tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-50203119778679460192024-02-20T14:16:59.336+08:00Here, There & Everywhere...Motorsports. Photography. Techniques. Review. Formula 1. MotoGP. Sepang International Circuit. Malaysia.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.comBlogger68125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-52174182340319459182012-03-26T12:07:00.002+08:002012-03-26T13:21:45.410+08:002012 Botanical Garden X-Country<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Its 0645hrs on a Sunday morning at the Botanical Gardens, Taman Tasik Perdana, Kuala Lumpur, and the weather is cool and breezy, perfect for snoozing off and curling up at home under the warmth of a cosy blanket.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My first ever Cross Country distance running since school days. A mixture of road and terrain circuit covering a total distance of 8-kilometres (as stated in the registration form).</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Registrations were still open till about 0750hrs on raceday, and people were flocking to register to the event. As a result, the initial start at 0730hrs was delayed by another 30-minutes. My running buddy arrived with his wife and kid. They were a great team.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE_kBX_SdCiU2cQ1GY-HEQTKZaN7RfwXJMvT7EieNzU4hsh_TfElFkKgQ6MeIcWE2alP_ddH-6srAITKWl_t_5kQQjXbGq0zextxs_qqYKaf-shOnsaUeNjsmWhdSuplWhFOthvElRAe4/s1600/IMG_0420-edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVE_kBX_SdCiU2cQ1GY-HEQTKZaN7RfwXJMvT7EieNzU4hsh_TfElFkKgQ6MeIcWE2alP_ddH-6srAITKWl_t_5kQQjXbGq0zextxs_qqYKaf-shOnsaUeNjsmWhdSuplWhFOthvElRAe4/s320/IMG_0420-edited.jpg" width="221" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">All the participants were very excited and anxious at the starting line. Most of the runners were well ready mentally and physically. But somehow or rather, they were shocked when the organiser announced that the circuit is quite slippery and to be extra careful when running the trail course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Most of the runners were with proper running shoes. As for me, I was really contemplating whether or not to consider wearing my usual running shoes, or to opt for my x-trail running shoes by Solomon.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It is a cross country, so, I should consider running with a pair of shoes that can suit both conditions; road and terrain.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Md3rouhDEC5OlMTdDaSFsLF6k3Nqf5Zf4uRKtg4sL4SlSmOqFPJXLwuhc0M3ro3ZyizD9o_ihI5lVQYEZSabivN7g9IqaAN0G_rgOMC_UqCjKg_gVq45WlDpPjz7-2ux0yI5HrPON15/s1600/IMG_0418-edited.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil2Md3rouhDEC5OlMTdDaSFsLF6k3Nqf5Zf4uRKtg4sL4SlSmOqFPJXLwuhc0M3ro3ZyizD9o_ihI5lVQYEZSabivN7g9IqaAN0G_rgOMC_UqCjKg_gVq45WlDpPjz7-2ux0yI5HrPON15/s320/IMG_0418-edited.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The initial trail started just after I had clocked 2-kilometres on the GPS by Nike+, running uphill towards the National Planetarium. The challenge uphill was pure energy and strength. Not much of balance required, but minimal grip was definitely required as the hill was steep and quite slippery.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It shows that the right pair of shoes is an important role. Runners with not so proper shoes were struggling to endure the course. Slippery and sometimes losing their balance uphill and mostly downhill.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The real challenge throughout the course was the trail between the 6th kilometre mark till about the 8th kilometre. It started just off Persiaran Salahuddin into the jungle and hilly area running uphill and downhill towards the National Monument and ASEAN Sculpture Garden.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">This is where runners were put to the test. The trail was definitely slippery and the downhill was really steep. It was really a great choice to put on those X-Trail Solomon Running shoes. This was the part where my pace was pretty fast, even faster than my road running.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I was confident running in the trail without worrying slipping due to lack of grip. The shoes was a right fit for the circuit. Although, it would have been better if I were on running shoes when on road surface.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My body was still aching from the sporting event the previous day, but the determination to push further brought me to the finishing line. I never thought that I could have endured it. Mental fitness played a role definitely! A total distance of 10.67 kilometres as clocked by my wonderful running companion Nike+ GPS on iOS with a total time of 1 hour 31 minutes and 31 seconds at an average pace of 8 minutes 34 seconds per kilometre. And it was my personal best 10-kilometre with a time of 1 hour 15 minutes and 52 seconds.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Route info, check it out at <a href="http://www.facebook.com/l.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fnikerunning.nike.com%2Fnikeplus%2Fv2%2Fservices%2Fdashboard%2Fog_run.jsp%3Factivityid%3D19469321%26namespace%3Dnikeapp%26locale%3Den_US&h=WAQFSbU9BAQFKpzYvYD_HVFWcYEC-7wwzl-8pxoNf5q2Q5A" target="_blank">Nike+</a>.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0Jalan Kebun Bunga, Tasik Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.143 101.684663.1271449999999996 101.664919 3.158855 101.70440099999999tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-27803847424641490572012-03-23T16:24:00.002+08:002012-03-23T23:39:15.389+08:00The Heat is On<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Malaysian GP kicks off with the practice sessions at the Sepang International Circuit on Friday as McLaren's Lewis Hamilton tops the timing sheets in both the sessions ending the day with the fastest lap of 1 minute 38.127 seconds in the second practice session, off by just 0.151s slower than his lap time in the first session.</span><br />
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</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">7 time World Formula One Champion, Michael Schumacher emerged second fastest at the end of Practice 2, with a time of 1 minute 38.533 seconds with Jenson Button trailing behind closing the gap of 0.363 seconds from the leader; completing the top three on the time sheets.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Kimi Raikkonen making a come back to the Formula One Championship managed to get a good timing in the first practice session for the day, clocking it in at 1 minute 39.128 seconds, hence was off to a slower close to Practice 2 when he only managed to cling onto 15nth placing coming in slower at 1 minute 39.696 seconds.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Red Bull Racing-Renault team did not perform well at the end of the day, managing with 7th and 10th placing by Webber and Vettel respectively. Fernando Alonso, of team Ferrari on the other hand, found the edge of a good setting to the car, managed to finish 6th fastest at the end of Practice 2.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Daniel Ricciardo from team STR-Ferrari is looking to repeat his good streak after a good race finishing 9th overall at the recent Australian Grand Prix, by improving his time in Practice 2 at Sepang International Circuit, finishing 5th fastest with a time of 1 minute 38.853 seconds, just 0.681 seconds off from the leader.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Practice 3 will start tomorrow, 24th March 2012 at 1300hrs Malaysian Local Time before the racers go head on for the Qualifying Sessions at 1600hrs Malaysian Local Time.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Can Red Bull Racing turn up the heat for McLaren? Sunday's race is expected to flag-off at 1600hrs Malaysian Local Time. The race will run over a gruelling 56-laps of the 5.543-kilometre Sepang International Circuit with an expected rainy weather conditions of a high 32 degrees Celsius.</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;"><br />
</span></div><div><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">For those who are still wanting to get their hands on those tickets to the hottest race happening this weekend, you can head on to the Dengkil R&R E6 highway (southbound) between 0900-1800hrs. For more info, log on to <a href="http://www.malaysiangp.com.my/">www.malaysiangp.com.my</a>.</span></div>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-36600387036684724262012-03-22T09:51:00.000+08:002012-03-22T09:51:05.947+08:00Born On The 'Ring<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The Nurburgring-Nordschleife, nicknamed "the Green Hell" by most racing drivers, is notorious for being motoring's most feared and revered track. This motorsports complex is situated around the village of Nurburg, Germany.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The 'Ring is the most ultimate acid test of a car's overall balance and handling prowess as it stretches over a distance of 20.81-kilometres covering 154 turns with a combination of Asphalt and Concrete surfaces. The latest track layout can be found <a href="http://www.nuerburgring.de/fileadmin/2012/Touristenfahrten/Nordschleife/Nuerburgring.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Legendary begins with M. BMW Motorsport was formed in 1972 with a handful of passionate engineers to race and build a perfect car. The letter 'M', comes from the short for <i>Maestro</i>, which means "master" in Italian. Legends like the 3.0 CSL, M1 and the E30 M3 are amongst the winning heritage of BMW Motorsport.