16th
January, Kuala Lumpur - Prime Minister
Datuk Seri Abdullah Haji Ahmad Badawi officially launched the ninth edition
of Malaysia's Formula One race at Impiana
KLCC in Kuala Lumpur as fans worldwide
wait anxiously of what they see as the
start of the real battle in the 2007 Formula
One World Championship at Sepang F1 Circuit.
Slotted as the second round from April
6 to 8 at the customed-built Fl-circuit,
drivers and teams competing at the 2007
Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand
Prix would also have for the first time
the privilege of comprehensive testing
at the track ahead of the actual race.
The new season would open on March 15
at Albert Park in Melbourne, Australia
where fans over the years had witnessed
unpredictable results and teams unable
to perform to their true strength and
capabilities being the start of the
season and limitations of the park circuit.
Speaking at the launch ceremony, SIC
chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Dr Mahathir
anticipated an interesting, fiercely
fought race with the teams and drivers
performing to their true capabilities
as they would be fully prepared as they
would be boosted by the precious three-day
official test in Sepang.
"2007 marks the ninth edition of
the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand
Prix. More importantly, it also marks
a new beginning for SIC," he said
in reference to the F1 Teams first official
test in Sepang from March 27 to 29.
"With this new programme, Formula
One teams have now joined their counterparts
in MotoGP and Japan's Super GT in making
Sepang as their official test circuits,"
he said, adding that it was an important
milestone in SIC's efforts to make Malaysia
as the hub of world class motorsports
activities in the region.
Sepang first staged the Formula One
Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix in 1999
that started as massive public relations
exercise to uplift Malaysia's image
globally and to promote the country
as a leading tourism destination as
well as to make Malaysia as the new
motorsports hub in the region.
Declaring that SIC was all ready to
stage the 2007 Formula One Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix, Mokhzani expressed
confidence that they was able to break
last year's attendance of 107,634 spectators
with the support of the 2007 Visit Malaysia
Year programme and the F1 test providing
additional promotion ammunition for
the event.
"It is perhaps fitting that the
inaugural F1 test in Sepang coincides
with the 2007 Visit Malaysia Year programme
as Malaysia hopes to make as big and
strong impact as possible among the
international community to woo them
to Malaysia and enjoy the Malaysian
hospitality.
"Through Formula One, SIC hopes
to provide a huge chunk of the 20.1
million international travelers and
RM40 billion in foreign exchange from
international tourism as targeted by
Tourism Malaysia for 2007.
"Officially, we are targeting
an attendance of 120,000 spectators
for the race on April 8 with at least
48,000 of them being foreign tourists,"
Mokhzani said, adding that apart from
the F1 race, SIC's support to the Visit
Malaysia Year programme would also come
from the Asian Festival of Speed in
May, Japan GT Championship Malaysia
in June, the Asian Grand Prix and the
Merdeka Millennium Endurance race in
August, the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand
Prix in October and the A1GP Malaysia
in November.
Fittingly, the launch of the 2007 Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix coincided with
the official launch of the Petronas-backed
BMW Sauber F1 Team in Valencia, Spain
where drivers Nick Heidfeld and Robert
Kubica unveiled the new car for the
2007 season.
The guests at Impiana KLCC - which eincluded
Petronas President Tan Sri Hassan Merican,
Youth and Sport Minister Datuk Azalina
Othman Said; Tourism Minister Tengku
Datuk Adnan Tengku Mansor; Federal Territories
Minister Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique and
the new Mayor of Kuala Lumpur Ab Hakim
Borhan - were treated to an exclusive
screening of the launch; thrilled by
the superb performance and speed of
the new BMW Sauber F1.07 machine. Sixth
in the overall Constructors' Championship
with 36 points last year, the BMW Sauber
F1 Team scored two podium finishes last
year with Heidfeld and Kubica taking
third place in the Grand Prix of Hungary
and Italy respectively.
At the ceremony, Mokhzani also presented
Datuk Abdullah with tickets for the
2007 Formula One Petronas Malaysian
Grand Prix worthed RM75,000 for the
Prime Minister to give away as charity.
Tickets for the 2007 Formula One Petronas
Malaysian Grand Prix are priced as low
as RM50. Students are offered a 50 percent
discount for purchase of Hillstand C2
covered seats, which are selling at
RM1 50.
For ticket information, e-mail to
ticket@malaysiangp.com.my
or call TICKET HOTLINE at 603-87782222.
For more information on the event and
SIC, log on to
www.malaysiangp.com.my