Despite its popularity, the SUPER GT was on the brink of disappearing from our local sporting arena this year as the traditional organisers, the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) did not have plans to renew the contract.
Upon hearing the news, JPM, who are motorsport and SUPER GT fans themselves, came on board in January as race organisers for the 2011 as well as the 2012 Malaysian editions of the SUPER GT. With a clear objective to retain the event in Malaysia for all the SUPER GT fans, to recapture the long lost glory of the SUPER GT here in Malaysia as well as to bring entertainment through motorsport, JPM worked tirelessly to make the event a success.
“Being a private company, organising and funding this large scaled International event was no walk in the park, however, we are proud to say that within the six short months of the event preparations, we have achieved our objectives. Not only did the SUPER GT as well as its numerous events take place as scheduled, it was an amazingly entertaining show”, said TJ Chin, Managing Director of JPM said at a private function held at the Super GP Caffee.
This year’s SUPER GT Round 3 proved to be a ground breaking event as many firsts were set during the event.
Firstly, the SUPER GT 2011 marked JPM’s involvement in the SUPER GT and as their debut role as race organisers, they pulled out all stops in creating the biggest SUPER GT ever held in Malaysia. On top of that, JPM also launched CSR campaigns such as the Aid for Japan, which collects contributions for the Japan earthquake disaster, the Blood Donation Drive and also the donation to orphanages, where JPM gave out FREE SUPER GT Grandstand tickets to anyone who donated items for charity.
Another milestone for the SUPER GT this year was Touch ‘n Go’s involvement in the SUPER GT. For the first time in the company's 14-year history, Touch ‘n Go made this sporting event completely cashless. All Grandstand ticket holders received a FREE special edition SUPER GT Touch ‘n Go card which could be topped up at the many reload counters located at the Sepang International Circuit. With their tagline “Life in the Fastlane”, it only seemed natural for Touch ‘n Go to play a key role in the SUPER GT festivities.
June thirteen marked the beginning of the SUPER GT as the teams began arriving in Malaysia. On this same day, Porsche Malaysia hosted their first ever Porsche Driving Experience Malaysia which attracted 92 participants. Porsche even launched their Porsche Cayman-R, which was also displayed at the SUPER GT Motorshow.
On the track, the JPM Megane Cup made its debut with 25 entries this year. As all of the participants are amateur racers, the race was the first time for many of them to have raced in a professional arena and one of the most challenging tracks in the world, the Sepang International Circuit.
Another attraction and crowd favourite was the inaugural SUPER GT Motorshow. The 200-meter log super marquee tent was filled with exotics like the Ferrari F458 Italia, Lamborghini LP-670, Porche GT3 RS, Mercedes-McLaren SLR, the Maserati GT, the Lotus 300RR, performance cars like the Renault Megane RS250, luxury makes like the Rolls Royce, Bentley, Japanese makes like Nissan and Mazda, classic cars and many more.
The two outdoor stages were also a sight to reckon with as that is the first thing you see once you enter the Sepang Circuit. The stage hosted an array of entertainment never before seen at the SUPER GT or at Sepang for that matter.
On the 18th June, the Velocita Rave party which features a host of the best trance and progressive Djs in the world such as Roger Shah (DJ Mag Top 100 #34), Arnej (#87) , Sied van Riel (#97), and Mari Ferrari saw ravers and party goers partying and grooving until the wee hours of the morning.
On the same day, just around the corner from where the Velocita Rave Party was taking place, the Femme Fatale GT Party was also in full swing. Featuring top female International DJs from Japan and Hong Kong, Femme Fatale is the BIGGEST ALL FEMALE outdoor R&B party to be held at Sepang. The DJ line-up includes Japanese No 1 DJ Mayumi, as well as renowned Asian female model/actress/DJ Chrissie Chau and other celebrity Supermodel DJs from Hong Kong, such as DJ Hidy Yu, DJ Jeana, DJ Suki, and DJ Monster Beez.
On the next day, Sunday, after the main race, the Rock & Race concert, featuring leading local bands such as Hujan and Azlan & the Typewriter rocked the crowd.
Other than the concerts, the stage performances such as the cultural exchange drum performance left hearts thumping for more. It was really a magical moment when spectators heard the Japanese, Indian and Chinese drums being played in unison.
Another event which left hearts thumping was the SUPER GT Malaysian Queen Pageant where we found our very first SUPER GT Malaysia Queen, who not only won RM2,000 and amazing prizes, she will be flown to Japan for a unique once-in-a-lifetime chance to undertake professional race queen training to become a professional GT Queen.
This year also marked the beginning of the GT Princess, who was the ambassador to young children. In JPM’s attempt to make the SUPER GT truly a family affair, children below 12 entered for FREE.
The carnival and bazaar area was no exception. For the first time in SUPER GT history, there was an exhibition, carnival and bazaar taking place outside the main track. Yearly, goods sold at Sepang (during races and events) are known to be expensive, however, for the first time at the SUPER GT, food and beverage, as well as trinkets and items sold at the bazaar was at an affordable price. It was also the first time that we had as many as over a hundred exhibitors participating in the bazaar and mall area.