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">BMW Motorsport continues its success as the new BMW M3 DTM is being evolved and developed. Built on aggression with a purpose, the new DTM is being developed starting with the road-going BMW M3. Its aerodynamically-tuned bodywork harness every last ounce of downforce available, with a wider track and wheel arches to enhance grip and stability through corners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The new BMW M3 DTM is built with a strong heart. With its 4.0-litres of naturally-aspirated pure BMW M power, BMW Motorsport has further enhanced and revised the original road-going M3 powerplant to consistently handle and endure the punishment synonymous with racing. The refined heart of the BMW M3 DTM produces in excess of 480-HP.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">With the new development of the DTM, BMW Motorsport heralds a new era returning to the Deutsche Tourenwagen Masters (DTM) after an absence of 18-years. The latest race-bred addition to the BMW Motorsport is finely crafted to dominate the gruelling conditions of the pinnacle of German touring car racing.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-50254181846792025012012-03-20T09:27:00.001+08:002012-03-20T09:27:45.555+08:00Merentas Desa Taman Botanical Tasik Perdana 2012For those interested in gaining your distance, building up your stamina, keeping a healthy lifestyle or even for the fun of it with your friends and family, there's this next running event, <i>Merentas Desa</i>, what we used to call it during our school days, running a mixture of terrain and road.<br />
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There's a few distance categories to be enrolled in; 8-km, 6-km and 2.3-km. Details of the run:<br />
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Where: Start/Finish next to Boat House, Taman Tasik Perdana<br />
Date: Sunday, 25 March 2012<br />
Flag-off Time: 0800hrs<br />
Closing Date: Saturday 24 March 2012<br />
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Registration? Get the downloadable PDF from <a href="http://hooha.asia/images/stories/merentas-desa-2012/Merentas-Desa-Entry-Form-2012.pdf" target="_blank">here</a>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0Jalan Kebun Bunga, Tasik Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.143 101.684663.1425045 101.68404299999999 3.1434954999999998 101.685277tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-90480113448336974502012-03-19T15:38:00.002+08:002012-03-19T15:39:31.935+08:00Training for my 1st Half Marathon<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its going be my first ever half marathon. Its been a year now having running as a way to keep up with a healthy lifestyle.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Been going through a lot of reading on the web and resources from peers about training for my first half marathon. Its going to be quite tough to achieve, but it is just another milestone to achieve.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, what does it take to be prepared for your first long distance running, may it be a 5-km run, or a half-marathon or even doing a full 42-km marathon?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As for myself, the benchmark is to complete a 1/2 marathon; a full 21.1 kilometre distance within the time limit of 3.0 hours. Is this achievable?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">As a start, I went on to the Nike+ site, being having the Nike+ App on my mobile device. There's this "Train Like a Pro" application that allows us to select the appropriate training programme that you are training for. In my case, its to be prepared for a half marathon in 13 weeks.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Phew? 13 weeks? Man, that's a leap to get into the groove of running. Why am I running by the way? To me, running is still the best way to keep fit and living a healthy lifestyle yet maintaining a low maintenance and investment. The one and only investment is to get yourself a pair of proper and suitable running shoes. The right pair of shoes is crucial as it can hurt you and thus demotivate you from running once you are injured due to mismatch and shoes that do not fit.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The Nike+ site dashboard is quite useful to help you figure out the right training for your first long distance run. Its not only running consistently and frequently, but it also advices you to train you muscles which includes a little strength training as well as mixing up your running style; 5 x 2 minutes tempo effort with 1-3 minutes intervals; if I know whatever that means? But basically, its just increasing your running effort after a 1-2 miles easy run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Another good site that helps you DIY your training is to head on to the Adidas MiCoach Programme. That is also another site that helps beginners set their goals, and to customise a proper training in order for you to be prepared for your run.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The main thing about your training is: "Discipline". It is most needed. Try and alternate your runs and trainings by getting a running partner. Your running partner can be a "mood" booster at times, and it keeps running fun. Rotate your training times. Some in the morning, and some in the late afternoon. This helps me getting it going. Your style, you've got to determine it.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Running for fitness and exercise is a great way to keep yourself fit. So I will always remind myself to keep it simple and it has got to remain fun. I find ways to keep my runs fun by exploring new routes when running outdoors, running with friends, set new targets and beat them, mixing up the tunes and finding new songs that keeps me in the mood and many more.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My mission, to complete a half marathon this year. Why enter a half-marathon event? Is it for gold? My answer is NO. Its not for the gold, although I would wish to get it. The reason for me entering such events is to be able to gauge my ability to achieve my distance against time.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Having said all that, I hope that the training is going to be well paid-off! If it does not, well, its not going to stop me from running. Running is fun! And most importantly, it is a way of keeping a healthy lifestyle.</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-63569986803221375052012-01-14T16:26:00.001+08:002012-01-14T16:26:52.080+08:00First run for the year 2012<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Its 0500hrs and time to get up and get ready for my first run for the year; the Multi-Purpose Insurans Run 2012; which was held at Padang Merbok, Kuala Lumpur. The distance, 12-kilometre run covering hilly circuit of Bukit Tunku.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The laziness to get up early this time is really bugging my head. Should I get up and go ahead with the run? Or should I just get back to the early Sunday morning breeze, under the blanket, sleeping through the morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, what the heck, I've signed up this and come this far, and its not a good start to break the chain of attendance. Get ready and gear up, Multi- Purpose Insurans Run 2012, here I come!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Drove all the way to Padang Merbok situated in Kuala Lumpur. Parked the car nearby the starting point (directly opposite BNM), and walked over to the Grid. It was packed with many unrecognised faces at the starting point. I did saw one or two familiar faces, but didn't had the chance to say hi.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Out of the blue, a group of "fancy" dressed runners was running to the starting line. Spider-man, hula dancer, cowboy, and there's this guy who's also dressed in the traditional "Sarong" with a white plain t-shirt but with proper running shoes.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I tried to make way to the front to get a head start, but, to no avail, it was just packed with runners. All getting ready for gun time. I just had to settle in the last pack of runners.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">At the click of the gun, the runners dashed out to the start of the 12-kilometre run out from Padang Merbok to the hilly circuit of Bukit Tunku. I was still stunned with the turn up, and didn't even noticed the gunfire.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">By the time passed the starting line, marking my start with the non-stop beeping sounds from the D-Tag Sensor plates, I started the run. Running uphill passing by Lanai KIjang. Then out left head straight for Bukit Tunku. At the third kilometre mark, I can see this Spidey fella is running ahead of me. It looked entertaining. Man, he was fit. He is still running, and ahead of me!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The first water station at the 3-kilometre mark was just packed with runners. Well, did not stop or reached out for water, as it was still early for a quench for thirst. The complete circuit had 3 water stations; 3rd, 6th and 9th kilometre markers.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I continued running the circuit, and its already pass 40-minutes in when I just passed the 5-kilometre mark. Damn. My legs are already hurting, and I have another 7-kilometres to endure to the finish line. Well, take it slowly, and I should be able to finish this without stopping. Taking every leap at my own pace.