Rally organisers, Wheel Sport Management today unveiled the new name and logo of “Malaysian Rally 2017”. The ceremony was attended and officiated by Y.A.M Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj ibni Sultan Ibrahim, the Tunku Temenggong of Johor who is the Patron of the Event. Also in attendance was Dato’ Dr. Siew Ka Wei, Chairman of Wheel Sport Management Sdn Bhd, director Y.M Dato’ Paduka Tengku Shaharin Abu Bakar Tengku Suleiman who is also the Clerk of the Course for Malaysian Rally 2017 and Managing Director, Datin Paduka Raja Nor Mazli Tun Raja Mohar.
The state of Johor has been part of the national Malaysian Rally Championship since 2001 and since 2005 has been selected by the FIA to host a round of the prestigious International Asia-Pacific Rally Championship (APRC), known as the “Malaysian Rally”. This year, in honour of His Highness, the Tunku Temenggong of Johor graciously accepting to be the Patron of the Event, the Malaysian Rally will now be known as the “International Rally of Johor” and will have a new logo.
In addition, this new name is also in recognition of the strong roots of rallying in Johor and to the strong support of the Johor State Government for the event over the past 12 years.
The launch is also a revival of Malaysian Rallying to the general public and the world that Malaysia is the place to be if you want to go rallying. Johor’s popularity with international rally competitors is due to its unique rallying conditions. Known as the toughest event in the FIA APRC championship calendar with its weather and technically demanding rally tracks which takes a lot of effort, skill and energy to complete the event.
The International Rally of Johor 2017 marks of a new era of Malaysian rallying. There will be more media coverage of the coming event in Johor Bahru this 11 to 13 August, such as live streaming and up to date feeds on social media Facebook, Instagram, etc as well as coverage from the local and international media. These are all steps taken by the organisers to promote the sport of rallying to the public.
On the domestic front, general interest in Malaysian rallying in the past few years or so has been on the decline. Escalating costs of competing such as tyres and car parts, as well as the lack of support from the relevant agencies to promote rallying are among the reasons for the decline.
However, rallying is a global sport with millions of fans throughout the world including Malaysia. The APRC series itself is seen by TV viewers in over 118 countries with a measured global annual audience of 463 million households.
Rallying in Malaysia has its own hardcore followers. Our own rallying icon, Karamjit Singh nurtured his rallying skills here and has gone to win titles overseas.
A plan to completely revise the Pasir Gudang track with new infrastructure is being worked out to enable more exciting events to be organised there. With the addition of rallying to the state, it is hoped that a plan to develop local rallying talents to become international drivers will become a reality.
The International Rally of Johor 2017 will be held from the 11th to 13th August in Johor Bahru. The 3 day event is part of the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship where Malaysia is round 4 of the 6 round Championship. Other countries participating include New Zealand, Australia, China, Japan and India. Round 2 of the 4 round national AAM Malaysian Rally Championship 2017 will be held concurrently.
