AUSTRALIAN DANIEL SPRAGUE IS THE PUTRAJAYA CHALLENGE DOWNHILL CHAMPION

30 April 2011, Putrajaya – After a long hard day or racing, Australian Daniel Sprague of Sonik Racer clocked in the fastest time of 01m 07.420s, making him the winner of the downhill Elite men Category beating Singaporean Tan Hong Chun who was in Second place (01m08.270s) and Adam Ahmed of Malaysia in third place (01m:08.500s).

The 2010 Australian Elite Masters Division BMX Champion was ecstatic when interviewed after the prize-giving ceremony, “I was great to win here, everything came together, the run was pretty smooth and I was quite fast in the sections that I wanted to be so in the end there was a lot of quick guys today and I was just happy to be able to be the fastest.”

With already two wins this year including the recent Red Bull Dark Knights 2011 race in Singapore, Daniel is enjoying his winning streak and hoping that it will continue. “I’ve done a few events, I pick the races that I wanna do, this year I’ve done 3 races, I did the Red Bull Dark knights 2011 race in Singapore and I won that one and had done one in Western Australia - BMX Championships and I had a win there so it’s really good and now I’m backed up with the Putrajaya Challenge, So everything is going really well I’ve won three out of three and I’ve got a couple of races in a couple of weeks in Western Australia, I hope I will do well there. I hope to be back in Malaysia in July and some races in the end of the year back in Australia, I’m hoping that I can keep this going.’

“My winning streak’s been going really well, it’s about time that’s I’ve put together a winning streak again, I’m happy to keep it going if I can.” He added.

Besides that, the inaugural Downhill Champion of Putrajaya Challenge was really impressed with the organisation of the event, “It was an excellent event, really well organized, really good track, they’re trying to get UCI status with this track so it’s a fantastic job that they did.“

With more than 157 riders, including a large number of overseas competitors from around the region competing in seven different categories today. In the finals, there was no stopping the 35-year-old Perth native as he completely out-run his class on the competition with the fastest time and clinching the first ever Putrajaya Challenge Downhill Elite Men title.

The prize-giving was presented by Datuk Naim Mohamad, the deputy president of the Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF) and Mr Maniam Manikkam, vice president of the Malaysia National Cycling Federation (MNCF). The prizes were given out to the top 3 winners of the Downhill events consisting of categories which are Men's Elite, Men's Expert, Women's Sport (10-29 years), Men's Junior (under 18 years), Men's Master A (30-39 years), Men's Master B (40 years old above) and Men's Hard Tail.

On Sunday we will see the Cross Country (XC) events taking place involving the category of Men's Elite, Women's Elite, Men's Open (15-20 years), Junior Veteran (30-39 years) and Veteran (40 years and over).

Putrajaya Challenge 2011 is jointly organized by the Putrajaya Cycling Association and Bat’s Creative Sdn Bhd, all the Downhill and Cross Country events are conducted in accordance with the International Cycling Union (UCI) regulations.

PARTICPANTS FROM NINE COUNTRIES TO COMPETE IN THE INAUGURAL PUTRAJAYA CHALLENGE 2011

29 April 2011, Putrajaya - Participants from nine countries including Malaysia have confirmed their entries in the inaugural Putrajaya Challenge 2011 mountain bike race which will be held over two days from April 30 to May 1.

Among the countries which have confirmed their entries includes Malaysia as the host, United States (USA), Canada, Thailand, Singapore, New Zealand, Australia, Brunei and Indonesia. Putrajaya Challenge 2011 is a mountain bike race which is increasingly gaining popularity in this country and throughout Southeast Asia, it will be held in Putrajaya Challenge Park, Precinct 5 starting at eight in the morning.

It is also the second of six rounds in the 'MTB Downhill Super Series', which is listed in the annual calendar of Malaysia Downhill Association (MDHA). Putrajaya Challenge which runs for two days will have two events of Downhill and Cross Country covering13 categories.

On the first day, there will be Downhill events consists of categories which are Men's Elite, Men's Expert, Women's Sport (10-29 years), Men's Junior (under 18 years), Men's Master A (30-39 years), Men's Master B (40 years old above) and Men's Hard Tail.

While on the second day, the Cross Country events will take place involving the category of Men's Elite, Women's Elite, Men's Open (15-20 years), Junior Veteran (30-39 years) and Veteran (40 years and over).

Apart from international riders, two renowned national riders, Suhardi Hassan and Anuar Manan, will also provide competition in the Men's Elite category in the Cross Country event which will be held on the second day. The winners in each category will receive prizes including cash and trophies. Not only that, there’s also a Lucky Draw for participants and spectators.