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I just had to get a taste of that 100 Plus thirst quencher at the 9th kilometre mark (I said to myself). Upon reaching it, while still running, though it was a slow pace, this soft voice over my shoulder said, "You can do it bro. See you at the finish line. Here's a cuppa 100 Plus for you."</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I didn't notice I had passed the water station. Must be really tired and concentrating on the run. 9+ kilometres, and I have not stopped! That's a good sign. Thank God, this good old chap, handed me the cup and it was just enough to get that dry throat some fluids to cool it off. He was quite an old chap. Thanks to him, I was still running and managed to get a quench for thirst. Didn't get his name, didn't see his bib number. White haired guy, in the mid-50's and still running. His pace was getting faster!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I needed that boost. The run for the final 2.5-kilometres, just pacing up gradually to the finish line. By then, I think I was already doing about 8.5kph (if its on the treadmill). It should be fine. Upon reaching the last 500-metres, the crowd started cheering. The marching band playing an upbeat music. The emcee was announcing arrivals at the finish line. I was motivated to up the pace. Its just a few leaps away, a few turns and into the final stretch.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Can I make it with a finisher's medal? Alhamdulillah, I crossed the finish line at 1:28:32.5 (gun time) as published in the website. It was a good finish. I am happy with the results. Just continued the walk down after the finish line, started collecting stuff; goodie bag; and most importantly, when this marshal puts the medal around my neck! Oh, what a great feeling.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It was a good run. It was satisfying. All the effort and training is getting me there. It was a good feeling to know that I was able to finish the run without even stopping to cool off those aching calves and hamstrings. Another finisher's medal in the bag. Next runs, hopefully my dear friend who dragged me into this, will not miss a race together. Till the next race. Ciao!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0Jalan Parlimen, Tasik Perdana, 50480 Kuala Lumpur, Federal Territory of Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia3.1510787956491448 101.688787937164313.1490967956491449 101.68632043716431 3.1530607956491448 101.6912554371643tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-82419386385559785282011-12-27T12:38:00.000+08:002011-12-27T13:59:28.928+08:00In search of a healthy "LIFESTYLE"... Running?<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Healthy lifestyle. What does this mean? Balanced diet? Exercise? Mental fitness?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Hey there readers, you must be wondering where was I for the past months away from this blog. Nothing has been updated on the sports arena. Where am I? Well, to tell you the truth, I have just shelved my photography as a hobby somewhere, and been away from the auto-sporting arena for almost a year now.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Reason being, change of working career; leading me to be more focused on my current working career.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I used to work and sweat myself out at work due to the heavy lifting of goods and stuff, assuming that it was OK not to exercise as I say to myself, "hey, I've already shed sweat during my work time, and that's enough right?".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The very first day I step into the new working environment, I was approached by my newly acquainted colleague, who happens to jog after office hours at the nearby public park when its clear skies in the afternoon, else, running up and down the 16-floor steps to shed sweat. He said to me, "You know what? We need to keep a healthy lifestyle. Do you exercise?"</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">At first, it never occurred to me that the question he asked me the very first day would have brought me this far. Definitely, I did tell him that, once in a while, YES, I did shed sweat, but not more than once a month, I think.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Day in, day out. My normal routine will be coming to the office, sitting in front of the computer screen for more than 6-hours, straining my back, my eyes, my brain, everything that my body and soul would offer to the slavery of WORK and computers. After a few weeks, I find that I am losing weight. Is this a good sign? Without exercising, I am actually losing weight!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Then one fine day, I took the opportunity to buy myself a pair of shoes, and without any pre-training, without any preparation, signed up for a 10-kilometre run organised in celebration of "International Firefighters' Day". I stood up to the challenge of my office mate, Hisham, that I am able to do the 10-kilometre run without stopping for breath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Fair enough, I had to make 4-stops to complete the run on that day. Where has all my fitness gone to? I could have run a 21-kilometre run without shedding a single sweat back then, without stopping to catch a breath.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">It then struck me, yes, I did shed sweat during my daily routine in my previous work. Yes, I did lift some weights at home to shed some sweat off of me. But, was it enough? Question answered; NO!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">I then started Google-ing up, "maintaining a healthy lifestyle". A healthy lifestyle by right, is choosing the right food, maintaining a balanced diet, keeping fit by exercising, NOT SMOKING, having a healthy mind and many more. Its just doing what best maintains your health and life. Its all about BALANCE.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">After the 10-kilometre run incident, I then took the challenge by my dear friend, Hisham, to follow him and continue running, taking it easy and progressing the distance as we go along. It started with a leg-crunching, heart-exhaustion and mental-disablement, keeping up with the first few runs round the ~2.4-kilometre circuit once every two days. That's just ONE ROUND in every two days. That too, my heart was pumping really hard, and my bones were aching, and the lungs were just working its every muscle to catch every breath to supply sufficient 02 to the heart. Will I succeed?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">In two months, with constant running, I have managed to increase my pace and distance to 2-full rounds round the 2.4-kilometre track. That's like 4.8-kilometres! In total, I was already doing 14.4-kilometres a week or 57+ kilometres a month! Was it good enough?</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Well, lets try and put it to my body figures. Well, I did not lose much weight; just 4kg. Waist? Still at 34". But will I be able to finish a 10-kilometre run? Indeed I did! In just 2-months running, I managed to run the next 10-kilometre run at a constant single pace finishing in 1 hour 20 minutes. No doubt, it was like 3-times slower than any other marathon runner, but, it was an achievement to myself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">But why continue running? What does it mean "A healthy Lifestyle" for myself? Well, 9-months has passed, and I have endured many short marathon runs, the farthest I've done is a 12.4-kilometre run. All completed without any muscle break, without any hard effort during the runs. All it needs was a constant discipline to keep fit, running, at least twice a week. Did it cost much? NO! The only investment I've ever splurged on is on the shoes. Finding the right shoe is important. But, that's it! Just a pair of shoes, and you're on! I'm still not at the "Healthy Lifestyle" point.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">The main thing is, that, we are straining ourselves, sitting at our desk, day in, day out, staring at the computer screen, attending meetings, straining your fingers at the keyboard and mouse, breaking your brains thinking of what to type in your reports; yet, we are not moving our muscles enough. We may be eating right, but the heart is not being trained well to keep fit. We are watching our weight, but not doing it right. Starving is not the solution. Starvation does not mean you are fit! That definitely is not a "Healthy Lifestyle".</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Running. I would recommend to anyone. Everyone. All you need, is a pair of shoes. What good is it to us? Well, I find it to be:
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<ol>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">A way to relieve stress
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<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Keeping fit at a very minimal cost</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Losing weight (not for me really, but it think if I eat right, I'll shed more weight off)</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Increase stamina</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">FUN</span></li>
<li><span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">Believing in oneself</span></li>
