Race track to curb street racing KUCHING: Sarawak Automotive Enthusiasts Society is trying to revive plans for the city to have a race track where amateurs can display their riding or driving skills safely. Backing the call was Balai Ringin assemblyman and Supercar Club Sarawak deputy president Snowdan Lawan who said it was time for the state to have one. “We hope the state government would look into allocating a piece of land to have a race track built somewhere in the city for automotive enthusiasts to show their driving technique and skills safely rather than have them race on the streets and risking the lives of others,” he told a press conference here yesterday. He said a grade three track was good enough and was confident that the state government could accommodate the proposal. Snowdan said there was a suggestion to have one facility but it was shelved because the club could not engage an operator for it. “It’s just like the go-kart race track in Pujut Miri, they wanted our club to take over at one time but the race track was in Miri so we declined. But if such a facility was built here, we may be interested in handling it,” he said. He said the state government did not want the facility to end up like a white elephant and thus, was cautious in implementing the plan unless it could guarantee a good operator who would maintain the race track well. He believed if a race track was built here, there was a good chance that the sport would pick up in the state and subsequently attract other racing professionals too. Recalling a go-kart event at the State Stadium two years ago, he said the event alone attracted 400 international racers. This, he said, was a boost to the tourism sector as a professional racer would be accompanied by a maintenance team and management as well as their families. Sarawak Automotive Enthusiast Society patron Datuk Patrick Liew said such facility would make it easier to spot a talent who could move on to represent the state and even the country in racing. “All this is to support safe and responsible driving. Rather than leaving them with no choice than to use the streets to drift and race, prepare a designated area for them. With this the society can develop in a professional way,” Liew said.
Posted on: Fri, 09 Aug 2013 02:25:57 +0000
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