Track Record 2010 by azam ahmad

Malaysian Prime Minister praises Meritusâ&#x20AC;&#x2122; stunning success in GP2

2010

Malaysian fireworks in Bahrain

MeritusDriver

â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Creating International

Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

Motorsport Heroesâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;

Championship Winning Motorsport Team Track Record 2010

Contents

6-9 MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com – fireworks in Bahrain

10 Datuk Seri Najib praises

11 Putting Malaysia on the

12 Questnet’s GP2 Asia team

13 US officials praise rising star

15 Raad: No reason we can’t be

6-9

Meritus’ stunning success in GP2 motorsports map

enthrals fans in Bahrain

Rossi

in F1 in 2016

16 F1? It’s only a matter of time

18 Ambassadors give

22-23

MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com

a lift

19 Interview with GP2 CEO

22-23 Winning is Business with

24-25 Hard work is secret behind

27 Firhat – the man with the

Bruno Michel

Team Partner NaRaYa

MERITUS-GP’S success Midas’ touch

30-31 Afiq could be the next

32-33 A lesson well learnt

34-35 Pasin ready to make the step

36-37 Meritus’ own Montoya ready

30-31

Malaysian champion

up with Meritus

to burn up the track

16 4

Track Record 2010

Meritus

stands for

What

eritus is a multi-dimensional motorsport services company with a winning culture of race-engineering success in Europe, Asia Pacific and the Middle East. Our team motto is ‘Creating International Motorsport Heroes’ by supporting and training young drivers to achieve their dreams in the high-tech business of international motorsport. In keeping with our team brand Meritus, from the Latin meritum meaning ‘to obtain a lot,’ our objective is to provide our advertising-partners with the excellence and

resources they require in order to generate a ten-fold return on their advertising investment. The team’s culture ‘Winning is Business’ comes from the Chinese translation of our word-brand Meritus. “Wan Li Da, means Winning comes First – even if the effort takes 100,000 miles”. Meritus has proven that success does indeed flow from consistent hard work, dedication, professionalism, technological leadership and, above all, the culture and development of talent. We are proud of all our drivers and the Meritus hall of fame includes our F1 heroes.

In a team sport where only one person collects the award, the brand Merit-us also gives recognition to our sponsors, our engineering staff and our winning dynamics. When Meritus is included with the sponsor brand it has the effect of enhancing and adding merit to the team brand. Merit is indeed at the core of Meritus, and the team’s red colour scheme reflects the warmth, the passion, the efficiency, the culture and dedication that flows through the heart of the team. Anthropologists have proven that wearing the colour red provides an unfair sporting advantage! M

Track Record 2010

GP2 Asia Season

MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com

â&#x20AC;&#x201C; fireworks in Bahrain 6

Track Record 2010

GP2 Asia Season

“MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com is the number one racing team of its class and now the rest of the world can see what we have always known,” – commented Dato’ Vijay Eswaran, the Executive Chairman of QI Group of Companies, the sponsor of the team.

P2 Asia is an off-season race series and a sister to the main GP2 Championship which acts as a natural feeder to F1 teams. The 20092010 season featured only four legs of two races in Abu Dhabi and the Kingdom of Bahrain under the eyes of the F1 fans as the race was support race to the main F1 event. This also means that a number of very good drivers are available to drive in GP2 or GP2 Asia. Indeed, a large proportion of F1’s new young stars cut their teeth in GP2. The list of names counts Nico Rosberg (AT&T Williams - son of the 1982 F1 World Champion Keke Rosberg), Heikki Kovalainen (Lotus F1), Scott Speed (Scuderia Toro Rosso), Nelson Piquet Jr, (Renault - also son of the three times F1 World Champion - 81, 83, 87), Lewis Hamilton (McLaren Mercedes), Kazuki Nakajima (AT&T Williams - son of Satoru Nakajima who competed in 74 different F1 Grand Prix), Sakon Yamamoto (Spyker), Ho Pin Tung or Jerome d’Ambrosio, (now with Renault), Andreas Zuber (Honda), Timo Glock (Toyota now Lotus F1) or the second ever Indian driver in F1, Karun Chandock (HRT F1) and Bruno Senna (HRT F1) amongst others. One day Luca Filippi’s turn will come. Filippi, who was retained by team president Peter Thompson, was one of the possible drivers for the Honda F1 team to take the wheel of the Honda 2008 car. At the time as he started, the Italian driver was part of Honda`s Young Driver Program and had entered his first GP2 Asia Series season with the team MalaysiaQiMeritusMahara.com. Then Filippi also competed in the main GP2 series with ART international. It was an unexpectedly hard season for the team, Thompson and chairman Raad S. Abduljawad. Indeed, they had made a last minute decision over the winter and wanted to restructure the team fully and bring it under the authority of another Irish man: Sean Thompson, who became the Technical Director and Team Principal. It was a serious responsibility for Peter’s own brother. But on whom best to Track Record 2010