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<span style="font-family: Verdana, sans-serif;">My target, is to run a half-marathon by end of 2012. Is it achievable? Well, I've come this far, and there is no stopping me. Its just the joy of running. The satisfaction when you cross that line. It is just not describable, but you need to experience it yourself. Well, many thanks to Hisham, my running buddy, always there to guide me and push me, reminding me to keep it going. Till then, happy running!</span>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-70638511220145547542011-06-22T10:13:00.000+08:002011-06-22T10:13:15.222+08:00Yamaha's 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix Racing Celebration at AssenYamaha is set to celebrate its 50th Anniversary of Grand Prix Racing at the historic circuit of Assen, Netherlands. The 2011 Assen TT will witness a full livery change by Yamaha Factory Racing as part of ongoing activities to celebrate the iconic Japanese manufacturer's 50th year of Grand Prix Racing.<br />
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Jorge Lorenzo and Ben Spies will be looking to put the previous race at Silverstone behind them in order to focus on delivering a strong performance and result at Assen, a track favoured by both. Lorenzo has won the Dutch GP circuit in all three GP classes, while his team mate Ben Spies took pole and a race win in 2009 in the World Superbike Championship.<br />
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Spies has added that he is looking forward to the coming race at Assen , to improve his position and hope for a podium finish, after finishing fourth in last year's race. He added that the Assen track is a fast track which he enjoys riding it. It reminds him of his childhood days watching the race at Assen on television back then.<br />
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The team manager is positive with a strong result in Assen and he mentioned that the team has been looking forward to the race in due to their special livery unveil. <br />
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Assen Circuit, sometimes referred to as the <i>cathedral</i> by race fans worldwide due to its status and historical significance in racing, is the only circuit to have been part of the Grand Prix World Championship calendar since its inception. The circuit, which celebrated its 80th Anniversary of TT racing last year, has undergone many changes over that time. The track is one of the highly technical tracks in the Grand Prix with its high speed chicanes and varied camber changes.<br />
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<i><span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: x-small;">source: Yamaha Factory Racing Press</span></i>Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-5499054306395813142011-06-20T10:18:00.000+08:002011-06-20T10:18:53.380+08:00Weider HSV-010 Rules Sepang Circuit<p align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAcTRbQ_1Qr3EAv8Q80VJuS3zFjWY6M6xCz96eN00T5jS3jrGUNqFGKAmVBpJ9WDr_odU6K3RICnWuIy_cq0PXjISjQeUrNJi3PQ3trkbf_uWEn_VRHKYB8UNyY_zsEsIVhGvAGLHjOe6/s1600/2011SuperGT_KAH119.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAcTRbQ_1Qr3EAv8Q80VJuS3zFjWY6M6xCz96eN00T5jS3jrGUNqFGKAmVBpJ9WDr_odU6K3RICnWuIy_cq0PXjISjQeUrNJi3PQ3trkbf_uWEn_VRHKYB8UNyY_zsEsIVhGvAGLHjOe6/s320/2011SuperGT_KAH119.jpg" /></a></div></p>Round 3 of the 2011 Autobacs Super GT Series was held at the Sepang International Circuit from 18-19 June 2011. The pilots for Team Weider HSV-010, Takashi Kogure and Loic Duval, drove a superb race from start to the chequered flag.<br />
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The team started from pole position after securing it during the GT 500 qualifying session. Takashi Kogure secured the pole position during a blasting pace set in the Super Lap session with a time set at 1 minute 55.984 seconds; 1.227 seconds faster than their lap time in the Qualifying session.<br />
<p align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0azAoDVVxyTm2OsD2HD-lCBRK8pwxdRciOxDcSx9QLCy6OzCFutvYujvq03D7mQ1l-oTJhYRlCHzh0tMpTUDuEJiXsREUkv_pyC7e101T0VYxnAVCtZTfMGQV5Ys-eMonWMup4N-mg35B/s1600/2011SuperGT_KAH025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0azAoDVVxyTm2OsD2HD-lCBRK8pwxdRciOxDcSx9QLCy6OzCFutvYujvq03D7mQ1l-oTJhYRlCHzh0tMpTUDuEJiXsREUkv_pyC7e101T0VYxnAVCtZTfMGQV5Ys-eMonWMup4N-mg35B/s320/2011SuperGT_KAH025.jpg" /></a></div></p>Team Weider HSV-010 completed the Race to 46-laps of the 5.542-kilometre Sepang International Circuit with a total time of 1 hour 33 minutes 34.849 seconds, followed by Team S Road MOLA GT-R, drivers Masataka Yamagida and Ronnie Quintarelli, in second, while Keihin HSV-010's Toshihiro Kaneishi and Koudai Tsukakoshi finishing third, just 14.198 seconds and 32.487 seconds behind, respectively.<br />
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In the GT-300 category, drivers Nobuteru Taniguchi and Taku Bamba of Team Hatsunemiku Goodsmile BMW, drove their BMW Z4 GT3 to victory, completing the race in 1 hour 34 minutes 10.601 seconds, with a total of 42-laps round the Sepang track. The team practically lead a great race throughout till the final 3-laps of the race. <p align="center"><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCip1ZpgA5f24xeKn3KEzk6VCSRmDPzwQBPRzor2281qMHzN8yE3fMXq85vCWII4gUzCVY6ktVGvk5OV5uGfVGQVzp7KF3pHDvwFZSo2ELhqxwBV6xMaE8Kx4ec2cUKywyQus0xHQepKl/s1600/2011SuperGT_KAH059.jpg" imageanchor="1" style=""><img border="0" height="214" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjvCip1ZpgA5f24xeKn3KEzk6VCSRmDPzwQBPRzor2281qMHzN8yE3fMXq85vCWII4gUzCVY6ktVGvk5OV5uGfVGQVzp7KF3pHDvwFZSo2ELhqxwBV6xMaE8Kx4ec2cUKywyQus0xHQepKl/s320/2011SuperGT_KAH059.jpg" /></a></div></p>The BMW was challenged closely by team JIMGAINER Dixcel Dunlop 458 lead by Tetsuya Tanaka and Katsuyaki Hiranaka, during the closing stages of the race with Tetsuya Tanaka closing up on the Z4. Both teams were bumper-to-bumper, with just 1 last lap to the cheqeured flag.<br />
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It was a close battle at the end of the race, with the Ferrari 458GTC settling for second placing, 0.776 seconds behind the Z4. Yutaka Yamagishi and Hideki Yamauchi of Team Pacific NAC Ikamusume Ferrari in their Ferrari F430 managed to finish third, 46.432 seconds away from the leader.<br />
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The teams are now headed back to Japan for the next race of the 2011 Autobacs Super GT Series which will be held at Sugo Circuit from 30-31 July 2011.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0Sepang, Selangor, Malaysia2.7605556 101.737499999999952.6701511 101.69888449999995 2.8509601 101.77611549999996tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-11333194110119830942011-06-13T17:04:00.000+08:002011-06-13T17:04:38.854+08:00Repsol Honda Racing podium at SilverstoneCasey Stoner sealed his 27th victory thus securing the Championship lead in the MotoGP standings after a wet race at the AirAsia British Grand Prix MotoGP Race with team mate Andrea Dovizioso finishing second.<br />
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Jorge Lorenzo lead a rainy start of the 20-lap, 5.902-kilometre Silverstone Race Track, being chased down the straight followed closely by Marco Simoncelli and the two Repsol Honda riders.<br />
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Steady rainfall and as the track conditions worsen, Lorenzo highsided out of third position on lap 8 of the race, making the Silverstone race the first he did not finish since 2009.<br />
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Securing third placing in the MotoGP category was 'Texas Tornado' Colin Edwards, after piloting the Monster Yamaha Tech 3 bike to a podium finish. Edwards, who broke his collarbone last week in practice at Circuit de Catalunya, started from eighth on the grid, rode a consistant race throughout. His consistency benefited from the setbacks of Lorenzo and Simoncelli, earning him, his first podium for the season.<br />
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Rossi on the other hand, struggled with his bike to secure sixth position with his team mate Hayden finishin fourth. His team mate Hayden, on the Ducati, found a very good setup for the wet conditions.<br />
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It was a good team result with Hayden's fourth and Rossi's sixth positions secured, as the Italian limited damage in a challenging weekend, while the American posted the fastest lap of the race and finished just off the podium.<br />
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Lorenzo in an interview, stated that he was somewhat disappointed with the result as the crash was due to a mistake of his own.<br />
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Casey Stoner now leads the championship standings with a total 116-points, 18-points clear from Jorge Lorenzo in second, while Andrea with a total 79-points in third. Rossi still holding his fourth in the championship standings with just 68-points, while his team mate Hayden of the Ducati Team in sixth with 60-points.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-89337373546996433002011-06-01T09:28:00.000+08:002011-06-01T09:28:18.731+08:00Auer Scores EutroInternational's 100th WinAustrian youngster Lucas Auer, scored his 100th win at the Asian Festival of Speed held at the Sepang International Circuit from 28-29 May 2011 in the JK Racing Asia Series Round 5 handing the trophy to EuroInternational owner, Antonio Ferrari.<br />
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Auer, in a media interview said that the win is for the team.<br />
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Auer's dominance in the Series is proven when he bagged another win in Round 6 in the afternoon's race, extending his lead to 116-points in the championship standings.<br />
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The young Austrian has managed to bag five wins out of the six races held at the Sepang International Circuit, stating that he is confident racing in Sepang. He added that this is a result of consistent testing held back here in Sepang and he enjoyed a good line here.<br />