In additions to that, spectators can also visit the sponsors’ promotion and exhibition booths to ensure that the annual event attracts many people especially the youth. The event jointly organized by the Putrajaya Cycling Association and Bat’s Creative Sdn Bhd will be conducted in accordance with the International Cycling Union (UCI) regulations.

Together as the sponsor of Putrajaya Challenge 2011 are Fish Castle, Milo, PowerBar, 100 Plus, Gardenia, Shimano, Rodalink, Haslam Food and Beverage, and Wheelsport Management.

In the meantime, the organizers wishes to see this event held annually, progressing further and hope that Putrajaya Challenge can be included in the UCI Mountain Bike Calendar in the near future.

"We hope that one day; this event will be included in the UCI Mountain Bike calendar and also attract more participation from foreign countries."We are confident that with these events, will attract young people to participate in this mountain bike races, adding more riders of the best in their categories to represent the country in the near future," said organizers.

SUREN CYCLING TEAM MAKES A CLEAN SWEEP AT THE 2011 MELAKA CHIEF MINISTER CUP

Hasan Maleki Mizan with his Chief Minister's Trophy



24th April 2011, MALACCA: Suren Cycling Team took all three podium spots in the 2011 edition of the Melaka Chief Minister Cup. Hasan Maleki Mizan comfortably took the win with a total time of 3:50:51.292s while teammates Hamid Shirisisan and Ramin Mehrabani Azar finished in second and third place respectively.

Mizan Hasan Maleki the winner of Melaka Chief Minister Cup 2011
Maleki Mizan who failed to finish in Le Tour de Filipinas 2011 earlier this month said that this victory is redemption of the failure.

"I suffered from chronic abdominal pain while racing in Le Tour de Filipinas. I was very disappointed. However, I tried really hard to win today and we worked extremely hard all the way to the end, our team is ecstatic for the triple win!" he said.

From the start the stronger competitors made their presence felt and the big bunch was separated into small groups early on. Ahmad Fallanie lead a group of 13 breakaway riders in the first quarter of the race with a time gap of 1m 26s, with sprinter Anuar Manan of Terengganu (ProAsia) Cycling Team who was left in the chasing group trying to catch up, the peloton was at 3 minutes behind the leaders.

As the race progressed, 4 riders consisting the eventual top 3 winners of Suren Cycling Team (Maleki Mizan, Shirisisan and Mehrabani Azar) and Ahmad Fallanie (Malaysia National Team) from the leading group made a break, leaving the others to chase frantically and increasing the gap from the peloton to a staggering 10 minutes, which later reduced to 7m 46s.

The 4 leaders had a gap of 4m26s ahead of the chasing group, after nearly 91 kilometres of racing, the Iranian trio finally left Ahmad Fallanie trailing over 1 minute behind them taking only fourth place, Ahmad Fallanie admitted making a tactical mistake in the last 10 kilometres, which caused him a place in the podium.

“With only 10 Kilometres to go, I made a huge mistake, giving a chance for them (Iranian riders) in the climb but later I couldn’t catch up as their teamwork and increase in pace made it really hard for me to catch up.” He said

“However I am happy with my achievement today, I hope that our national coach John Beasley who’s here today could evaluate my performance and give me a chance to compete in the bigger races after this such as the Sea Games in Palembang, Indonesia.”

"I want to continue wearing the national jersey and win medals at the SEA Games. I think all the riders including myself have this ambition to win medals in major championships.” said Ahmad Fallanie.

The riders covered a total distance of 156 kilometres at Bukit Katil district in the historical state of Melaka. The morning saw 76 starters from 17 teams, but the scorching Malaysian heat and difficulty of the route gradually forced weaker riders to surrender, only 26 riders made it to the end.

The 2011 Melaka Chief Minister Cup is registered under the 1.2 category of the UCI Asian Tour Calendar organized by the Melaka Cycling Association (MCA) and sanctioned by the Malaysian National Cycling Federation (MNCF).