GP2 Asia Season

rely in life than on your own brother? Peter dared his brother to take up the challenge and not disappoint his family. It has turned out to be a perfect combination. As early as during the GP2 Asia Series pre-season tests, Filippi was fastest over the two-day test. Towards the end of the session, his team-mate, Brazil Diego Nunes was as high as second. It was a real success for Sean, establishing his style during the team’s first outing. From there on, the team was to progress consistently throughout the season. If Filippi had scored valuable points in his first race with his new all Asian team MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com in Dubai in 2008, Filippi to everyone’s delight in the team repeated his feat in the series’ third season. He turned a positive qualifying result into a great podium for their first race of the opening round of 2009 GP2 Asia season. Filippi scored eight points for the team in Abu Dhabi in November 2009 while his team-mate Brazil Diego Nunes, was a bit more unlucky, broke a drive shaft in the early stage of the weekend. At the second set of races in Abu Dhabi, Filippi and the rookie American Alexander Rossi teamed-up for a renewed challenge on their hands. Starting respectively from 21st and 24th on the grid, they finished the first race at Yas Marina circuit in Abu Dhabi in good shape confirming team’s competitiveness. As for him, Filippi who had finished the first practice session fastest of all, continued to show a dominant pace, 8

Track Record 2010

but in the end, could not overcome his bad luck from qualifying. On the last lap, Filippi’s car suffered fuel surge problems and dramatically dropped from fourth to fourteenth. Alexander Rossi, who had qualified fifth, was relegated to the back of the grid following a genuine human error, but recovered strongly to finish the race in sixth place, earning three points for the team.

riday, February 26, 2010 was a very special day to the team. Filippi and Rossi qualified fourth and fifteenth respectively for the start of the 34 lap-long first race in Bahrain. The team and Filippi were just four hundredths of a second off pole-position in a very competitive session. But the best of the weekend was to come the following day when Filippi finished in second position in the first race at Bahrain. Indeed, it was a very special day for the team as it was also Peter Thompson’s birthday, a special birthday for the team president and founder, turning 54 in Bahrain. Filippi once again finished second in the main race to underline his progress with the team. The tone was definitely set in the Kingdom of Bahrain two weeks later: MalaysiaQI-MeritusMaharaGP.com took pole for the second weekend at the Bahrain Grand Prix and later, MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com created history with its first ever GP2 Asia victory. Filippi delivered the team’s first ever victory in GP2 Asia winning the main race at the Bahrain Grand

GP2 Asia Season

Prix in front of all the F1 community, for his second career win at this track after success in 2007. Team-mate Rossi finished 11th after working his way up from 20th. The weekend’s final result places Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara.com in fourth overall position of the 2009-2010 GP2 Asia Series with 34 points, just one point less than third place and just three points behind the runner-up. This win also puts Filippi in second place in the driver’s championship with team-mate Rossi, ninth. A firework of efficiency complimented by team’s sponsor multinational Questnet. “Here’s one for QI, one for QI-Meritus, one for Bahrain and one for Malaysia in line with Malaysia being one. We have always felt that team Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara. com is the number one racing team of its class and now the rest of the world can see what we have always known, “ says Dato’ Vijay Eswaran, the Executive Chairman of QI Group of Companies, the conglomerate of which QuestNet’ is a flagship brand. This is also the third year since inception of the GP2 Asia Racing Series that QuestNet’ is sponsoring team Malaysia, “Because there is a clear relationship between motorsport and the direct selling industry at Questnet. In both instances it requires performance, focus, passion, a winning attitude, and last but not least, teamwork, to get ahead,” said Khaled Diab, General Manager for QuestNet Middle East. M Track Record 2010

