SIC LOOKS AT RECORD ATTENDANCE AT RACES IN VISIT MALAYSIA YEAR 2007

TEAMCAR - With next year marked as Visit Malaysia Year 2007, Malaysia's race promoter Sepang International Circuit (SIC) believes the country's aggressive campaign on promoting tourism would boost the attendance of racing fans and international tourists at the circuit especially for the Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix.

On the same note, SIC Chairman Datuk Mokhzani Tun Dr Mahathir said that the international events promoted and organised at Sepang would be key to the success of the Visit Malaysia Year programme.

"With 2007 being the Visit Malaysia Year and the Government's new emphasis on sports tourism, the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix and the other international events in Sepang are expected to the country's strongest tools to woo in the foreign tourists," he said at the prize giving ceremony for the recent Japan GT Championship contest.

The grand prize of a Limited Edition Sentra 1.8XGL worth RM102,000 was won by Malaysia Airlines aircraft engineer Tun Mafizal Tun Majid, who along with five others made the correct prediction of the top three winners at the Super GT race in Sepang.

To be staged as the second round of the 2007 Formula One World Championship from 6th to 8th April, Datuk Mokhzani expressed condifence that SIC would beat the highest attendance figures set this year of 107,000 spectators.

"Our biggest test for 2007 will undoubtedly be the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix. With the opening round in Melbourne to be held from 15th to 18th March, we will actually have a grace period of three weeks to make our final push for ticket sales for the local and regional market," he said.

The other major international events would be the Merdeka Millennium Endurance race in August; the Marlboro Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix (October); the Malaysian A1 Grand Prix of Nations (November) and the inaugural K4 24-Hour Endurance Grand Prix scheduled on 10th and 11th February.