Even with so much racing going on, one of the biggest highlights of the SUPER GT was when JPM managed to find time to set a new entry in the Malaysian Book of Records for the Largest Gathering of Supercars. In a spectacle that wowed fans, a total of 405 super and performance cars congregated on the home straight of the Sepang International Circuit on Sunday afternoon.
Notable makes present were a large number of Ferraris, Lamborghinis, GT-Rs, Nissan Skyline, Porsche, Chevrolet Camaro, Lotus, Mazda RX8, Honda S2000, Mitsubishi Evolutions, and Subaru Imprezas, amongst many others. Representatives from the Malaysian Book of Records were on hand to endorse the entry and presented JPM with a certificate to commemorate their achievement.
Not only was it the first time for so many cars to be on the Sepang track simultaneously, however, it was the first time that a flash mob set foot on track during the Grid Walkabout to the delight of the fans.
Besides that, the traditional Wa-Daiko drum, which is an ancient Japanese drum beating tradition synonymous with the Japanese culture, was used to begin the race.
With all the happenings on track, JPM sealed a historic deal with the nation’s oldest TV station, RTM. For the first time in SUPER GT history, RTM will be airing the highlights of all the nine rounds of the SUPER GT series on RTM1 and RTM2, and even aired Round 3 live in Malaysia.
RTM also broadcasted Round 3 Sepang to Japan in High Definition. This deal hopes to build motorsports in Malaysia as it gives the public the chance to catch live as well as delayed telecasts of the SUPER GT season.
The SUPER GT was also used as a platform to improve photography skills with the Photo Pass applications where amateur photographers had a chance to take pictures at selected areas which were restricted to the public.
The GT500, one of the main races in the SUPER GT is known as the fastest grand touring car race in the world. Weider Honda Racing captured their first victory of the season, and also the first for a Honda this season, after near flawless performances from drivers Takashi Kogure and Loic Duval as they lead the race from pole to finish.
In the GT300 class, however, spectators were treated to an action paced race as the BMW Z4 GT3 of GSR&Studie with TeamUKYO almost saw the second placed Ferrari 458 of Team JIMGAINER overtake on a number of occasions in the last few laps.
In the GT Asia Series, Mok Weng Sun of Team Clearwater Racing repeated his pole to podium feat of yesterday, taking his second GT3 win in as many days with a comfortable 8.726s lead over second placed Malaysian Tunku Hammam Sulong, who drives for Arrows Racing.
In the GT4 category, Simon Waters and Mark Williamson of Concord Absolute Racing enjoyed another comfortable victory, winning with more than a lap lead over the only other driver in the category, Frank Yee of Hong Kong based S&D Motorsports.
A triple dose of Toyota Cups was also held at Sepang as part of the SUPER GT weekend. In the Vios Lady Cup, No.91 Sukhontrava Kerdnimit took home victory in 23:51.879s, with a best of 2:56.769s. In the Yaris Cup, No.9 Arthit Ruengsomboon squeaked to victory in 22:53.474, beating No.58 Hong Chen Jian by a mere 0.241s. It was Hong that set the best lap of 2:49.561. The Toyota Vios men’s race saw No.61 Chairat Luanglai race to victory from pole position, holding off the advances of No.83 Dajpol Thongpoon, who finished just 2.433s behind.
Also, the Pit, Grid and Kids Walkabout is what sets the SUPER GT apart from other races around the world as it is one of only a few races in the world which allows fans to get up close and personal with the cars, teams, drivers and of course, the lovely GT Queens!
Another attraction of the SUPER GT was the circuit safari where fans were taken for a 30 minute ride in a bus around the Sepang track WHILE the SUPER GT cars were doing their warm up laps.
The race weekend proved to be fun for the whole family as we had a kids zone where children could play on giant inflatables for FREE.
All in all, the SUPER GT was nothing short of a spectacular weekend of entertainment. It is no wonder that there was a crowd of 60,000 people over the SUPER GT weekend.
“We are looking forward to organizing the SUPER GT again next year and have many plans lined up for SUPER GT 2012. One of them is to have our very own Malaysian team and entry in next year’s SUPER GT race”, said TJ Chin.
“Our Malaysian drivers have proved their skills and capabilities and are doing well in races like the SUPER Taikyu race, which is held in Japan, as well as the Formula BMW Pacific. We look forward to their participation in next year’s SUPER GT”.
TJ added, “Also, as the event’s promoter and organiser, we are always open to new creative options, including the possibility of having the race in alternative venues”.
Also present at the private function at the Super GP Caffee were eight lucky spectators, who won themselves spectacular prizes from the lucky draw contest conducted during the SUPER GT weekend.
The lucky winners were Farah Dila Binti Mohd Saleh and Gordon Ooi, who won a brand new TV, Khairul Hazwan Bin Abdul Latif, who won an iPad2, Don Chia Chang, who won a trophy, Amir Sani, Cham Hui Thin and Tee Chien Siong, who won a NAZA Blitz Motorcycle each, and Mohamad Rosli Bin Ishak, who won a trip for two to Japan.
“We could not have done it without the support of all the SUPER GT as well as motorsport fans out there and would like to thank them for their support. Through everyone’s support, we believe that we have achieved our objective of creating a world of entertainment through motorsports, and look forward to organizing an even more electrifying event next year”, said TJ Chin, Managing Director of JPM.
Text & picture credits: INKsports PR & Publications
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