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"<i>The weather has been good. With the exeption of the rain during the qualifying session, it's been sunshine all the way</i>", he added.<br />
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Irfan Ilyas of team PETRONAS MOFAZ Racing meanwhile, was contended to settle with second placing in both races Round 5 and 6. However, he has stated that he might face a greater hurdle debuting next in Sentul International Circuit as the series heads over to Indonesia.<br />
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Irfan during the press conference stated that he has never raced in Indonesia, and he is nervous heading there next. Though, he is confident that after a few rounds of practice there, he will be able to pull-off finishing for podium.<br />
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Teammate Nabil Jeffri, coming in third in Round 6, looks forward to a better race next in Sentul International Circuit, as he is still set for the championship this year, with a lot of catch up to do.<br />
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The JK Racing Asia Series is currently the only Junior Formula that provides a unique opportunity where the drivers are given a platform to compete in front of the Formula 1 fraternity. On three occasions that the JK Racing Asia Series will support the Formula One Grand Prix, which will be held at Malaysia, Singapore and India.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-9906161223087185422011-05-24T08:48:00.000+08:002011-05-24T08:48:47.358+08:00Malaysian Super Series 2011Round 2 of the Malaysian Super Series sees the domination of Dilantha Malagamuwa, scoring his double win in both rounds 1 and 2 last weekend. The Sri Langkan driver now faces tougher battle in the remaining rounds as he prepares life without his mean Lamborghini LP560 machine.<br />
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Dilantha, in a post race interview, said that his LP560 will be used for the GT Asia Championship, which means, he will only make do with his Porsche 994 to continue in the battle for this years' championship.<br />
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<i>"It will be different now that I will not have the Lambo. It's going to be very difficult as the other drivers are clearly much faster this season. It's going to be very tough"</i>, the two-time MSS Champion added.<br />
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It always has been a close battle between Dilantha and his close friend, three-time MSS champion, Mok Weng Sun of Clear Water Racing Singapore, who managed to score third and second placing for round 2 and tipped to be the strongest driver for the next three rounds in the absence of Dilantha's Lamborghini.<br />
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Malaysian Azlan Shah Kamarulzaman was denied the opportunity to deny Australian Glen Allerton from winning the opening round after the second and final race was cut short by rain, giving him only half points for victory.<br />
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Azlan, who came in second in the opening race, was only awarded 12.5 points for his win in Race 2 with Allerton getting 10 points and taking the Australian total haul for the round to 35 points against Azlan's 32.5 points.<br />
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Azlan said that it was unfortunate that the race had to be cut short due to the rain, as he was already leading the race on Lap 3, going all out for the win after starting from second on the grid.<br />
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Allerton, who rides for Team Looi Motor Singapore riding a BMW S1000R said that he was happy with the win and that it was a good decision to stop the race in view of the safety of the riders.<br />
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"<i>It was getting slippery and I had to be very cautious in my approach to keep pace with Azlan</i>", Allerton added, in his debut for the Malaysian Super Series.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-5252197754877286812010-09-20T21:46:00.004+08:002010-09-20T22:14:42.718+08:00Malaysia to have Moto2 wildcard rider<p align="center"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwMGJkdabYIKGpR_0AZnsxO62GCJIo8UmxlDN8oiR5uZ3R6mCrI3zx2AM38COkMbCBgMd74oD-SJ_ubyOFiREj2b6qfoiN0s7UltHBGy7kOgUJ1nIjcL58x0twQzX9-JlPjHJIXC_imPk/s1600/_BSH2581_resize.JPG" target="_blank"><img src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwwMGJkdabYIKGpR_0AZnsxO62GCJIo8UmxlDN8oiR5uZ3R6mCrI3zx2AM38COkMbCBgMd74oD-SJ_ubyOFiREj2b6qfoiN0s7UltHBGy7kOgUJ1nIjcL58x0twQzX9-JlPjHJIXC_imPk/s1600/_BSH2581_resize.JPG" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Sepang International Circuit is spearheading a second MotoGP Wildcard programme that will see a local rider competing in the new Moto2 class at the upcoming 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix which will be held at Sepang International Circuit from 8-10 October 2010.<br /><br />The collaboration between SIC, Two Wheels Motor Racing, PETRONAS and Japanese chassis provider, MORIWAKI, which came to Sepang International Circuit recently for a development test, made the entry possible for ARRC Championship Rider Mohd Zamri Baba as he had a unique experience to test the Moto2 bike earlier today at Sepang International Circuit along with his teammate Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman.<br /><br />As another landmark move in Malaysian Motorsports history, SIC and its partners - TWMR, PETRONAS, Dunlop, Moto Milia, Motorsports Association of Malaysia, AAM and the Youth and Sports Ministry - brokered the inaugural GP wildcard programme last year which saw Elly Idzlianizar Ilias and Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin granted wildcard entries to compete in the 125cc at the 2009 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.<br /><br />SIC CEO, Razlan Razali said that the programme for next year's Moto2 GP Wildcard ticket will still continue as this year's entry is an added bonus. In the 2011 plan, SIC had offered to the top three finishers in the 600cc Supersports Championship category of the Malaysian Super Series a seat for a selected group for a final selection for the wildcard ticket in the Moto2.<br /><br />Commenting after the Moto2 test earlier today, both Zamri and Azlan agreed that the Moto2 bike is ever more challenging than their Yamaha R6 bikes which they usually ride in the ARRC and the Malaysian Super Series Supersports Championship.<br /><br />Introduced this year in replacement of the World 250cc category, the Moto2 GP championship runs bikes with both engines and chassis provided by a single manufacturer from the Honda Racing Corporation.<br /><br />For Zamri, it was a lifelong dream that finally came through and a perfect incentive for him after his sensational performance scoring the first victory for Malaysia this season at the just concluded Round 4 of the Asian Road Racing Championship in Madras.<br /><br />"<I>It will be a fantastic and unprecedented Malaysian MotoGP come October with a local representative in the 125cc by Fahmi and now Zamri Baba in the Moto2. We expect a full support of the Malaysian motorsport fans to make the 20th edition of the Malaysian MotoGP the biggest ever</I>", Razlan Razali added at the press conference held at Sepang earlier today.<br /><br />Sepang will be hosting Round 15 of the MotoGP Championship from 8-10 October 2010, and are offering tickets from as low as RM30 for fans to enjoy top class entertainment on and off track at the 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix.<br /><br />For the local fans, it would be a rare opportunity to see their own local hero Zulfahmi and now Zamri Baba to test their skills with worlds best at home soil apart from catching the other top Malaysian riders in action at the support races.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-36061438018634352182010-09-20T20:55:00.004+08:002010-09-20T21:26:56.517+08:00Azlan and Kuhara double victory<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5008376922_5d48cd36a8_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4125/5008376922_5d48cd36a8_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Defending champion Azlan Shah Kamaruzaman kept his hopes alive in retaining the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) 600cc Supersports crown with a spectacular performance at Round 3 in Sepang yesterday with a double victory for the second successive time this season.<br /><br />Azlan, who missed the opening round in April earlier this year, took a double victory at Round 2 in July, hauls the gap closer with championship leader Mohd Suhadi Ali Rahmat with just two more rounds to go for this years' season 2010.<br /><br />Suhadi, on the other hand, had to settle with the double second placing who finished the race behind Azlan. The former 2009 Superstock champion added another 40 points to stay 10 points ahead of Azlan Shah in the championship standings.<br /><br />Rathapong Walairot, the younger brother of Moto2 rider Rathapak Walairot who upstaged Azlan and Suhadi in the qualifying session on Saturday, topped the Junior Category, though was unable to equal the race pace of the two Malaysian riders.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5008376720_800267830f_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4148/5008376720_800267830f_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Azlan who was representing the PETRONAS Sprinta Yamaha Racing, said that the championship battle was still an open affair to the rest of the riders including Thailand's Suhatchai Chaemsap and his teammate, Zamri Baba, who was missing from the round as well.