedico (CTO), which is close by.

Rossi has undergone an operation that afternoon on his fractured right shinbone after undergoing further medical checks at the Careggi Hospital Emergency Centre and afterwards the CTO in Florence, Italy.

Valentino Rossi undergoes a successful operation who was operated by Dr. Roberto Buzzi of the CTO, assisted by Dr Claudio Costa of the Clinica Mobile.

“We received Valentino Rossi at the Careggi Hospital, where we made detailed checks in order to rule out any other injuries, and the results were satisfactory. We decided to proceed with the surgery for the exposed fracture of the right leg.”, Dr Buzzi making a statement following the 2.5 hour operation.

“We are confident that Valentino will be able to leave the hospital in a week to ten days, able to put weight on the leg with the aid of crutches.”, he added.

Managing Director of the Fiat-Yamaha Motor Racing, Lin Jarvis added, “It was a very sad day today for Yamaha and the Fiat Yamaha Team, seeing Vale in so much pain and seriously injured for the first time in his career. It is especially tough for Vale to have this accident at his home Grand Prix and this will surely be a huge disappointment for him and all his fans at the Mugello Circuit and around the world.”

Source: Fiat-Yamaha Team Press Release

TEAM ULTRA RACING WINS SECOND EDITION OF THE SEPANG 1000-KILOMETRE RACE

Showing that power was not everything in an endurance race, Team Ultra Racing won the second edition of the Sepang 1000-kilometre Endurance Race at Sepang International Circuit, winning in sensational style in a 1600cc Toyota Levin machine as it upstaged the higher-powered 1800cc cars.

Featuring Kenny Lee, Christopher John O’Shannessy and Hsiao Tung Wei, the team took 8 hours 32 minutes and 1.455 seconds to cover the 181 laps of the 5.543 kilometre Sepang International Circuit, to cover the required 1,000 kilometres as it led another Class 2 entry, Type R Racing Team, to finish second overall, coming in a lap behind them.

The second edition of the Sepang 1000-kilometre Race was flagged off by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chairman, Datuk Mokhzani Tun Dr Mahathir, under the rare noon cloudy skies, with Japan’s Juichi Unemoto of Pentagon J’s Racing Team blasting off the grid from pole position as the competition began their 181-lap battle.

Unemoto would have hoped to emulate the achievement of Type R Racing Team, which won the inaugural race last year; virtually leading from start to finish in their awesome Honda Integra DC2 machine in a grid of 52 cars, which in this year, the defending champions featuring the same partnership of Boy Wong, Soh Kee Khoon and Tek Kean Kang in a less powerful Class 2 Honda Civic EK9 race car.

This year’s Sepang 1000-kilometre race sees the dominance of the Class C cars upstaging the higher-powered Class B 1800cc cars.

Singapore based, ST Wangan Racing Team, a partnership of Aloysius Lek, Teh Kian Boon and Desmond Soh, took third place for Class C in another Honda Civic EK9, completing the overall top three winners of this year’s Sepang 1000-kilometre Endurance Race.

The partnership between S. Velumani and Australian Kosi Kalaitzidis in their Proton Satria GTi won the Class 1 for cars between 1601cc and 1900cc as they finished three laps behind Team Ultra Racing, coming in first in Class 1 after finishing fourth overall.

This year’s Sepang 1000-kilometre Race sees 56 cars; beating last year’s grid of 52 cars; which was introduced last year after the revamp of the 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER).

Talents abound at the Sepang 1000-kilometre Colouring Contest, which was held at the Welcome Centre, Sepang International Circuit’s mall area. There was plenty of fun for the participants and spectators with the A&W Bear Mascot and Malaysia’s Popular Cartoon Characters, Upin and Ipin, appearance, as well as the Japan SuperGT Ambassadors, Mimi and Koko, who held an impromptu dance session with the participants.

There were also inflatables for the children, who had a fun and fabulous time enjoying themselves at the event. Winners of the colouring contest took home medals and hampers sponsored by A&W as well as a one-night stay coupons and buffet dinner or lunch at the Concorde KLIA Hotel.

More pictures at my flickr site.

Round 1 of the 2010 Malaysian Super Series

The Round 1 season 2010 opener of the Bikes Category for the Malaysian Super Series was held at Sepang International Circuit from 28-30 May 2010 seeing it ending good for our local Malaysian Riders.

Rounds 1 & 2 were held on a drying track after an early morning downpour that stopped just one hour before the start of race 1. Suhadi Ali Rahmat, won Race 2 and claimed third place in Race 1 in the Supersports Category.

"I am happy and enjoyed the race. I managed a better setup for my bike in the second race. I found the better racing line which I learned from the 1st race.", Suhadi Ali Rahmat, during a post race interview after the prize presentation of Race 2.

Thai rider, Suhathai Chaemsap took 2nd place while Ahmad Fazli Sham took the final podium in race 2 of the same category. Rathapong Wilairot, the younger brother of Moto2 rider Rathapark, claimed both wins in the Supersports Junior category.

Yasuhiro Kuhara of HKL Racing Team, managed to make a comeback in Race 2, thus sparked and entertained all his fans and his crews as a returning champion for the Superbikes/Superstock Category.

"It was a very tough race today, because in the first race, it was practically wet and my riding skills on a wet track isn't so good. The 2nd race, I hoped for a dry track and it was, but on the second lap, the race was red flagged and I was a little dissapointed with that. At the restart, I focused on the race and managed to push for the win", Yasuhiro Kuhara, smiling after snatching 1st in Race 2 of the Superbikes / Supersports category.

Meanwhile, there were forty nine riders who took part in the Bikerz Cup category. Ahmad Azhar Hamid and Muhammad Faisal Yahya both claimed one win each in the series whilst Mior Aripin snatched 2nd in both races.

In the MSS Cars Category, it was double wins for McCrory and Dilenberg in the Classic Car Club Hong Kong and the Supersixteen races respectfully.

McCrory won both races in the MSS Classic Car Club Hong Kong in his Lotus 7, proving it to be far too powerful for 2nd seeded, Daniel Bilski, to keep up with the pace in his Porsche 911 IROC RSR clone. It was a close battle between the duo throughout Race 1, and although McCrory started in pole, he had to outdo himself to the limit ensuring the win.

"It was very hot hard work. Getting 2nd in both races, I'm happy and with a new personal best time in the first race, but the Lotus (McCrory) was just too quick. I think everyone had fun today and we had a reasonable grid and it was good to see everybody pushing their cars to the limit and we are all pretty tired now", Daniel Bilski.

Bilski agreed that it as a tough race but, was happy with the results securing two podiums that he claimed in both the races.

The round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series will be back at Sepang International Circuit held from 26-27 June 2010.