Merakyat Kan Motorsports. That is the motto for this year's Malaysia Speed Festival series. Poorly translated (forgive my futile attempts at learning Malay), it roughly means "Motorsports for the People". Again, apologies if it means something else entirely!
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| Racing at the grassroots level - MSF. (Photo: KZ Creative Studio) |
MSF aims to provide the masses an opportunity to participate and compete on professional and amateur levels. Multiple tiers of racing categories offer different levels of racing for riders and drivers of all different skill levels. So if you're wondering what the hell are you going to all those trackday sessions for, why not pit your hard-earned skills to the test and compete on a higher level? MSF is the starting platform for you.
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| Not gonna lean any new tips that way. |
Although plagued by recent problems and hearsay regarding a sudden change in the regulating body for racing in Malaysia, the Malaysia Speed Festival proceeded on with its local racers registering with the Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM).
Registering for a race license in Malaysia would require one to undergo a medical checkup, join any AAM affiliated club and take a written exam before being able to hold the esteemed title of "Racer".
Iron Horse originally was to send one of their riders to compete in their newest Super Rookie category in the Super1000 series but alas, he foolishly got into an accident on a rental bike a week before the race. Let this be a lesson to all of you, dear readers. Take care of yourself, especially close to race day.
So with our rider out of commission for the week, we turn to our fellow Singaporean racers who safely made it to Sepang, having prepped weeks before.
In Singapore, the process to gain one's racing license is a tad more tricky, financially-speaking. Money moves in Singapore after all. So apart from going for a medial checkup to certify one's fitness, fees are also levied for 1) Application to join Motor Sports Singapore (the local racing regulating body), 2) Registering for either an international or local license, depending on the races you want to participate in, and 3) Any miscellaneous fees such as a Release Letter for racing outside of Singapore.
So on top of the huge hole burned in the proverbial pocket, riders have to be in relatively fit shape. They'll be competing in a highly-paced race after all, and the calories burnt whilst throwing the bike around while shifting the body is astronomical.
Roughly speaking, a normal rider (let's say 70-ish kg) will burn through about 170 calories in an hour. Now couple that with a skin-tight leather suit that does a superb job at retaining heat and the humid conditions at Sepang, along with the G-force that tugs at your very soul whilst you fight to keep your bike stable on the track. You're going to come off that race a kilogram lighter at least.
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| Better get some towels and a portable fan ready - it's gonna get swampy real fast. |
A couple of days prior to the race, SBR held its next trackday session at Sepang International Circuit, providing our Singaporean counterparts a chance to hone their skills further before taking part in the race. Unfortunately due to some crashes and wipeouts, the number of Singaporean riders taking part in MSF was reduced to four out of the original five. All part of the business of racing.
For the purposes of this post, lets focus on the MSF Superbike series, each group is made up of five different categories. So for example, if you're competing in the Super 1000 series, your available groups are as such:
1. Super 1000 Group A
2. Super 1000 Group B
3. Super 1000 Group C
4. Super 1000 Group D (Super Rookie)
5. Super 1000 Ladies
Two of our local racers, Hidayat from Yatzindustries and See Kiat took to Group B while the other two, Dhiraj and Jia Hao were slotted in Group A.
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| First row, from the left: Hidayat and See Kiat (Photo: MSF Superbikes) |
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| Middle: Jia Hao, all smiles while sandwiched between his Malaysian counterparts. (Photo: MSF Superbikes) |
Another regular on the racing circuit, Arul Pisang also made his scheduled appearance in the Super 400 series.
The first round of races is a sprint, starting with one round of practice and qualifying, followed by the first round of qualifying 5-lap heats. The final 5-lap heats will then determine the podium finishes of the round.
With the exception of Dhiraj, who unfortunately suffered a bad crash in the first qualifying Heats and had to sit out the second round, all of the Singaporean riders successfully completed their respective races and crossed that hallowed checkered flag.
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| Dhiraj prepping before the race. Glad you're alright sir! (Photo: MSF) |
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| Jiahao and See Kiat's rides. Can you guess which is which? (Photo: Jia Hao Tan) |
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| Hidayat all ready and raring to go. (Photo: Hidayat) |
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| Jia Hao Tan. (Photo: MSF) |
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| Hidayat battling it out. (Photo: MSF) |
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| Jia Hao getting interviewed by Malaysian media. (Photo: Jia Hao Tan) |
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| See Kiat as second runner-up in Group B |
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| Jia Hao with his proud third-placing in the coveted Group A. |
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| Go Team Singapore! |
Although Iron Horse couldn't be there at the race, it was certainly exhilarating just watching and cheering on our Singaporean stars via livestream on the MSF Facebook page.
We hope that with more of such events being organised overseas and locally in Singapore, more younger riders will be motivated to take up the challenge and join in the local motor racing community. After all, the young are the future.
Ride hard and stay safe.
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