<br /><br />In the Superbike Championship, defending champion Yasuhiro Kuhara also managed to score a double win to add another 50-points to his total championship points as he closes in to his third MSS title. The Japanese rider for Team HKL Racing has now 145-championship points and looked strong to seal the crown at the next round during the Round 4 which will be held during the Malaysian GP as support races.<br /><br />Ahmad Zamani Baharuddin managed to open up a gap of 25-points ahead of Ramon Azrem in the Superstock Championship category after a second placing in Race 1 and a winner in Race 2. Ramon, will have to perform well in the next two rounds to snatch the championship title away from Zamani when he did not finish the race in the second heat, although winning the first race.<br /><br />The next round will be held as support races to the 2010 Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix from 8-10 October 2010, and the final round in November.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-72208576410909829192010-09-06T09:35:00.003+08:002010-09-06T10:27:05.339+08:00Disappointment for Zulfahmi at San MarinoDisappointment for Zulfahmi Khairuddin as his battle for championship points in the MotoGP's 125cc category was denied after his machine faced technical problems after completing only 2-laps out of the 23-lap race at Misano yesterday.<br /><br />Zulfahmi managed to rise from 28th to 20th position on the starting grid after a great performance in the qualifying session on Saturday. His target was to gain at least another championship point for the round in Misano.<br /><br />He was very disappointed with the technical problem he faced with his bike when the engine came to a halt and the rear wheel jammed right after the second lap of the race.<br /><br />Fahmi, who also encountered technical difficulties which ended his race early at the Indianapolis Speedway in United States last week, said that he had hoped for a better race at San Marino after a team effort in improving the bike's overall engine performance.<br /><br />"<i>My Aprilia machine looked very promising as the team improved the machine's performance</i>", he added looking sad and disappointed with his performance.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-79424555020416216022010-09-01T22:36:00.000+08:002010-09-02T22:57:40.713+08:00Misano Adriatico Grand Prix PreviewThere will be no rest for the Fiat Yamaha as they return to Europe and Marvellous Misano despite having just finished a punishing weekend's race in the searing heat of Indianapolis.<br /><br />As for the Ducati Marlboro Team, they will return home this weekend looking up to put on a good show for the local crowd at Misano and make up for a rather disappointing race last year, which Casey Stoner missed through illness whilst Nicky Hayden was taken out by another rider in the first turn.<br /><br />The MotoGP riders will be back on board in less than four days time for the twelfth round of the season at Misano Adriatico on Italy's eastern seaboard. It will be another 'home' race for the Fiat Yamaha Team, as it lies just a few hundred kilometres away from their Italian base, and both championship leader Jorge Lorenzo and his team-mate Valentino Rossi will be planning on a big weekend at the Italian party town.<br /><br />Misano lies just 30-kilometres away from Valentino Rossi's hometown of Tavullia, where the 31-year-old legend grew up and where he still lives today.<br /><br />The Misano Adriatico circuit was built at the start of the seventies and has since undergone a series of modifications that have altered both the length as well as the layout and updates and upgrades of pit facilities and paddock. The current layout of the track which was switched from an anti-clockwise to clockwise in 2007 when MotoGP returned after 16-years of absence, looks straightforward but is far from it.<br /><br />The twelfth round of 2010 season will be a race to be remembered as Rossi is hoping to give the fans a good show as it will be his last race for the Fiat Yamaha Team at his hometown circuit.<br /><br />"<I>Of course it's my home race and it's near my house so it's always very special to race there, in front of all my fans. I have won there the last two years but this year we come in slightly different circumstances. Still, we will be trying our hardest and I really hope I can give the fans a good show</i>", Valentino Rossi.<br /><br />Valentino Rossi still holds the lap record at Misano which he set in 2009 on his Fiat Yamaha with a best time of 1 minute 34.746 seconds.<br /><br />In 2009, Valentino Rossi won the MotoGP race with a total time of 44 minutes 32.882 seconds with Jorge Lorenzo coming in second, just 2.416 seconds behind Rossi and Dani Pedrosa completing the top three finishers 12.400 seconds behind Rossi.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-66507764624389763502010-08-23T22:11:00.001+08:002010-09-02T22:36:06.395+08:00ARTA HSV-010 gets first win of the seasonGT500 class winner for the Round 6 of the 2010 AUTOBACS Super GT Series that was held at the Suzuka Circuit in conjunction with the 39th International Pokka GT Summer Special on 22 August 2010 was team ARTA HSV-010 with drivers Ralph Firman, Yuji Ide and Takashi Kobayashi, bagging their first win of the season.<br /><br />Team ARTA HSV-010 started from the front row of the grid in pole position with Yuji Ide as the starting driver. The team completed the 121 laps of the 5.807-kilometre Suzuka Circuit in 4 hours 7 minutes 10.085 seconds.<br /><br />The Motul AUTECH GT-R finished the race in second overall in the GT500 category with just 22 seconds behind team ARTA HSV-010 whilst Team RAYBRIG HSV-010 managing third overall in the GT500 category.<br /><br />Ralph Firman was relieved with the win at Suzuka Circuit and was delighted that it was the team's first win in their ARTA HSV-010 for the season, even though it was a tough season so far. With the win at Suzuka, the team can now look forward to the remainder of the races for the season with a bigger confidence for the team as well as the drivers.<br /><br />Yuji Ide added that he was also delighted as it was his first pole start for him for quite some time, as he managed to stay calm and get a good head start for the race.<br /><br />"<I>Since joining the ARTA team this year, I had not been able to contribute to a good race result, so I wanted to win here. What was the reason for my tears after the race? There are really just too many reasons.</i>", he added.<br /><br />Team R&D Sport Legacy B4 emerged as winners in the GT300 class with drivers Tetsuya Yamano and Kota Sasaki, after starting from 11th position on the GT300 class grid.<br /><br />The teams will now move on to Round 7 of the AUTOBACS 2010 Super GT at Fuji Speedway for the OKAYAMA GT 300 kilometre Race round the 4.563-kilometre Fuji Speedway track on 12 September 2010.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-83411551316858449352010-08-18T05:47:00.002+08:002010-08-18T06:11:05.682+08:00BRNO TestsBad weather at Brno afforded the MotoGP teams just half a day's testing in the second and final official one-day post-GP session schedule, setting their self up for the rest of the eight races for the 2010 MotoGP Season.<br /><br />Jorge Lorenzo of the Fiat Yamaha Team, who picked up from where he left-off during the first session the day before, was still the fastest round the track with a total time of 1 minute 56.269 seconds whilst his team-mate Valentino Rossi, only able to clock fourth fastest with a total time of 1 minute 57.129 seconds.<br /><br />The Fiat Yamaha team tested their new engine upgrade as well as a new suspension setting for their M1 bikes for both Valentino Rossi and Jorge Lorenzo. Lorenzo, on the other hand, was able to complete some laps on Yamaha's 2011 prototype YZR-M1.<br /><br />Being the fastest round the track, Jorge Lorenzo was happy with the 2-day post-GP official tests held at Brno, as he finds that the tests were important and rather interesting for them. Unfortunately, the heavy rain forced all the teams to stop early.<br /><br />Casey Stoner of the Ducati Marlboro Team managed to clock second fastest completing yesterday's post-GP test session with his team-mate Nicky Hayden, only managing tenth fastest on the time sheets. Nicky Hayden who injured his left wrist was riding a more conservative lap round the track to ensure he is able to be back to full fitness in time for his home race at Indianapolis on 29 August.<br /><br />"<i>We tried a new fork today and as far as we could tell, the feeling is positive. Unfortunately we were only able to get a couple of hours in this morning because immediately after lunch, it started to rain and we couldn't complete the test.</i>", Casey Stoner of the Ducati Marlboro Team.<br /><br />Meanwhile, Dani Pedrosa from the Repsol Honda Team completes the top three Unofficial Lap Times for the 2-day post-GP Season Test yesterday finishing third fastest with a lap time of 1 minute 56.944 seconds, just 0.1 seconds slower than Casey Stoner.<br /><br />The current circuit record is still being held by Jorge Lorenzo which he clocked 1 minute 56.670 seconds in 2009 with an average speed of 166.716 Km/h while Rossi having holding the Best Pole lap with a fastest time of 1 minute 56.145 seconds, which he also recorded in 2009 on his Yamaha.<br /><br />The teams will now have a weekend off before making headway for the next GP at Indianapolis in The United States of America for the next round of the MotoGP World Championship.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-32535429776687355762010-08-16T10:00:00.000+08:002010-08-16T15:20:40.330+08:00Valentino Rossi and DucatiNine-times World MotoGP Champion, Valentino Rossi, seals the deal with Ducati, after signing a two year agreement to race with the "Rossa" of Borgo Panigale in the Ducati Marlboro Team from 2011.