Meritus

Malaysian Prime Minister

praises Meritus’ stunning success in GP2

sia’s most successful motorsports team, Meritus GP, received the highest possible praise when Malaysian Prime Minister Datuk Seri Mohd Najib Bin Tun Haji Abdul Razak congratulated it on becoming the first Asian team to win a GP2 race. The Malaysian outfit, who has won 34 international titles in 13 years, secured second place in the Drivers’ Championship through Luca Fillipi after the Italian won the Bahrain Grand Prix. The team finished fourth in the Constructors’ Championship, despite competing against 11 European-based teams. “I congratulate and am proud of our home grown Malaysian team on its success in GP2, the F1 development series,” said Datuk Seri Najib. “Meritus GP and its Malaysian sponsors Questnet’s win at the Bahrain Grand Prix in the GP2 Asia Championships is proof of the team’s professionalism and the technical ability of our engineers.” Racing under the banner MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com, the team collected 34 points from eight races. Filippi, who finished second twice before his victory in Bahrain ended the season on 29 points. This was the first time a MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com driver has finished inside the top five in GP2 Asia. The previous best was Hiroki Yoshimoto, who finished ninth with 14 points in the 2007-2008 season. MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com also finished in its best ever position with its best ever points tally after finishing with 18 and nine points in the first two seasons to be placed ninth and 10th in the overall standings.

Co-owner Firhat Mokhzani said he was touched by the premier’s words of encouragement and added this has given the team extra incentive as it gears up for the challenge of racing in Europe next year. “The team had been invited by GP2 CEO Bruno Michel to apply for a license to race in the main GP2 series in Europe even before we achieved our historic victory. Now that we have shown we are capable of winning, we will look into the possibility of taking up the offer,” said Firhat, who as head of driver development, has masterminded each of the team’s 34 titles. Meanwhile, one of the team’s engineers, Sharli Mohamad took great pride in helping

“The team had been invited by GP2 CEO Bruno Michel to apply for a license to race in the main GP2 series in Europe even before we achieved our historic victory. Now that we have shown we are capable of winning, we will look into the possibility of taking up the offer.” – Firhat the team achieved its maiden GP2 victory in only his first season after promotion from the Formula BMW team. “I’m delighted to have played a small part in the team’s success in Bahrain. It was a totally different experience for me as GP2 is of a much higher level than Formula BMW,” said Sharli, who has helped Meritus GP win the last seven Formula BMW championships. M

Final GP2 Asia Constructors’ Championships 1. iSport 73 2. Arden 37 3. DPR 36 4. MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com 34 5. Art GP 20 6. Super Nova 14 7. Dams 12 8. Coloni 12 9. Ocean Racing Technology 9 10. Barwa Addax 5 11. Trident 4 12. Rapax 0 Final GP2 Asia Drivers’ Championship (Top 10) 1. Davide Valsecchi (iSport) 56 2. Luca Filippi (MalaysiaQI- MeritusMahara.com) 29 3. Giacomo Ricci (DPR) 29 4. Charles Pic (Arden) 19 5. Javier Villa (Arden) 18 6. Oliver Turvey (iSport) 17 7. Sam Bird (ART) 12 8. Alvaro Parente (Coloni) 12 9. Alexander Rossi (MalaysiaQI- MeritusMahara.com) 12 10. Christian Vietoris (Dams) 9

Track Record 2010

MeritusOwner

“Our track record over the years – winning 34 international titles in 13 years – helped us get a license to race in GP2 Asia. Now, the team has proved itself in GP2 Asia, the world has taken notice and we have been invited to apply for a license in the main series.”

– Firhat

Putting Malaysia on the motorsports map

irhat Mokhzani has come a long way in motorsports, first as a driver and now as co-owner for MERITUS-GP. In an amazing journey, he has gone from race winner to one who has been producing champions for the last 14 years, some of whom have gone on to race in the pinnacle of motorsports – Formula 1. Meritus is the only team in the global BMW series that offers all the steps on the motorsport ladder from karting, to FBMWP and FV6, GP2 Asia and soon GP2 Euro, which is the F1 development series. Firhat, as head of driver development, has seen the likes of Takuma Sato, Narain Karthikeyan and Ho Pin-Tung, who were all under his tutelage, graduate to F1. But the ever modest Firhat is forever looking forward to his next challenges – the biggest one is to produce the next Malaysian to be involved in Formula 1. “Of course everyone wants to see the next Malaysian driver in Formula 1. So far, we have only had one race in F1 and now we have another who is a test driver. That is actually a big achievement for a country like ours,” said Firhat. “MERITUS-GP has a history of unearthing future Formula 1 drivers and we would like

to see one of our own make it to the grandest stage of all. However, in recent times, we have shifted our focus on developing the technical side as well. “When MERITUS-GP was first formed in 1996, there was not one single Malaysian in our technical set-up. That was understandable as the motor racing culture is arguably still young in this country. “But last year, when we captured our seventh consecutive Formula BMW Pacific crown, it was on the back of an all-Malaysian crew. “We still have one or two foreigners, but they are here as trainers as we know there are still many areas we can improve on.” As a testament to the progress Firhat was talking about, he pointed out that the team’s senior Formula BMW engineer, Sharli Mohamad, had been promoted to the GP2 Asia team this year.In fact, Sharli was part of the crew who helped Luca Filippi win the Bahrain Grand Prix – MalaysiaQiMeritusMahara.com’s first ever GP2 win. In the process, the team created history by becoming the first Asian team to be on the top podium in GP2. “Sharli has been with MERITUS-GP for a long time. As a matter of fact, many of our engineers have been with us for close to a decade as we treat our staff like family.

