KL MotoPark

Speech by YM Tunku Datuk Mudzaffar bin Tunku Mustapha, chairman, Automobile Association of Malaysia

@

KLMP Official Groundbreaking Ceremony

5.20pm, Saturday, March 15, 2007

Salutations.

Good evening.

On behalf of the Automobile Association of Malaysia, I must say that it is a great delight to spend this fine evening with such a broad and enthusiastic motoring fraternity – supporters, industry players, enthusiasts, professionals and fans. It’s like a gathering of friends, all here to contribute support to this project

I am truly excited to be here today, to be part of this historical milestone in the motoring landscape. As you all are aware, motorsports has been long established in our country and I am proud to say that AAM has played its part in propagating the motorsports industry, successfully organized many events of international renown such as the FIM Road Racing Grand Prix World Championship from 1991 onwards, the FIM Superbike World Championship, the FIM Endurance World Championship, FIM Asia Road Racing Championship and the FIA ASIA Pacific Rally Championship and the Formula One.

Ladies and gentlemen,

Motorsports in Malaysia started more than 100 years ago. Today we see international events putting us on the map showcasing our capacity as host. None of this would be possible without our passion and grassroots effort. We have produced some talents over the years – now we can create an army.

As the motorsports industry gathers momentum, spectator interest began to transform into bigger participatory interest. While we have a variety of programs, clubs, events and truly committed individuals, to propel motorsports forward, we need more accessible and affordable facilities. Although the growth of interest is exponential, there is insufficient recreational track that could leapfrog the progress of the industry.

KL MotoPark is this catalyst for change. With the advent of the first recreational park in Malaysia, no longer will the enthusiast cry inconvenience. There will no longer be an abyss between the hopefuls and the professionals. KL MotoPark will be the bridge between hope and destination for the industry.

One of the forestalling challenges for growth has always been the cost for motorsports. It is expensive. Another challenge is that there are no facilities available for grassroots to grow their talents. As a result, many “fans” take it to the street, where it is life-endangering.

The KL MotoPark provides a facility where responsible and organised motorsports can be advocated and street talents recognized for their abilities. In safety issues, KL MotoPark is also the ideal venue for safety campaigns which is vital education to decrease accidents and fatalities on the road. The AAM is now very much involved with the road safety project jointly with the Jabatan Keselamatan Jalan Raya (JKJR), Malaysian Institute of Road Safety Research (MIROS) and other government agencies.

This is in Line with the programmes and initiative of the FIA Foundation in areas concerning Road Safety. In 2007, for example the AAM as an affiliated club of the FIA, initiated the International Road Assessment Programme (iRAP) FOR Malaysia. This programme assessed some 3,000 km of Malaysian road, the result of which will be published in April 2008.

I would like to thank representatives of corporations who are here today to support this growing industry. I would also like to take the opportunity to encourage cooperation from the private sector to support the grassroots motorsports industry in its growth as spectatorship trends are showing healthy signs.

Besides building the country’s portfolio as a motorsports hub, motorsports is also good for businesses. International brands use motorsports as a driver for their businesses as countless studies have proved, in strength that motorsports fans are the most loyal, with 64% of fans choosing sponsor brands over non-sponsors and 71% fans switching brands to show support.

I would like to end this speech by thanking everyone for their much needed show of support for the motorsports industry. Congratulations to Motorsports Malaysia on this excellent initiative – we are all looking forward to the many exciting activities that you have engineered.

Go forth and accelerate!

Thank you.