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Attracting teams and drivers that had competed in the famous Le Mans and
Nurburgring 24-hour races, the 2008 race would project a different look on
the starting grid on Saturday (August 30) with a smaller number of
lesser-powered cars following the decision by promoter Sepang
International Circuit (SIC) to allocate more places for cars above 1900cc.
Unlike previously when 52 of the 77 starters are cars below 1900cc in
Class B and C, their quota had been reduced to 19 and 18 respectively with
the remaining 40 places going to the entries with engines above 1900cc in
Class A and the open class.
The change in regulations and MME’s race’s growing popularity had clearly
attracted more international entries and more supercars including three
Aston Martins, which would be competing in the 12-hour endurance for the
first time.
Joining them in the battle for glory this year is a fleet of the Porsche
RSRs mean machines led by defending champion – Hong Leong Kencana Racing
Team, which had retained its winning trio of Mokhzani Mahathir, Lars Erik
Nielsen and Sven Herberger.
“If the Hong Leong Kencana Racing team accomplished this feat at this
year’s race, they would be the first winning partnership to retain the
crown. And, that would be a massive achievement, given the quality of
participation this year,” says SIC General Manager Datuk Azmi Murad, who
is the event director for the 2008 Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium
Endurance Race.
With drivers Firhat Mokhzani, Eric Yeo and Chin Tzer Jinn, Team G1
Symphony won it in 2003 and came back together to defend the title in
2004; but failed miserably. Honda Malaysia Racing Team won that title that
year and attempted the feat in 2005; but ran short; finishing second
overall to Amprex Proton R3. The team of Eddie Lew, Farriz Fauzy and
Hiroki Katoh, however, still topped Class A.
Malaysia’s top works team - Proton R3, however, had managed to win it two
times in a row; but on both occasions, team leader Tengku Djan Ley Tengku
Mahaleel was partnering different drivers. In 2005, the team won with Djan,
Tony Riccirdello and GT driver Genji Hashimoto in a joint partnership
between Proton R3 and Amprex Motorsports.
The team went solo in the following year as Proton R3 Motorsports with
Tengku Djan partnering R3 test driver Faidzil Alang and Australian Damien
French to defend the crown, which they did successfully. Now, Hong Leong
Kencana aims to upstage that feat with the same set of drivers.
Preparations by the team had been low-key on publicity; but those within
the racing fraternity all know that the Hong Leong Kencana Racing Team was
very serious in defending their crown. Their preparation had also been
comprehensive. Their problem, though, they would be facing stiffer
challenge this year including a fleet of equally powerful Porsche RSR
machines.
And, one of the teams is a trio of highly reputable and widely experience
drivers from Australia – David Wall, Barton Mower and Damien Flack, which
would be backed by Kuala Lumpur-based Danville Motorsports. There would
also be the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia trio of Matthew Marsh, Alain Li and
William E. Connor in a Porsche 996 GT3.
ThunderAsia Racing Team would be making their debut in the MME this year.
They, however, would not be greenhorns at Sepang Circuit; highly capable
drivers in Malaysian Super Series two-time champion Dilantha Malagamuwa of
Sri Lanka, MME 2002 winner Malaysian Tunku Hammam Tunku Sulong and Melvin
Choo of Singapore.
Petronas Syntium Racing Team, which literally handed victory to Kencana
Racing Team after being forced to retire while enjoying a 13-lap advantage
and less than 50 minutes before the chequered flag, would be back with a
vengeance. Entering two BMW Coupe Z4, instead of just one, the team would
have Malaysia’s top saloon car driver Mohd Fariqe Hariuman and Johanes
Stuck returning to the circuit with the support of highly experienced
Japan Super Taikyu Series drivers.
The Australian Holden V8 Racing Team would also be back and team leader
Mal Rose had openly declared their intentions to go all the way to the
chequered flag in an enhanced Australian Holden V8 race machine.
“We are better prepared this year and we aim to go all the way to win the
overall title. Last year, we were running fifth outright in my Holden
before an engine problem forced a retirement after six hours. It will be a
different story this year,” says team leader Mal Rose, who would be
partnering fellow Australian V8 drivers Peter Leemhuis and Tony Alford.