<br /><br />The arrival of Valentino Rossi in Ducati opens a new and exciting chapter in the Italian factory's sporting history and indeed, of the whole World MotoGP Championship. The opportunity of the lining-up both an extraordinary rider and character is considered by Ducati to be a huge value to the whole Ducati MotoGP Project.<br /><br />Fillipo Preziosi, Ducati Corse General Director, expressed that he sees Valentino as a great fan of motorcycles and so, it has always been a pleasure for him to listen to Vale's opinions.<br /><br />He added that until the end of the 2010 Valencia GP, Rossi will remain as a competitor, one so great, that have always given special values to Ducati's victories, but, as soon as Rossi rides the Ducati for the first time, they will continue to work together on every single detail that will develop the bike better in order to fully unleash its huge talent.<br /><br />"<i>Working with Valentino is one of the most exciting things for every engineer and it's good to know we will have this great opportunity next season</i>", he added.<br /><br />The Yamaha Motor Co. Ltd, announced Rossi's part from the company at the end of this season hours after the Czech Republic Grand Prix yesterday. They have announced that Valentino Rossi has played a huge part in Yamaha Racing's history and Rossi will remain as an important part of Yamaha's heritage.<br /><br />On behalf of the Yamaha Motor Group, Managing Director Lin Jarvis of the Yamaha Motor Racing, conveyed the company's sincerest gratitude for the amazing seven years that Rossi and Yamaha had spent together.<br /><br />In 2004, Rossi joined the Yamaha Racing Team, during that moment, Yamaha was still struggling in road racing after eleven seasons without a single championship victory.<br /><br />"<i>There have been so many wonderful experiences and victories and we are very proud to have been able to make history together. Whilst we regret Vale's decision to move on, at the same time we fully respect his decision to search for a new challenge and we wish him the very best for 2011 and beyond.</i>", he added.<br /><br />Rossi quoted that it is very difficult to explain in just a few words what a great relationship bond that has been bonded between Yamaha and himself in the past seven years. He added that many improvements and things have changed since that far-off time in 2004, but definitely, the M1, has changed.At one time, 'she' was a poor middle-grid position MotoGP bike, derided by most of the riders and the MotoGP workers.<br /><br />"<i>Now, the moment has come to look for new challenges; my work here at Yamaha is finished. Unfortunately even the most beautiful love stories finish, but they leave a lot of wonderful memories, like when my M1 and I kissed for the first time on the grass at Welkom, when she looked straight in my eyes and told me 'I Love You!'</i>", he added, in his handwritten manuscript (in Italian).Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-39292716763077680202010-08-15T23:00:00.006+08:002010-08-16T11:41:01.145+08:00Lorenzo Wins at Brno<p align="center"><a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kuhqltzE0qq7hG77oj93j1RlxKIhv7SoRwVpmWQJ0XZh165FAY-B_KBeWHRsgN8CXPdxWzw8qdfMA0CJmVKZqVvqMwG9YoDARSNOY4EuDE9j1gsAi9NRZuWrfRGO03Mfc2qDn6P2jrf5/s1600/lorenzo_brno2010_01.jpg"><img style="cursor: pointer; width: 400px; height: 266px;" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9kuhqltzE0qq7hG77oj93j1RlxKIhv7SoRwVpmWQJ0XZh165FAY-B_KBeWHRsgN8CXPdxWzw8qdfMA0CJmVKZqVvqMwG9YoDARSNOY4EuDE9j1gsAi9NRZuWrfRGO03Mfc2qDn6P2jrf5/s400/lorenzo_brno2010_01.jpg" alt="" id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5505846442996157682" border="0" /></a><br /><span style="font-size:78%;"><i>Photo: Fiat Yamaha Team</i></span></p>Round 10 of the World MotoGP Championship was held at the Brno Circuit, Czech Republic, seeing Jorge Lorenzo dominating the race from start till the chequered flag. Jorge Lorenzo secures his impressive seventh win of the season at the Grand Prix of Czech, marks him the only third premier-class rider in history to finish in the top two at the opening ten races of the season.<br /><br />In stark contrast to his Fiat Yamaha team-mate's good fortunes, Valentino Rossi ran into problems from the start of the race and could only finish fifth.<br /><br />Despite surrendering pole position for the first time in six races, Jorge Lorenzo proved to be a remarkable racer, when he made some bold moves around the first two turns, seeing him take the lead before the first split and he looked in imperious from on his Yamaha M1, with yesterday's front-end troubles clearly a thing of the past.<br /><br />Valentino Rossi in the other hand, was confident that he would be able to mount a strong challenge for honours in the afternoon, following the heavy rain in the morning, but it was not to be for the Italian. He had felt strong all weekend despite sliding off during qualifying but he never had the same confidence in the race and was unable to ride as he would have liked.<br /><br />In a post race conference, Valentino expressed that he was very disappointed with the race results, as he was confident of putting a great challenge at the front. He was confident as everything seemed right, but yet, they were not as fast as the front runners.<br /><br />"<i>We are sad but tomorrow we will have the chance to test and try to understand what went wrong today, which will help us to be in better shape in Indianapolis. As for my future, you will know something at 6pm today</i>", he added.<br /><br />With a win from Lorenzo today, he is clear of Pedrosa by 77 championship points in the standings, with only eight rounds remaining. Valentino Rossi in the other hand, holds at fifth in the standings, with 101 championship points, just 14-points behind Andrea Dovizioso of the Repsol Honda Team.<br /><br />In the 125cc category, Malaysia's local hero, Mohd Zulfahmi Khairuddin managed to secure another point, after finishing fifteenth position in the race at Brno despite the poor weather conditions.<br /><br />Zulfahmi who started the race from twenty third on the grid, took the track cautiously in adjusting to the wet tracks. During the post race interview, he said that he had to be a little more careful on the tracks, and he is grateful to the team who had prepared and delivered an awesome bike for the race.<br /><br />Zulfahmi expressed that he is really happy to finish the race in the top twenty and to score yet another point, meeting his target for his race today.<br /><br />Razlan Razali, Chief Executive Officer of Sepang International Circuit, was delighted and immensely proud of the young rider's performance at Brno, despite of the wet conditions of the Brno Circuit.<br /><br />"<i>I am glad that he triumphed despite the adverse conditions at the track. This proves that he has definitely improved on his performance, and he is learning to adjust himself to the pressures he encounters in every race.</i>", he added.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-40985149303967757892010-08-11T14:21:00.003+08:002010-08-11T14:48:29.390+08:00Mizz Nina Performs at 2010 MMERMotor Racing fans were entertained by Mizz Nina at the Mall Area at Sepang International Circuit during the 2010 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race. The concert was proudly presented by Digi and Tuners in conjunction with the Tuners Fest 2010 held here.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4881736278_663252f0e3_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4139/4881736278_663252f0e3_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Aside from having Mizz Nina, there were fun filled games and contests set up for spectators at the Welcome Centre with activities like colouring contests, dance competition and many more for those spectators with accompanying children. The side events held during the 2010 MMER at Sepang International Circuit was a success with many entries from participating schools for the Dance Competition.<br /><br />A&W was one of the many sponsors for the events held, whilst kids and families entertained with special appearance by the A&W Bear as well as "Upin dan Ipin" mascots special appearances.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4881735834_89658615d5_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4881735834_89658615d5_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>An autoshow was also held as among the events lined up for the weekend at Sepang International Circuit, where 60+ cars will be competing in several categories such as Standard Modified, Extreme Modified, Open Modified, VIP Concept, Best Lighting and K-Car.<br /><br />The race weekend's side track events was a partnership between SIC and an online automotive magazine portal, Pro Tuners.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-13011320480726424872010-08-10T16:50:00.003+08:002010-08-10T18:24:10.943+08:00Tunku Hammam Crowned MMER Champion<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4878301213_a7e3d50ef6_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4123/4878301213_a7e3d50ef6_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Tunku Hammam Tunku Sulong, won his second Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race title as his Arrows Racing Team upstaged the favorites Audi Works Team at Sepang International Circuit last weekend.<br /><br />The partnership between former European GT3 champion, Christopher Haase and top Dutch driver, Peter Kox, the Arrows Racing Team drove a perfect race to the chequered flag in a Lamborghini Gallardo LP560, although starting from second on the grid, alongside pole sitter, Porsche Club Singapore Racing, led by Mok Weng Sun.