“Sharli has been earmarked to take over the operations of the GP2 team and even though GP2 is more complex than Formula BMW, Sharli fitted right in,” said a proud Firhat.“Once he completes his training, we will promote a couple more Malaysians as it is our hope and desire to have an all-Malaysian GP2 technical crew. This is one way for us to promote Malaysia to the motorsports world.” He added the next step is to compete in the main GP2 series in Europe, a goal the team hopes to accomplish next year after it was invited by none other than GP2 CEO Bruno Michel to apply for a license which would make it the first Asian team to compete in the main GP2 series. “Our track record over the years – winning 34 international titles in 13 years – helped us get a license to race in GP2 Asia. Now, the team has proved itself in GP2 Asia, the world has taken notice and we have been invited to apply for a license in the main series,” he said. “We have also received many enquires from drivers, a far cry from when we first started as no one wanted to drive for an Asian team. I’m glad we have proved all the doubters wrong.“I feel proud that a Malaysian team has earned the respect and we will do our best to ensure we make our mark in Europe.” M Track Record 2010

MeritusSponsor

ONE FOR THE ALBUM: QIMM team members celebrate Filippi’s victory.

Questnet’s GP2 Asia team thrills fans in Bahrain

uestNet™ fans of 2009-2010 GP2 Asia motorsport were on cloud nine when Luca Filippi – driver of their favourite team, Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara.com – raced into pole position at the Bahrain International Circuit (BIC). The weekend’s final result places Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara.com in overall fourth position of the 2009-2010 GP2 Asia Series. The QuestNet™ team garnered 34 points, a mere one point less than the third place team and just three points behind the runner-up. This win puts Filippi in second place among the participating drivers with team mate Alexander Rossi, placed ninth. “Here’s one for QI, one for QI-Meritus, one for Bahrain and one for Malaysia in line with Malaysia being one. We have always felt that team Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara.com is a No. 1 racing team of its class and now the rest of the world can see what we have always

known,” said Dato’ Vijay Eswaran, the Executive Chairman of QI Group of Companies – the conglomerate of which QuestNet™ is a flagship brand. Khaled Diab, QuestNet™ spokesperson and General Manager for QuestNet Middle East General Trading L.L.C., said: “Filippi’s skills impressed everyone, and given that it is the team’s chairman’s (Raad Abduljawad) home

“Here’s one for QI, one for QI-Meritus, one for Bahrain and one for Malaysia in line with Malaysia being one. We have always felt that team Malaysia QI-MeritusMahara. com is a No. 1 racing team of its class and now the rest of the world can see what we have always known.”

– Dato’ Vijay Eswaran

circuit, his win brings double pleasure.” “Rossi also gave an impressive performance, making a notable comeback after his disappointment at the previous rounds held at BIC,. It’s the team’s first win after three years of participation in GP2 Asia and it has rightly been described as a dream win for Team Malaysia,” Diab added. This is also the third year since inception of the GP2 Asia Racing Series that QuestNet™ is sponsoring team Malaysia. QuestNet™ – a Hong-Kong-based direct selling brand with global operations (covering, among others, the Middle East, Africa and Asia) – is a keen sponsor of motorsport, according to Diab, because there is a clear relation between motorsport and the direct selling industry. “In both instances it requires performance, focus, passion, a winning attitude, and last but not least, teamwork, to get ahead,” Diab concluded. M

About Questnet™ QuestNet™ is an international direct selling brand established in 1998. Operating a global sales force, QuestNet™ offers a high-quality product portfolio consisting of innovative lifestyle products, including consumable and everyday items, personal care and wellness products, luxury and collectible items, vacation packages, and telecommunications. 12

Track Record 2010

QuestNet™ also provides business opportunities to millions of people around the world by offering entrepreneurial aspirants the opportunity to run their own business through an e-commerce platform, to promote the company and its products. QuestNet™ provides its representatives with the requisite training and business tools to succeed, and champions professional business and

marketing practices at both corporate and network levels. Driven by the mission of RYTHM (Raise Yourself To Help Mankind), QuestNet™ is an active contributor to the support and sustainability of the communities in which it operates. QuestNet™ is a brand established by the QI Group. To learn more about QuestNet™, visit www.quest.net