1. Hasan Maleki Mizan (Suren) 3:50:51.292 s,

2. Hamid Shirisisan (Suren) 3:50.51.522 s,

3. Mehrabani Ramin Azar (Suren) 3:50:51.762 s,

4 Ahmad Fallanie Ali (MAS) 3:53:31.053 s,

5. Nur Amirull Fakahruddin Marzuki (TSG) 4:00.11.634 s;

6. Nik Mohd Azwan Zulkifle (RMP) 4:00:13.005 s,

7. Mohd Fauzan Ahmad Lufti (RMP) 4:00:23.241 s,

8. Anuar Manan (TSG) 4:00:23.588 s,

9. Sayuti Zahit (UTEM) 4:01:08.038 s;

10. Mohd Shahrul Mat Amin (TSG) 4:01.10.046 s.


END

MELAKA CHIEF MINISTER CUP 2011

TO ALL MEDIA, you are invited to the 2011 edition of Melaka Chief Minister Cup on the 24th April (Sunday). Registered under the 1.2 category of the UCI Asian Tour Calendar, the 1 day race will see riders make a total of six laps in a circuit of 26km per lap, covering a total distance of 156km. The flag off Ceremony at 9am will be by Melaka Chief Minister, Y.A.B Datuk Seri Hj Mohd Ali b Mohd Rustam. Hope to see you there!! please contact us for more info, THANK YOU! :)

PROVISIONAL START LIST

Malaysia National Team
Team Manager: Saad, Omar
Ali, Ahmad Fallanie
Amrun, Mohammad Akmal
Ahmad Zamri, Mohd Zulhilmie Afif
Miswan, Sarham
Wan Mohammed, Wan Mohammed Najmee

Pahang
Team Manager: Sulaiman, Aminuddin
Mohd Fauzi, Mohammad Aim
Zulkifli, Mohd Yazrul Hissham
Jamal Alias, Mohamad Saifullah
Alias, Ahmad Fakhrullah

OCBC Singapore Cycling Team
Team Manager: Daniel Loy
Hashim, Junaidi
Rong, Ho Jun
Putera, Adi
Marcus, Leong
Huat, Goh Choon

Pelapis Kebangsaan MSN
Team Manager: Mohamed Yusof, Azrain
Ab. Hamid, Mohd Al-Ghazali
Wan Shahril, Wan Mohd Shazwan Afiq
Jafri, Amirul Anuar
Zamanhuri, Mohd Ekbar
Daud, Mohd Fakharuddin

Akademi Serantau Zon Utara (ASZU)
Team Manager: Abd. Rashid, Eddi Norshamshidi
Suhaimi, Muhamad Nur Syafiq
Ibrahim, Abd. Rashid
Rusli, Mohamad Fairet
Jumari, Muhammad Elmi

Malaysian Armed Forces (ATM)
Team Manager: Ishak, Baharom
Salleh, Mohd Zamri
Zainal, Mohd Nur Rizuan
Che Samsudin, Mohd Shahrul Nizam
Azeman, Muhammad Hazwan
Mohd Fauzi, Mohd Fadhli Anwar

Terengganu (ProAsia) Cycling Team - TSG
Team Manager: Ahmad Kamarul Idrus
Manan, Anuar
Salleh, Mohd Harrif
Mat Amin, Mohd Shahrul
Mat Senan, Mohammad Saufi
Usoff, Yusrizal

Terengganu Darul Iman
Team Manager: Mohammed Haniff, Mohd Hamidi
Fuad, Mohd Sharaizy
Murlis, Mohd Harrif
Abdullah, Mohd Khairul Azizi
Syed Mazlan, Syed Mohd Hussain
Mohd Zailani, Mohd Fahmi Irfan

Custom Cycling Club Indonesia
Team Manager: Ircham Mohamad
Hartono, Gunawan
Heksa, Priya Prasetya
Muhamad, Fatoni Nur
Nur Hidayat, Bayu Eko
Tedi, Andrian Saputra

Suren Cycling Team
Team Manager: Chaichi Raghimi Mostafa
Sisan Shiri, Hamid
Mehrabani Azar, Ramin
Maleki Mizan, Hasan
Ghaffari, Vahid
Bagheri, Reza

Brunei Darussalam National Team
Team Manager: Jamaludin, Mohd Yafiz
Sata, Muhammad Halid
Yusop, Reduan
Awang, Muhammad Nurhaimin
Ahmad, Faizal
Zainul Ariffin, Mohammad Arbe Shadatul Farrani

Malaysian Royal Police (PDRM)
Team Manager: Delip Singh, Manjit Singh
Ahmad Lutfi, Mohamad Fauzan
Mat Saman, Mohd Salahuddin
Zulkifle, Nik Mohd Azwan
Abd. Razak, Mohd Faris
Abu Bakar, Ahmad Khuzairi

UTEM Cycling Team/ Melaka
Team Manager: Amin, Ishak
Zahid, Sayuti
Jamaluddin, Amiruddin
Gan Hock Seng
Amiruddin, Muhammad Amin
Ramlee, Mohammad Zaki

