SUPER GT ACTION ALL SET TO ROCK SEPANG IN JUNE

admin6 · Post time 29-5-2013 06:05 PM

Press Release

SUPER GT ACTION ALL SET TOROCK SEPANG IN JUNE

· A gathering of the world’s fastestGT cars and world-class racing drivers

· 5-star Malaysian round for a moreexciting and thrilling race weekend

· Malaysian driver and sponsored teamto make the most of home track advantage

Petaling Jaya, 21 May 2013- One of the most entertaining, exciting andglamorous race weekends returns to the Sepang International Circuit this month(15-16 June) with Malaysia once again being given the honor of hosting the third round of theprestigious 2013 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series.

Formerlyknown as the All-Japan Grand Touring Car Championship (JGTC), the Super GTSeries is a grand touring car race series promoted by the GT Association(G.T.A.). It was first established in 1993 by the JAF (Japanese AutomobileFederation) via its subsidiary company the G.T.A. (GT Association).

TheMalaysian round of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series is being organised by JPMMotorsport and this will be the 13th consecutive year that theSeries is back in town to thrill fans. It is also the 20th year the Series is being organized.

Internationallyrecognized for being one of the world’s fastest and most exciting GT racingseries, the 2013 AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series consists of eight rounds, and isdivided into the GT500 and GT300 classes, gathering what is the reputed to bethe largest ensemble of latest Japanese sports cars with manufacturers thelikes of Lexus, Honda, Nissan, Toyota and Subaru, as well as continentalmarques that include Porsche, Lamborghini, Ferrari, BMW, Mosler, Chevrolet,Audi, Aston Martin and Mercedes-Benz.

The Seriesis also a playground for top Japanese drivers and some of the world’s topracing drivers among them, former Formula 1 driver and Super GT champion RalphFirman who drives the Honda HSV for AUTOBACSRACING TEAM AGURI this season; former South American and German Formula 3driver Joao Paulo de Oliveira driving the Nissan GTR for Team Impul; former LeMans driver Seiji Ara; Michael Krumm the 2011 FIA GT Championship GT1 Serieschampion; and former Macau Grand Prix winner Andre Couto.

Also racingin the Series and giving local fans more to cheer about is Malaysian FairuzFauzy who alongside Japanese Yuki Iwasaki, drives for team APR Audi R8 LMSUltra in the GT300 class this season. The pair’s best finish so far has been 14thplace in the opening round of the Series at the Okayama International Circuitin April. In round 2 at the Fuji Speedway in Shizuoka, Japan Fairuz and Iwasaki and a third driver Kenji Kobayashi came in 15thplace.

Another hotfavourite will be the Malaysian-backed Petronas Toms SC430 Team which had onlyrecently clinched victory at round 2 of the AUTOBACS SUPER GT Series at theFuji Speedway in Shizuoka, Japan. The team, competing in the GT500 class, is spearheaded by the pair ofKazuki Nakajima and James Rossiter. Nakajima is the 2012 Formula NIPPON Serieschampion, while Rossiter was formerly a Lotus factory driver and test driverfor the Force India Formula One Team.

Race fansare also in for another treat as for the first time, they will be able to seefast action on the track by hybrid cars competing in the GT 300 class. Thecompetition is led by the Toyota PRIUS GT which recently secured the first evervictory for a hybrid car in the SUPER GT series at round 2, and joined by afleet of MUGEN CR-Z GT cars.

“We’regunning for a phenomenal race weekend with lots of action and activities on aswell as off the track. We’re working on a whole host of activities andattractions and all I can say is that it’s going to be exciting for everyone,race fans or otherwise,” said JPM Motorsport Managing Director T.J. Chin.

In 2013,with the aim to further improve the experience of spectators and providegreater value to sponsors, JPM Motorsport has come up with the theme of havinga 5-Star SUPER GT! The components are: the SUPER GT Race, the Affin BankMotorshow, a Japan Town by Sachi, the Biggest Superbike Gathering and a Dash Berlin ‘Musicis Life’ World Tour 2013!

And uniqueto SUPER GT, fans can meet and greet the drivers and teams during the PitWalkabout, where the Race Machines and hot race queens will be present. OnSaturday, consistent with the SUPER GT tradition, the pit walkabout session isfree for children under 12 and their accompanying parents too.

This year’sevent will also witness the very first Asia Cup race organized by Meritus. Offthe race tracks, grass root racing activities in the form of the Ultra RacingGymkhana & Drifting, will encourage enthusiasts to compete.

Other thanexciting racing and race cars, JPM Motorsports will also continue the traditionset in 2011 by having another star attraction in the form of the Affin BankMotorshow. This year, the total exhibition size is as big as the size of theentire mall area at Sepang International Circuit, which is around 7,500 sqm.Though similar in size to 2012, it incorporates innovative elements, namelySummerNat where on top of amazing cars displayed by Japanese Marquee likeHonda, Toyota, Nissan, Mazda, Subaru and European heavy weights like Porscheand Lamborghini, JPM Motorsport will exhibit and host a competition for CustomsCars and Bikes alike. SummerNat is Australia’s premier event for street machines, an event gathering local exoticand custommuscle cars as well as other street machines which will take place in Malaysia and co-organised by JPM Motorsport in the later part of the year.

JPMMotorsport will also be out to establish a record in the Malaysia Book ofRecords. This year, instead of the Biggest Supercar and Performance Car recordthat it managed to set with the help of various car clubs in 2012, the companywill be out to create the record for the Biggest and Noisiest SuperbikeGathering on track in Sepang International Circuit. This will be the first timethe track will accommodate so many bikes on the track in a single event.

Moving awayfrom Automotive related activities, another Star to this year’s race weekend isthe Japan Town by Sachi, and JPM Motorsport in collaboration with sponsors such asCode 10, Luminox and OK is attempting to make the audience feel like they arewatching a Japanese Racing event in Japan during summer.

Finally,when the sun goes down on Saturday night, event goers, or more specificallyparty goers will be treated to the Dash Berlin ‘Music isLife’ World Tour. This tour, touted as one of themost anticipated party event of the year is organized by Global Sound Musictogether with JPM Music and is expected to provide an unforgettable “let yourhair down’ party experience. And for partygoers, they are also entitled toattend the race, making it an adrenaline filled weekend.

“There youhave it, a 5 Star event which we hope will make this year’s event morethrilling, engaging, glamorous and spectator-friendly for all those who attendand sponsors alike,” said Chin.

“Raceweekend at Sepang International Circuit is not purely about action on thetrack, but we have made an enormous effort to make it an attractive weekenddestination for the entire family.”

JPMMotorsport is also inviting race fans to bring their entire family to the SuperGT weekend, and have put in place various attractions that include a specialKids Zone and musical performances to keep everyone – including non-raceenthusiasts – happy and occupied.

Super GTfans will also be able to catch the action of the 2013 Malaysian SUPER GT QueenSearch Pageant. The pageant is being held for the third consecutive year, andthe crowned winner will stand the chance of joining a line-up of Japanese GTQueens in Japan with objective of promoting the sharing of knowledge, expertise andtalent between Malaysian and Japanese GT queens.

Tickets forthe Malaysian round of the AUTOBACS Super GT Series are priced at RM100, andfans can obtain it online via www.supergt.com.my,or tune in to the entire season’s updates on www.facebook.com.my/supergt.my.Aspiring candidates or the 2013 Malaysian SUPER GT Queen Search Pageantmeanwhile, can log on to the SUPER GT’s Facebook at www.facebook.com/supergt.my toobtain updates about the pageant.