MeritusDriver

US officials praise rising star Rossi

Rossi and US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Honorable Adam Ereli.

he list of VIPs who are following the lightning progress of MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com to the top of the GP2 Asia Series continues to grow and grow. His Excellencies Dato’ Yahaya Abdul Jabar, Ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE and Dato’Syed Sultan Idris, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Bahrain have followed the team’s progress throughout the season, and were present when a skilled Luca Filippi sped across the finish line to claim MalaysiaQI-MeritusMaharaGP.com’s maiden win. An euphoric Filippi dedicated the win to the Ambassadors following an emotional speech during the post race Press Conference. The celebrations continued when His Excellency Dato’Syed hosted a celebratory party for the team at his private residence in Bahrain. US Ambassador to the Kingdom of Bahrain, the Honorable Adam Ereli, also paid a visit to the team during the 2010 Formula 1™ Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix, where he spoke to American racing sensation Alexander Rossi prior to the final race of the season. The USAmbassador made the visit a high priority in his already busy schedule in an appreciated show of support for the MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com team. During correspondence between the Ambassador’s staff and Peter Thomson, team President and Founder, it was made clear that this was an important moment not only for the team, but also a personal significance for the US Ambassador. “Please let me know what day and time works best for you and your team. I will block time on the Ambassador’s schedule. Some meetings have priority in life,” his assistant wrote. The US Ambassador was not the only American guest seen in the team’s garage. Another important American VIP who visited after the race was ACCUS USA President Nick Craw. Long-time Road Racing Drivers Club member Craw was also named FIA Senate President following an FIA General Assembly election at the FIA annual meeting in Paris on the Oct 23 2009. The Senate is the top-ranking body of the FIA, second only to the President, and concerns itself with the overall management and finances of the international governing body. Craw was one of 23 FIA members who were elected by the FIA General Assembly to represent the FIA around the world for four-year terms. Based in Denver, he had been an FIA Senate member while also heading the American Automobile Competition Committee of the U.S

HIGH PRAISE: Rossi (left) poses with Nick Craw (ACCUS), an umbrella body representing NASCAR, NHRA, IRL, SCCA, IMSA-ALMS, Grand-Am, USAC and WKA. He had left his position as U.S SAILING Executive Director in 2004 to concentrate on ACCUS full-time. Previously, he had been President and CEO of SCCA for 17 years. “Being elected President of the Senate of the FIA is, although flattering, more of a recognition of the importance of the American market and its growing weight in the world scheme,” said Craw. “One of my missions as ACCUS President is to represent the United States in the international councils. Having members such as NASCAR, IRL, NHRA, IMSA-ALMS, Grand-Am, USAC and SCCA makes the job

that much easier”, stated Craw. Craw, who has combined a lifelong passion for motorsport and dedication to his job, praised Rossi in Bahrain and was present when the driver returned to the team’s garage to congratulate the young driver after the race. MalaysiaQI-MeritusMaharaGP.com had a very successful season, finishing overall fourth in the team championships, with Filippi claiming the runner up spot in the driver championship with 29 points. The final round of the season saw the team cement their reputation as a formidable opponent on track and next year promises to be an even more competitive season for Malaysia’s number one racing team. M Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

Meritus and Questnet congratulate our

GP2 Asia winner Luca Filippi 14

Track Record 2010

MeritusChairman

Raad: No reason we can’t be in F1 in 2016

e began as a racing driver under Meritus-GP president Peter Thompson 21 years ago and Raad S. Abduljawad’s ties with the team were renewed in 2007 when the team launched its inaugural GP2 Asia campaign. Throughout those years, the soft-spoken 47-year-old Saudi billionaire had always kept his dream of bringing a team to Formula One under wraps. Until now that is. He explains that the timing and conditions should be right before the set-up moves into the top echelon of motorsport. For now, as partner in the MalaysiaQiMeritusMahara.com GP2 Asia team, Raad is looking to establish the team in Europe, via the GP2 main series by 2011. “It is all about a natural progression. We’ve been in GP2 Asia and we’ve met this challenge. Then it will always be about finding a new challenge so that you keep on improving and progressing,” said Raad. The MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com team is expected to debut in the GP2 main series in Europe next season, confirmation of which will come by December, 2010 when the list of teams to start the next season is finalised. This will be the next step towards realising the Meritus target of making it into Formula One by 2016. Raad is enjoying each step he takes like a true motorsports fanatic. “I’ve always had a passion for motorsports. I’ve been in it as a driver, now chairman. It is something I enjoy and want to keep on doing,” he said. “With that comes an ambition to go higher and higher. And to do that, we will work harder to put everything in place. We’re now trying to make it out of Asia and show that even coming out of Asia, we can put in a very strong package.” The MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara. com team has made waves as the only indigenous Asian team competing in the GP2 Asia series. It is now aiming to move into Europe and eventually become a truly indigenous Asian Formula One team. After three years in the GP2 Asia series, the MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com team ended the past season with astonishing results. The team finished fourth in the Constructos’ Championship with Italian driver Luca Filippi finishing second in the Drivers’ Championship behind compatriot Davide Valsecchi. Filippi also ended the season on a high in the final round of the series, held as a support event for the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix, by winning Race One. This was