“This year we have a new GRM (Garry Rogers Motorsport) Chev 5.0 litre
engine with asequential holinger 6 speed gearbox. This V8 Holden VY
Commodore is an ex GRM race car and was last raced by Jamie Whincup in the
Shell Australian Touring Car Championship and had recorded a host of pole
positions and race wins including lap records.
“Since we returned from the Nurburgring 24hr in Germany in this year, we
have been busy preparing the car; packing the shipping container to
transport the cars and equipment to Malaysia,” said Mal.
Like the Australian Holden V8 Racing Team, Team Juniper Racing, led by
Shaun Juniper, had also participated at the Nurburgring 24-hour Endurance
Race and would be coming to Sepang Circuit with full knowledge in the
power of their Porsche 911 GT3 RSR machine. Supported by Paul Kelly and
Craig Bird, the team completed 270 laps last year to finish sixth overall.
Naturally, he would not be happy to be finishing sixth again this year.
In his bid to win his fourth overall title, Tommy Lee – overall winner in
2000, 2001 and 2002, has turned to his biking friends from Msportsbike –
Razlan Razali and Australian Brent Odgers, the newly crowned Malaysian
Super Series open superbike champion.
Tommy, a biker himself having competed in the MSS, believed that 2008
remained an open affair, though he admitted that some of his rivals would
be having advantage in terms of horse power and driving experience.
“But, Razlan and Brent are equally good on four wheels. We have tried the
car and they are had posed good lap times. Furthermore, it is an endurance
race – it’s more about conserving the car rather than going flat out all
the time. I would say that our chances are as good as our rivals,” added
Tommy, who is chief instructor with Sepang International Drive and Racing
Academy (Sidra).
In 2004, Honda Malaysia Racing Team scored a sensational victory; winning
the overall title in a Class A Honda Civic Type R machine with Eddie Lew,
Farriz Fauzy and Super GT driver Hiroki Katoh. A repeat at the 2008
Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance, however, is highly
unlikely.
“It’s very hard to imagine we winning the overall title again. The MME has
become very, very competitive,” said Eddie, who would be leading a new
look Honda Malaysia Racing Team this year with a full-fledged local
line-up; without any Super GT drivers from Japan.
“We will focus fully on winning the class. We are not thinking about the
overall title – even Class A is also very competitive,” said Eddie, who
would be partnering Aaron Lim and Victor Cheong, who made an impressive
debut with R2 Racing last year. The other car would have Rueben Wong,
Fahrizal Hassan and Faisal Asri behind the steering wheel.
Official free practice would be on Thursday (August 28) with the official
qualifying to be run on Friday (August 29). Race Day would be on Saturday
(August 30) with the drivers to be flagged off at 11.45am and ending 12
hours later on 11.45pm on the eve of Merdeka.
SIC announced last year that it was looking into the possibility of
reviewing the current format and considering to make the event as a
24-hour race to boost the event’s status in the international arena.
MERDEKA MILLENNIUM ENDURANCE RACE - PAST OVERALL WINNERS
2007 Lars Erik Nielsen, Sven Herberger, Mokhzani Mahathir (Hong Leong
Kencana Racing)
2006 Tengku Djan Ley, Faidzil Alang and Damien French (Proton R3
Motorsports)
2005 Tengku Djan Ley, Genji Hashimoto, Tony Riccirdello (Amprex Proton R3)
2004 Hiroki Katoh, Farriz Fauzy & Eddie Lew (Honda Malaysia Racing)
2003 Firhat Mokhzani, Chin Tzer Jinn & Eric Yeo (G1 Meritus Racing)
2002 Tengku Hammam, Nigel Albon & Tommy Lee (NAZA Jaseri Racing Team)
2001 Jeffrey Wong, Admi Shahrul Ahmad Safian & Tommy Lee (TVR Sports
Malaysia)
2000 Karamjit Singh, Jimmy Low & Tommy Lee (Petronas EON Racing Team)
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