SEPANG – The Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) 2023 organisation is hoping that they can change the public perception that motoring is an expensive sport.
With a registration fee as low as RM500, MSF director Adian Yein Khalid is committed to ensuring that the festival can be participated by all walks of life, especially motorsports enthusiasts.
“A lot of people think motorsports is expensive, some think they have to wear racing suits recognised by the FIA (International Automobile Federation) costing RM3,000.
“We studied and found out that there is a cheaper suit made in the United States that costs RM800 and can last five to 10 years.
“It’s true that we can’t make registration free because we need to cover the circuit rental cost, but I prefer to see how we can provide the whole package at an affordable price,” he said at the MSF 2023 launch ceremony here today.
A total of five race categories are offered namely Malaysian SuperMoto Championship, Malaysia Saga Cup Championship, MSF Touge Hill Climb Series, MSF SuperTurismo and MSF Superbikes in the festival which will be held from March 5 to November 5 at several locations, including the Sepang International Circuit.
Adian said the MSF only offers trophies as prizes and does not give cash as a reward to each winner because it is confident that participants compete in the races based on a deep interest in motorsports.
“They (participants) are racing for pride and we just use our social media platforms to make them heroes,” he said.
In the meantime, he hopes that the government can help to promote the motorsports industry in the future.
He said the motorsports industry could contribute to the country’s economy to the point of bringing huge profits as achieved by foreign countries such as the United States, the United Kingdom and Australia.
“I think for our riders, drivers and teams, we need to assist them to get components or spare parts, like tires, because they mostly get them from overseas.
“If you look at the US, UK and Australia, their motorsports industry is worth billions of dollars but not here because we don’t manufacture – even though were have local companies like Perodua and Proton.
“Ince they don’t do manufacture or market motorsports parts, we just buy them from China, Thailand, Taiwan and the US,” he said.
Those interested in participating in MSF can refer to its Instagram page @MSFRacing for more information regarding registration. – Bernama, March 2, 2023