an historic occasion as it was the first ever race win in GP2 by an Asian team. “We will have six years in the GP2 main series if we make it there. That is enough time to establish ourselves. Once we have done that, of course the next progression will be Formula One, there’s nothing else to aim for but Formula One,” said Raad. This high ambition is driven by the fact that Asia needs to begin to show itself on the global stage, with Formula One currently dominated by Europe-based teams, which had all come from European backgrounds. “We hope all our efforts will give more exposure to motorsports in this region. People will have something they can associate themselves with and this will build the interest and eventually there will definitely be more exposure for the sport in this region,” said Raad. “From there, with people interested, we can continue to build and develop. Eventually we should have more drivers, mechanics and technicians coming out of Asia.” M

“With that comes an ambition to go higher and higher. And to do that, we will work harder to put everything in place. We’re now trying to make it out of Asia and show that even coming out of Asia, we can put in a very strong package.”

– Raad

Track Record 2010

MeritusTeamManager

F1? It’s only a matter of time

HERE is a firm belief that the MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara. com team has what it takes to go all the way to the top tier of motorsports. Ask team manager Sean Thompson and he will tell you that there isn’t a single doubt that the team would not be capable of competing against the best in Formula One given sufficient time to be ready and the right backing. Irishman Thompson has already delivered on his word, transforming the team’s fortunes within the space of a year in the GP2 Asia series. From less fortunate beginnings, Thompson already delivered the team’s first victory as the race engineer for Italian driver Luca Filippi. Filippi registered the team’s first ever victory in GP2 Asia, leading from pole position to the chequered flag in Race One of the final round in Bahrain on March 13. “We’re confident we can hold our own if we are granted a license for the main GP2 series in 2011. We’ll have a better idea of that in October, when the new cars for the main series are available. We should be ready by December when the teams for the 2011 season are announced,” said Thompson. The team is working towards achieving their dream of making it into Formula One by 2016, something which Thompson, brother of MERITUS-GP president Peter Thompson, will be putting the pieces together for. “Everyone has dreams. If we make it into the GP2 main series next season, we’ll have six years to be ready for Formula One. And six years is sufficient enough time to firstly establish ourselves in the GP2 main series, before looking at Formula One,” said Thompson. “The reason why we believe we’ll be able to do so is pure logistics. There is no reason to doubt that this team can’t evolve into a Formula One team and there’s no reason why it can’t be done.”

Track Record 2010

“We’re confident we can hold our own if we are granted a license for the main GP2 series in 2011. We’ll have a better idea of that in October, when the new cars for the main series are available. We should be ready by December when the teams for the 2011 season are announced.”

– Sean Thompson

Thompson said the team had sufficient experience dealing with super high performance cars and machinery, which was one of the reasons why a shot at Formula One would not be considered impossible. “If you look at F1 this season, there’s the Hispania Racing Team (HRT) which evolved out of the European Formula Three team Campos. There’s the Virgin Racing team, which came out of the Manor team that competed in the British F3 Championship, not even GP2,” said Thompson. “We’re dealing with really high powered cars in GP2. The GP2 Asia cars are 10 seconds off the pace of a Formula One car, while in the main series it is six seconds. We’ve got the experience in dealing with this sort of machinery, so F1 is definitely not impossible. “Plus, with each year, the team is growing stronger and stronger.” M

Meritus COMMENT by Arnaz M. Khairul

Bright outlook for Lotus and Meritus

THE MAIN MEN: Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes (left) sharing a laugh with MERITUS-GP founder Peter Thompson on the grid before the start of the Bahrain Grand Prix in March.

