SIC Aims To Attract 130,000 Motogp Fans To Mark Its 25th Anniversary

KUALA LUMPUR, Sept 2 (Bernama) -- The 2015 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix looks set to be the best and biggest ever, as the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) targets a record 130,000 spectators to mark its 25th anniversary. "This is a very special year for the Malaysia MotoGP as it marks the 25th anniversary of the event. The Malaysia MotoGP from Oct 23 to 25, will also continue to excite fans, as we can see by the consistent growth in attendance. "In the last five years, we recorded more than 120,000 fans from 2010 to 2014. This year, fans can expect exciting activities to mark the silver jubilee," said SIC chief executive officer Razlan Razali at the official launch of the 2015 Shell Malaysia Motorcycle Grand Prix here Tuesday. He noted that last year ticket were sold out a week before the race weekend. "International events such as MotoGP needs the local support first. For the last five years, 80 per cent of our spectators were local. We too attracted spectators from neighbouring countries like Thailand, Singapore and Indonesia. As at last week, we have sold 8,000 packages in Indonesia. "With the weakening of our currency, we do attract our neighbours and also those from Australia and Europe. I think we should take this as an opportunity and take advantage of it, we do have to keep on spending in our promotion. It doesn't mean because the currency is weak we have to stop spending," said Razlan. On whether there will be a Malaysian rider given a wildcard entry at the Malaysia MotoGP, Razlan said it would depend on the performances of riders. "There has been talk about two wildcard for the Malaysian MotoGP but that will depend on the merit of the riders at the Aragon Circuit," he said. Though Razlan did not specify the name of the rider but the media had reported that Honda Team Asia rider Khairul Idham Pawi will make his debut as a wildcard in the Moto3 World Championship at the Grand Prix of Aragon in Spain on Sept 27. Khairul has proven himself a worthy candidate for the wildcard slot having impressed in the Moto3 Junior World Championships this year. Meanwhile, in conjunction with the Malaysian MotoGP launch, Shell Malaysia also launched limited edition packs of its flagship product, Shell Advance Ultra with PurePlus Technology. The Shell Advance Ultra 10W-40 pack features the Malaysian Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup riders and Malaysia's Moto3 rider, Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin while the 15W-50 pack features Ducati Corse MotoGP Team riders. The world's biggest motorcycling event which is now officially known as the MotoGP has been in Malaysian shores first before racing fans got to catch a glimpse of Formula One (F1) races. The motorcycling event was first staged at the Batu Tiga Circuit in Shah Alam (state of Selangor) in 1991 before shifting to the Pasir Gudang Circuit, Johor (Malaysia's southern state), in 1998 while the Sepang Circuit hosted its first MotoGP race in 1999, where United States' rider, Kenny Robert Jr won the premier class 500cc category. --BERNAMA