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| Motor Image Racing Team |
Sunday, 5th September 2010 |
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| Malaysian Rally 2009 |
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| Malaysia, August 15-16 |
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| Event Overview |
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Malaysia is a tropical country. It is hot and humid all year
round. The temperature usually lies between 27 to 30 degrees Celsius.
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Malaysia is the long finger of land extending down from Asia and
pointing to Indonesia and Australia. It comprises of 14 states and
divided into two distinct parts, which are known as the Peninsular
or West Malaysia and East Malaysia situated on the island of Borneo.
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| Event History |
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Rallying in Malaysia has a long and glorious history from its humble
beginnings in the late 60s, when cars rallied on routes know as 'Mickey
Mouse stages'. Back then rallying was a sport that was organized purely
for fun and held over the weekends. But over the years it generated a
following thus the need for more structured events arose.
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In 1971 local rallying took a step forward when races were organized in
accordance with the rule and regulations set by FISA (now FIA). This
prompted a more organized and competitive rallying format and thus
Malaysian Rallying slowly progressed.
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Malaysia is blessed with wickedly fast stretches of tight, narrow stages in acres and acres of palm oil
and rubber plantation estates, giving competitors the serious and hard task of getting their cars to
the finish line in one piece. Using the natural terrain as a tool to lure overseas competitors to
Malaysia, rally organizers initiated the very first Rally Malaysia in 1977 in a 'Special Stage' format.
Since then Rally Malaysia has gained the reputation as being one of the toughest events in the Asia
Pacific region. This is highlighted by the fact that more and more foreign drivers are making Malaysia
their home turf as it provides a perfect practice ground for both drivers and co-drivers to master
their skills. Drivers such as Shekar Menta, Greg Carr, Lassi Lampi, Mark Lovell, Ross Dunkerton, Possum
Borne, Colin Mcrae and K.Taguchi are among the famous names in Rallying who did just that.
Apart from Rally Malaysia, the local Malaysian Rally Championship is also contested by both local
and international drivers. In the past this prompted sponsors from cigarette, oil and car companies to
support the event as they saw the benefits and attention it generated. Our national oil company
Petronas, for instance, brought rallying to new heights through its involvement from 1992 to 1999.
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The introduction of the Proton and Kancil Cup One Make Series received tremendous support from
local competitors and enticed many new competitors to join the world of rallying. Drivers like
Saladin Mazlan rose through the ranks to follow in the footsteps of local rallying greats like Karamjit
Singh, Henry Yap and Kan Chee Hong who are internationally recognized for their speed and talent.
Running in parallel to the national series was a satellite championship, known as the Rally of Perlis
which began in 1997. Organized by the Perlis Motorsports Club, the series successfully generated
new talent and public interest in the north of Peninsular Malaysia. With many successful events
under its belt, the Perlis Motorsports Club and its promoter Wheel Sports Management (WSM) were
eventually given the rights to run the Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC) and they have been
running the national championship ever since.
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The MRC took a big step forward when in 2003 it was given 'observer' status as sanctioned by the FIA.
As a result, in 2005 Malaysia was awarded the right to host a leg of the APRC and it has been a
gracious host ever since.
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