OW most Malaysians must have wished that what seems – after the Formula One Bahrain Grand Prix – a return of Ferrari domination, that Lotus Racing will also be up there this season. when Fernando Alonso and Felipe Massa bagged a one-two finish, had Lotus Racing tagging along up front. Instead, on that comfortably warm weekend, it was another all-red car that made the headlines for Malaysia – the GP2 Asia team MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com car of Italian Luca Filippi.  Astounding was the fact that on that weekend, Malaysia showcased two sets of capabilities and talent available in the country’s still fledgling motorsports scene.  These are two different paths to the top – the huge investment to instantly produce a Formula One team like Lotus and the long, tried route charted by Meritus Racing, who plan to make it into F1 by 2016.  Filippi drove the Malaysian team’s car to it’s first ever victory in Race One of the final round of the series in Bahrain. It was the first victory by an Asian team in any of the two GP2 series, in Asia and the main series in Europe, achieved after three years of Meritus competing in GP2 Asia. Lotus, while they were celebrating first a successful debut and the fact that the cars of Heikki Kovalainen and Jarno Trulli finished

their debut race, it wasn’t all encouraging remarks that the team got back home in Malaysia.  So much so that team principal Datuk Seri Tony Fernandes was so engrossed in pushing home the point that the team were a mere six months old, had started from scratch and had it all ready on time for pre-season tests and the debut race in Bahrain.   All that, he said, on not even half the budget of any of the established teams.  It is undoubtedly an achievement given the complexity of the task and the time-frame from Sept 12 last year, when the team first gained their slot in F1.  Fears over the team emerging as the new Minardi, perennial backmarkers must have subsided after Lotus finished the first weekend as the best of the three new teams, with positive notes on the reliability of their two cars.  Kovalainen finished 15th and Trulli nursed his car which sustained hydraulics failure with 10 laps to go, right to the final lap, to be classified 17th, all when the new Virgin Racing and Hispania Racing Team had all their drivers out before mid-race.  It should only get better with a new aerodynamics package set to be delivered by the Barcelona round in May, and the spirit within the Lotus camp was upbeat throughout the weekend.   It was similar in the Meritus camp, who are now eyeing a move to the GP2 main

series in Europe in 2011, which will likely become a reality once the new cars for the series are launched and available in October, more so when the line-up of teams for next season is announced in December.   It was a long, hard story since Meritus Racing were set up in Kuala Lumpur 14 years ago, emerging in those years as the Asian single-seater racing scene’s most successful ever team with multiple championships in Formula BMW Asia and Formula V6 Asia. Should all go well, Malaysia would have a team each in the world’s top two levels of single-seater racing – Formula One and the GP2 main series in Europe – next year. From virtually nothing at the tail-end of last year’s Formula One season, Malaysia is now looking at more than one prospect in the world’s top racing series.  So for those probably eager to see world beaters emerging, the country already has a firm footing and aiming towards that, which is more than can be said about so many other sports in the country.   Yes, it could all fail in an instant, and nobody wants to see a team representing the country finishing at the rear of the pack.   But if within the space of less than a year, such giant steps have been taken by both Lotus and Meritus, imagine what the next five years could turn out to be should it all go as planned. – Courtesy of New Straits Times M Track Record 2010

Meritus

ara.com h a M s u it r e M IMalaysiaQ

lifted by Malaysia Ambassadors’ support

ollowing MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com’s blistering season finale at the 2010 Formula 1™ Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix where Luca Filippi claimed the team’s maiden victory during race one, the squad has gained international support with some of the region’s most influential individuals personally congratulating the rising team. Throughout the 2009-10 GP2 Asia Series MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com has consistently proved its ability to impress, finishing the season in overall fourth in the team championship. This year has been a golden season for the team, whose success can be attributed in part to the addition of four former Formula 1™ technicians and engineers which has complimented the existing staff. The signing of American racing sensation Alexander Rossi as a partner for Italian Luca Filippi proved to be a pairing made in heaven as the two talented drivers took the GP2 Asia Series by storm. The team’s speedy rise to one of the top competitor’s of the GP2 Asia Series has not gone unnoticed. His Excellency Dato’ Yahaya Abdul Jabar, Ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE, an avid supporter of the MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com team since its inception, has followed their progress throughout the 2009-10 season. During the second round of this year’s season, he supported the team in person with a visit to the racing pits at the Yas Marina Circuit, praising the squad’s performance and their excellent representation for Malaysia’s budding motorsport community. His Excellency stated: “Our Malaysian motorsport ambassadors MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com earned a great second place podium during the opening round of the 2009 GP2 Asia season. I visited the team in the Yas pits and hopefully brought them good luck. I was impressed and honoured by the team’s results and to see our Malaysian flag fly on the Abu Dhabi UAE podium.” His Excellency continued providing support for MalaysiaQI-MeritusMaharaGP. com throughout the remainder of the season, travelling to Bahrain International Circuit for the final round of this year’s GP2 Asia Series where he joined His Excellency Dato’Syed Sultan Idris, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Bahrain. Following an emotional victory where Filippi took the chequered flag in-front of tens of thousands of action hungry fans, the winner dedicated his win to the Ambassadors of Malaysia in an emotional 18

Track Record 2010

ALL THE BEST: His Excellency Dato’ Yahaya Abdul Jabar, Ambassador of Malaysia to the UAE (third from left) and his wife Datin Sakdah Sanip (third from right) at the Meritus pit in Abu Dhabi.

