MALAYSIA'S FORMULA 1 TEAM

Well, many top automobile manufacturers have seen the Formula 1 as not something sustainable and decided to pull out entirely. They said the costs incurred is not worth the promotion they get. This includes renown brands like Honda and BMW, who in combination I wonder have how many times experience, technology and expertise we Malaysians can only dream of. Now, comes rich Malaysia who is willing to throw money into the industry. Whose money is thrown in for burning the fuel per kilometre faster than you use petrol in a month? The government is investing, which means tax payers' money, all of you Malaysians working in Malaysia. First, it was the first Malay space traveler burning money, now it will be the first Malay Formula 1 driver burning money! Let's bet how many decades it will take before the first podium finish or should the bet be how many last places they can get per season or better yet, unfinished races per season?

The Proton is not even a reliable car on the normal road, let's not talk about the Formula 1 race track. It's like you don't even know how to walk but you already want to fly. What we have are basically everyone else's technology bought over with money. Malaysia did not create anything (probably just the body), everything is bought. Malaysia is crazy about records and most of these records are achieved using money. Most of these records are pathetic. Is there any sense of pride or satisfaction gained from these money spent achievements? There is nothing to be proud of.

Go to The Malaysia Book of Records for a look. Some of the proud records we have:
Longest Jalur Gemilang on the Great Wall of China
110,461 trees planted in 1 minute
Tallest pencil (20.248m)
Largest bean art using 12 tonnes of beans
Longest coin line
Most eggs crushed with the wrist (25 eggs in 30 seconds)
Fastest pyramid cans stacking
Longest abbreviation for S.K.O.M.K.H.P.K.J.C.D.P.W.B., the acronym for Syarikat Kerjasama Orang- Orang Melayu Kerajaan Hilir Perak Kerana Jimat Cermat Dan Pinjam-Meminjam Wang Berhad
Longest fire dragon at 118.54m long

BURN BABY BURN!

Malaysia’s own F1 team
By LIM TEIK HUAT

PUTRAJAYA: Malaysia will have its own team in Formula One next year.

A Lotus-powered racing team, to be called the 1Malaysia F1 team, will take on giants like Ferrari, McLaren-Mercedes and Renault in the premier motorsports event next year.

The team will join Force India-Mercedes as Asia’s representatives in F1, along with old-timers like Toyota.

The International Automobile Federation (FIA) has accepted Malaysia’s bid to enter the 2010 and future Formula One World Championships, Prime Minister Datuk Seri Najib Tun Razak announced yesterday.

The 1Malaysia F1 team will be a partnership between the Govern-ment and the private sector, including investors led by Datuk Kamarudin Meranun (AirAsia Deputy CEO), Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes (AirAsia CEO) and SM Nasaruddin SM Nasimuddin (Naza Group CEO).

The Malaysian-owned team will also mark the return of Proton-owned Lotus, the prestigious constructors who left F1 in 1994.

Najib, who made the announcement at the Ministry of Finance yesterday, said the team would be based at the Sepang International Circuit, making it the first to be located outside Europe.

“This is where the cars will be designed, manufactured and tested. It will be ‘Made-in-Malaysia, by Malaysians’ and of course, the pit-stops will be run by Malay-sians,” he said.

“This is a meaningful development and I hope that it will further raise our country’s profile on the world stage.”

The team will have a Malaysian technical and pit crew, totalling some 200 people, to be managed by former Renault technical director Mike Gascoyne.

Najib added that the team hoped to announce its two drivers by Oct 31.

“Currently, six local and international drivers have been shortlisted for evaluation,” he said.

“Our F1 team will also have technical experts from outside Malaysia to ensure that we are ready to compete on the world’s most prestigious racing stage.”

Malaysia hosted its first F1 race in 1999 at the Sepang F1 Circuit and Alex Yoong was the first Malaysian to race in the championships in 2001 and 2002 for Minardi.

The Prime Minister had earlier launched the exchange programme between employees from the government and government-linked companies (GLCs) as part of the Government-GLCs Cross-Fertilisation Programme.

He handed letters-of-trust to 47 government and GLC staff taking part in the programme.