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4878298879_a8329ea9c1_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4074/4878298879_a8329ea9c1_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>The Audi Race Experience Team Joest, featuring multiple Le Mans winners, Frank Biela and Marco Werner and WTCC driver Daryl O'Young, had to contend themselves with second placing, but vows to return stronger in next year's MMER to complete their mission for the top spot on the podium.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4878908794_93cf3e3232_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4878908794_93cf3e3232_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>Tunku Hammam, in an interview during the post race conference, stated that the win this year is certainly much competitive as compared to the last one. He was delighted to win the title again, which he won his first title in the 2002 MMER, partnering Tommy Lee and Briton, Nigel Albon for Naza-Jaseri Racing Team.<br /><br />"<i>It would definitely be much harder if Mok was still in the race. They definitely had the faster car. But, this race is not about out and out speed. It's an endurance race!</i>, he added.<br /><br />It was heartbreaking for the partnership between Mok Weng Sun, Craig G. Baird and Richard Lietz, in their Porsche RSR, when it had mechanical problems, just after completing 119 laps round the 5.543-kilometre track of the Sepang International Circuit.<br /><br />The Porsche Club Singapore Racing team started the race from pole position and was already breaking away from their rivals before their car came to a halt due to mechanical problems. The Kencana Racing Team, which also had a promising run, was also forced out by a similar problem with their Porsche machine.<p align="center"><a href="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4878295625_932ed83834_b.jpg" target="_blank"><img src="http://farm5.static.flickr.com/4102/4878295625_932ed83834_b.jpg" width="400" border="0" /></a></p>The race was flagged off by Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek at the strike of midnight, joined by Miss Malaysia World Thanuja Ananthan and top singer Faradina Mohd Nadzir.<br /><br />This year's MMER was filled with drama and suspense, as jinxed Empire Motorsports continued for a third year after their Lotus 2-11 bursts into flames during refueling, bringing their challenge to an abrupt, just after completing 56-laps. The team had faced a similar situation in last year's race, when electrical problems ignited their engine, and in the previous year, 2008, a broken wheel nut in the final hour brought their challenge to an end.<br /><br />Defending champions, Team PETRONAS Syntium, which had Tatsuya Kataoka, Fariqe Hairuman and Melvin Moh, failed to finish the race, when their BMW Z4M Coupe encountered a mechanical failure just 80-minutes away from the chequered flag.<br /><br />The Honda Malaysia Racing Team won the Touring Production Class Race, whilst Team Tracy Sports, featuring Masatama Kawaguchi, Masayuki Ueda and Adam Han in their Honda S2000, won the Sports Production Class Category.<br /><br />Tunku Hammam added at the end of the post race press conference that he hoped to return in next year's MMER, but still unsure, whether it would be the same partnership.<br /><br />"<i>Hopefully, with these guys again and hopefully, we will get a better car or we can use the same car to race next year.</i>", he added.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-32064962377198835112010-08-07T10:22:00.002+08:002010-08-07T10:51:33.308+08:00Porsche Club Singapore Takes Third Successive Pole in MMERPorsche Club Singapore Racing will start tomorrow's 2010 12-hour Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race at Sepang International Circuit for the third consecutive year.<br /><br />Lead by two-time Malaysian Super Series Supercar champion, Mok Weng Sun, the team clocked a total time of 6 minutes 17.346 seconds around the 5.543-kilometre Sepang International Track, while Arrows Racing Team, starts second on the front row of the grid.<br /><br />The Porsche Club Singapore Racing failed in their bid to retain the overall title last year despite starting from pole position, after winning the MMER in 2008. The team eventually finished third after they have encountered mechanical problems in the first hour of the race, having spent 35 minutes in the pits repairing the damage.<br /><br />"<i>I started from pole position in 2008 and won the race so I am really hoping to repeat that performance at the race tomorrow</i>", Mok Weng Sun, during the post qualifying press conference at the circuit.<br /><br />He added that were not able to retain the title in 2009 despite starting from pole position. He hoped that he will be at the drivers press conference tomorrow after the race.<br /><br />MOFAZ Racing, which features the Fauzy brothers, Fairuz and Farriz; and Rizal Ashram Ramli were the fastest in the Sports Production Class, clocking the total time of 7 minutes 8.563 seconds, 14th overall in the qualifying time sheets.<br /><br />The Honda Malaysia Racing Team will start tonights midnight flag off from 17th on the grid, as they were the fastest in the Touring Production class with a total time of 7 minutes 16.757 seconds.<br /><br />Thanuja Anandthan, Miss Malaysia Miss World 2009/2010, will flag the race off at midnight tonight, with 36 cars on the starting grid.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-43845245742745438582010-08-05T18:04:00.002+08:002010-08-05T18:22:57.344+08:00Key to winning an Endurance RaceParticipants of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race are busy setting and testing their cars as the 12-hour endurance race draws near. The teams main concern is their car's reliability to endure the 12-hour duration of the race, which can be affected by many different factors.<br /><br />Race driver, Fairuz Fauzy from Mofaz Racing Team, said that the team's main source of worry right now is the durability of the Pirelli Tyres, unlike previous seasons, tyre makes were not standardised.<br /><br />Fairuz, who will be partnering with his brother Farriz Fauzy and former German F3 driver Rizal Ashram Ramli, said that the change of tyres basically means that all the teams taking part in the 2010 MMER will have to start from ground zero.<br /><br />"<i>We all have to calibrate the cars according to the tyres. So far, quite a few teams have been struggling with the tyres as they tend to wear out after only eight or nine rounds. Imagine how it will be in a 12-hour race. It is a really big challenge for us and the other teams in getting the best out of the tyres and trying to ensure that they last longer.</i>", he added.<br /><br />This year's MMER will see participation from experienced endurance racers likes of Frank Biela, Marco Werner, Peter Kox, Christopher Haase, Daryl O'Young, Matthew Marsh, Tatsuya Kataoka, Nobuteru Taniguchi and Masataka Managida.<br /><br />Aside from Fairuz, who is currently the test driver for Lotus F1 Racing team, this year's MMER witnesses the participation of many other top names in the world of motor racing, including winners of the prestigious 24-hour LeMans Race.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5020311977867946019.post-48828036802965832462010-08-04T16:29:00.002+08:002010-08-04T16:48:06.006+08:00Honda Racing's Biggest ChallengeFormer A1GP Team Malaysia Driver, Aaron Lim and his Honda Malaysia Racing Team (HMRT) expressed that the team's biggest challenge quest for the race title this year's Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) is the extended nocturnal driving hours.<br /><br />This year's 11th edition of the 12-hour endurance race held at the Sepang International Circuit will have the drivers race seven hours in darkness of night of the 5.543-kilometre track and just five hours of daylight.<br /><br />Aaron said that the night driving demands extra attention and focus from the drivers, thus putting more stress and pressure on them.<br /><br />"<i>Rain may also be an additional challenge for us, and it is unpredictable</i>", he added, in clear reference to the heavy three-hour early morning downpour in 2006. The downpour may have been the reason behind the organisers decision to switch the event from its midnight start to an 1100hrs start from the following year.<br /><br />The HMRT will be backed and fully supported by a full-fledged local crew of 22 personnel from its Honda Malaysia plant in Melaka and its headquarters in Kuala Lumpur. The team will be competing in the Touring Production Class, which will feature a host of Honda Civic FD2s, Honda Integra DC5s and the two-litre Toyota Altezza.<br /><br />Aaron added that the other challenge for this year's 11th edition 2010 MMER would be the restrictions to one tyre maker, Pirelli, for all the competitors.<br /><br />HMRT team leader, Loh Chin Wooi said that the team's preparation, which includes the training of 11 new members, have been progressing smoothly. He added that the new members will need to learn new ropes when they were selected to join the HMRT, to acquire new skills, beyond their usual day job.<br /><br />"<i>Of course, we are fully confident that the senior members in the team will be able to share and impart their knowledge onto the new members</i>", adding that he is confident that his three drivers will be taking the team to the top of the podium.<br /><br />The 11th edition of the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race will be flagged off at midnight on 8 August 2010 and the chequered flag will be out 12-hours later at noon on the same day.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/06447704459657104308noreply@blogger.com0