Letua Cycling Team
Team Manager: Nayan, Johari
Ng, Yong Li
Adrian Chuah, Wye Kit
Mohd Shafee, Mohd Shawal
Salleh, Mohd Razif
Abdullah, Shahrom

Tentera Darat
Team Manager: Biki, Sapok
Ahmad, Shaiful
Amran, Amirul Aswandi
Norzan, Farizwan
Abd Samad, Mohd Shaid
Md Yusoff, Rohaidi

Johor
Team Manager : Abu Kassim, Mohd Azahar
Daud, Muhamad Fuad
Daud, Muhamad Firdaus
Mohamad, Mohamad Rizal
Mathew Chong, Soon Leong
Harun, Hairul Anuar

Kuala Lumpur
Team Manager: Rosli, Nor Efandy
Rosli, Nor Effandy
Keton, Suhaimi
TBC
TBC
TBC

PROTON UNBEATABLE

3 April 2011, JOHOR BAHRU - The Proton Team were just unbeatable at the Malaysian Rally 2011 Championship at the Tai Tak Estate in Kota Tinggi, Johor.

Led by Chris Atkinson in a Proton Satria Neo 2000, the car simply out-powered and outclassed the field to win the opening leg of the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

And to add to the celebration, another Proton entrant, Alister McRae, came in third.




In fact the signs were all very clear that the Proton team meant business when they both finished in a similar position after the opening stage on Saturday.

Their domination continued into the second day with yet another round of flawless performance, both from the car and driver.

Atkinson and his co-driver Stephane Prevot from Belgium finished the race over the two-stages in a total time of 3hrs: 14:49.3secs with India's Guarav Gill and his Mitsubishi Lancer coming home second in 3hrs: 16:35.9secs. Third is McRae and co-driver Bill Hayes in 3hrs:23:37.5secs.

The Proton team's victory in Malaysia has come at a time when there were doubts whether the car would hold up under tough conditions, given the bitter experience of last season's outing when both the cars developed mechanical problems and suffered an early knock-out.

But things went well in the end and Atkinson was full of praise for the car at the winners' Press conference here today.

"We have taken a big step forward with our performances here today. The new suspension system and the development work done on the engine have paid off.

It's a great start to the year as we look forward to the rest of the round at the Asia Pacific Rally Championship.

"The secret to our success here for Alister (McRae) and me was the way the car
responded. That's why we could win by such a big margin," said Atkinson.

China's Fan Fan, who is making a return to the rallying scene here after a five-year absence won the opening leg of the Malaysian Rally Championship today with a flawless performance over the two stages.



He clocked a total time of 3hrs: 44.30.6secs in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo to push the defending champion Muhammad Rafiq Udahaya in a Subaru Impreza into second place on a total time of 3hrs: 47:20.6secs with Japan's Aji Kim in a Proton Satria Neo coming in third in 3hrs 58:51.6secs.

"I guess knowing the conditions in Malaysia having competed in the 2004 and 2005 series help me quite a bit. It's always tough rallying in Malaysia," said the Beijing based Fan Fan.

For Muhammad Rafiq, the fight continues. More so after the two local challengers, Karamjit Singh, who finished second overall last year and Saladin Mazlan, the 2009 runner-up failed to get their challenge off the ground.

Both the GSR Pennzoil team drivers suffered mechanical problems midway through and they know they need to do better at the next leg in Kangar at the end of May.

ends

ATKINSON LEADS AFTER THE FIRST LEG OF MR11

*Proton Motorsport's Chris Atkinson leads after an interesting 1st day

2 April 2011, JOHOR BAHRU - Chris Atkinson is now the man to beat in the Malaysian Rally Championship 2011 over the terrains of the Tai Tak Estate in Kota Tinggi, Johor.

The Australian driver took his Proton Satria Neo across the estimated 150km race yesterday to finish well ahead of the rest to take a firm grip on the Asia Pacific Rally Championship title which he is eyeing.

Infact he had a flawless race with his Belgium co-driver Stephan Prevot to finish in a time of 2hrs 06:29.4secs with India's Guarav Gill in a Mitsubishi Evo X finishing second in 2hrs 08:09.8 secs.

Third is another Proton entrant, Alister McRae and his co-driver Bill Hayes who clocked 2hrs 15:56.7secs to give the Proton Motorsports Team a headstart as the championship move into the final stage on Sunday.

