The first ever simulator racing championship in Malaysia, The eRacing Grand Prix SEA raised its curtain when the first leg of their time trials was held at Sepang International Circuit during the Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) last weekend.
With the objective of transforming virtual racers into the real-life motorsport champions, the two-day event saw a great number of participants turn up in effort to make the Top 45 racers with the best timing to advance into the semi-final round.
After witnessing an outstanding inaugural season in Hong Kong last year, former Formula 1 driver and Founder of Axle Motorsport, Alex Yoong is the man behind this successful project and the lobbying of bringing this championship to Malaysia.
Alex expressed his excitement of seeing the positive reception towards the first time trials and he is expecting more potential racers to be present at the following legs of the time trials with the next one scheduled for this weekend.
“First of all, I would like to thank all the sponsors and my team who are working extremely hard to make this event a successful one. I would also like to thank all the participants for making it all the way to Sepang from as far as Pulau Pinang, Terengganu and Perak to take part in this first round of time trials.”
“We have received tremendous response from some professional e-gamers during the time trials and I was impressed with the high standards of their driving skills which was really nice to witness. For the next time trials at Atria Shopping Gallery, I am expecting a bigger pool of different types of drivers. I would like to urge everyone to witness what we are doing for the love of motorsport and the art of driving,” added Alex.
One, of the participants, Eric Kanavathi, was delighted with the opportunity of having Alex Yoong at the time trial venue providing important advice on how the participants can improve their timing and get better results. He said,” It was good fun trying out the simulator which also featured the Suzuka Circuit – one of the hardest tracks in the world. It was very technical but once I got used to the car and the simulator it was more exciting. Alex Yoong being present at the venue and sharing important input on how to improve our time simply adds priceless value to our entry fees.
Eric also thinks that this tournament is the start of the new revolution in the motorsport industry. The 30-year-old added, “This competition also caters to all ages and provides the opportunity of a lifetime to be exposed to the motorsport scene. No doubt this sport is expensive but a championship such as this will be the perfect start and turning point for our motorsport industry to move into the new direction.
The eRacing Grand Prix SEA time trials will resume this weekend with the second leg being held at the Centre Court of Atria Shopping Gallery from July 13-14, 2019.
The Grand Prix will then head to the Philippines, Indonesia, Singapore, Vietnam, and Thailand as their next stops where the winner in each country will be trained and offered a spot in the Formula 4 South East Asia Championship (F4SEA), an experience worth Euro $100,000 which will is the first step for the winners towards becoming a professional race car driver.
For more information, please visit eRacing Grand Prix SEA’s official Facebook page at www.facebook.com/ergpsea or log on to their website ergpsea.com.
