DEVELOP MOTORSPORTS
THE government’s decision to end the Formula One Malaysian Grand Prix races starting next year has caused mixed feelings among its fans.
The move has certain justifications.
However, my main concern is the news that the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) and the government will engage in the development of motorsports by having a track in Sungai Petani, Kedah, to sponsor talents for F1 and to promote MotoGP.
What about rally tracks and schools, drag strips, motocross schools, racing schools, courses for motorsports technicians and mechanics, and motorsports engineers schools?
SIC is a track management entity and motorsports development is not its forte. Malaysia needs a bigger team built around a comprehensive framework to ensure that the vision is achieved.
A full-fledged Motorsports Council must be established and SIC should be a part of it as one of the event organisers’ sub-sectors.
There should be departments focused on sectors such as rallying, drag and gymkhana etc. The programme should start from primary school and have structured teaching and learning modules.
Courses must be meticulously developed for classrooms and for practical purposes. This is how we should develop the motorsports industry and not the motorsports driver, or rider per se.
A full motorsports education and training could have shortterm and long-term planning of two to three years, five to 10 years and 10 to 15 years.
We want to see more motorsports event organisers. The Malaysian Speed Festival has attracted the biggest participants and it is not even governmentfunded like SIC. But it has been successful and, perhaps, the SIC team could learn from the MSF people.
We do not want only the rich dominating the opportunities. The government should get more people to take an interest in motorsports.
Funding should be up to the council and led by a non-politician. He must be neutral and have a passion for motorsports.
We do not want to see only one F1 driver in the making backed by the Youth and Sports Ministry; we want to see hundreds of people in every sub-sector of motorsports in the making, privately backed by the industry.
The head of human capital must strive to develop great engineers and crew.
While the government is focusing on TN50 and the Economic Transformation Programme, motorsports must be looked upon as a revenue-generating industry to provide job placements and opportunities.
TUESDAY, APRIL 11, 2017
The perspective of motorsports ought to be given the right definition.
The funding from the government should be given to motorsports organisers, not only SIC, as these people are the ones doing the talent scouting.
If SIC has failed to attract the crowd to F1 events compared to other tracks in the world, we shouldn’t punish F1 but rather look at the event organiser. Hence, if it failed , we should be looking at a new management of SIC, too.
AZAD JASMI
Director,
Automotive and Motorsports, TAJ International
College, Ipoh, Perak