In fact Atkinson had it so smooth yesterday, winning all seven stages of the race except for the 8th and final stage at the purpose built Plaza Angsana circuit over a 2.5km stretch, in which he was reduced to second place by Gaurav's superb handling.

* Gaurav Gill will do his best to outrun Chris tomorrow

"I must admit I had a good day. There wasn't much trouble and the car ran smoothly. I hope everything stays the same tomorrow," said Atkinson.

In the race for the overall Malaysian Rally title, China's Fan Fan in a Mitsubishi Evo X leads comfortably with a total time of 2hrs 27:29.0 secs while defending champion Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya behind the wheel of a Subaru Impreza, had to settle for second place with a total time of 2hrs 30:34.3 secs after incurring a time penalty due to a lengthy service when the gearbox on his car needed to be changed and Japanese driver Aji Kim in a Proton Satria Neo was placed third with a total time of 2hrs 36:48.0 secs.

It was a disappointing day for Karamjit Singh, who finished second overall last year after he lost a wheel midway through SS3 and was forced out of the rally.

"That's rallying. I hope things will better tomorrow so that we can make up for today's loss," said the ten-time National Champion.

Over in the A6 category for APRC drivers, Gunaseelan Rajoo of Pennzoil GSR racing team drove his brand new Proton Satria Neo cautiously to stay out of trouble while maintaining the lead in the category.

“We took it easy because the car is still new to us but I am so far impressed the performance and reliability of this relatively unmodified car.” Said Gunaseelan who is also the team’s principal.

ends

*Fan Fan leads the Malaysian Rally Championship

* Muhd Rafiq settles for second place after a difficult day

THE ACTION BEGINS IN JOHOR BARU

1 April 2011, JOHOR BAHRU - Japan's Yuya Sumiyama is the fastest of them all alongside Indonesia's Rifat Sungkar on the opening day of the Malaysian Rally 2011 in Johor Baru.

Over the purposes built 2.5km dirt track for the special stage race on Friday, the two of them in a similar Mitsubishi Evo X, clocked a similar 2mins 02.1secs to finish at the top.

The achievement from the two of them will certainly give them the psychological boost as the Rally move into the rugged terrains of the Tai Tak Estate on Saturday and Sunday where the real action will take place.

The Scottish driver Alister McRae of the Proton Motorsports Team came in third fastest in 2mins 02.5secs with India's Gaurav Gill in a Mitsubishi EvoX fourth in 2mins 02.7secs.

The best Malaysian finisher was Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya, the overall Malaysian Rally defending champion in a Subaru Impreza who came in 13th fastest in a time of 2mins 18.9secs.

"The special stage race is designed for the spectators who want a close up look of the car in action. So there is no need to go flat out and take unnecessary risks.

"But I feel comfortable in my car and finished the race feeling very good. That's more important as we prepare for the real rallying action tomorrow and Sunday," said Muhammad Rafiq.

A total of 35 cars took part in the special stage race, adjacent to the Angsana Shopping centre and the organisers were happy with what they saw.

"The special stage race gave the spectators the chance to catch the drivers in action from close-up. That's the purpose. But we believe things can be done better next year to add more excitement to the fans.

"We are thinking of widening the track to allow for a two-car race instead of the one car system we just used. Having two cars side by side would be more competitive and more challenging," said Clerk of Course Tengku Shaharin Abu Bakar.

ends


Yuya Sumiyama is the fastest of them all at SS1

FIA APRC MALAYSIAN RALLY 2011 (mr11) : Media Centre

The location of media centre for the FIA Asia Pacific Rally championship 2011 at Grand Paragon Hotel while a 'mini' media centre was also set-up at Angsana Complex (photo coming soon).

FIA APRC MALAYSIAN RALLY 2011 (mr11) : Press conference

The Pre-event press conference for FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship was held at Grand Paragon Hotel, 1 April 2011. With the attendance of top APRC competitors such as Katsu Taguchi (Japan, Team MRF), Muhd Rafiq Udhaya (Malaysia, MRU Motorsports), Alister McRae (Great Britain, Proton Motorsport), Rifat Sungkar (Indonesia, Pertamina Cusco Racing), Yuya Sumiyama (Japan,Pertamina Cusco Racing), Akira Bamba (Japan, Proton Cusco Rally Team), Tomohide Hasegawa (Japan, Hasepro Rally Team), Gunaseelan Rajoo (Malaysia, Pennzoil GSR Racing Team), Cody Crocker (Australia, Pennzoil GSR Racing Team) and Chris Atkinson (Australia, Proton Motorsports).