THUMBS UP: His Excellency Dato’Syed Sultan Idris, Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Bahrain at the grid prior to the start of the Bahrain GP.

speech, stating: “It was a great team performance and I would like to thank the Malaysian ambassadors for their good luck and support and I dedicate our win today to them.” The moment was further marked as a high point in the team’s history when His Excellency Dato’ Yahaya singled out the driver, stating: “I will never forget that Filippi dedicated his podium to me after the race.” The celebratory atmosphere continued when His Excellency Dato’ Syed, added his own praise to those of the Malaysian Ambassador to the UAE, when he congratulated podium victor Filippi after his flawless performance. After the race, the Ambassador held a

party at his private Residence in Bahrain for the team and the Bahrain media and TV where the celebrations continued. This followed a party held earlier in the week to welcome the drivers to the Kingdom of Bahrain and wish them luck on this momentous occasion and that was recorded on his wife’s Datin Zarin Hussin’s, facebook page. “On behalf of Malaysia we are very proud of the motorsport heritage and technology and the training that MeritusGP provides our young engineering graduates. All of this would not be possible without a great Malaysian entrepreneur like Peter Thompson, the President and team founder,” His Excellency commented. M

Meritus

Interview with Bruno Mitchel CEO GP2 Europe and Asia

he GP2 Asia Series has ended its third season. It is interesting to see how the GP2 Asia Series has developed. It has established a genuinely high level of recognition in Asia. A series where every team shares the same values: discipline, passion, emotions and very special contacts. Bruno Michel has spoken openly about the Malaysian MERITUS-GP2 team and the 2010 GP2 Asia Series.

TR: Bruno Michel, why did you create GP2 Asia series and decide for GP2 to head East? What is the philosophy behind this move? BM: One of the reasons for the creation of the GP2 Asia Series has been to ensure that the excitement of the GP2 concept is taken around the world. The Middle East and Asia are becoming a key continent in the motorsport industry. The drivers from this side of the world are not prepared enough to get into F1. We were trying to fill this gap and bring some very competitive racing to Asia and Middle East. We used the GP2 cars to keep the costs as low as possible. TR: Why did you decide to have two series instead of one trans-continental championship? BM: Originally to be able to follow Formula One, but without a budget, for 18 to 20 weekends - it would have been too difficult financially for the teams. Instead, we will do two championships, possibly with different drivers, so the budget can be split. TR: What thoughts did you have about cost efficiency? BM: By splitting GP2 into the GP2 Main Series and GP2 Asia Series, we wanted to ensure that teams and drivers can take part in both championships, without suffering the large costs which would have come with one trans-continental championship.

is its unique appeal of being Asian, blended with Middle Eastern culture that shows we have gone in the right direction. MERITUS GP’s participation with the European teams has turned the championship into a high level series where young drivers can put some mileage under their belts in the winter months. TR: Would you say that the cost of the series is too expensive for Asian drivers? BM: Possibly. A combination of factors did not allow us to grow the young champions along the lines of our original plans. However, the first season of the GP2 Asia Series began with a record, as reigning F3 Euro Series champion Romain Grosjean became the first rookie to win our series. Romain Grosjean joined the Renault F1 team and finished his first race in Valencia. Kamui

Kobayashi is the Japanese winter champion 2009 for team Dams. Kamui is also the test and reserve driver at Panasonic Toyota F1. They both deserved their Championship and will capitalise on their investment. TR: What are your feelings overall? BM: MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com has integrated well in the new world of GP2 and has shown it can compete at the highest level, a level of motorsport that has produced champions like Nico Rosberg, Heikki Kovalainen and world champion F1 Lewis Hamilton. Q: Do you have a dream? BM: Many but one of them is that GP3 will follow just as successfully as the GP2 main series and GP2 Asia. For now the next GP3 series was born. The first official shakedown of the new GP3 car took place at Le Castellet in the South of France. After months of careful development, the session marked the first performance and the reliability test of the Dallara chassis, combined with a Renault 4-cylinder, 2-litre turbo-charged engine and Pirelli slick tyres. M

“By splitting GP2 into the GP2 Main Series and GP2 Asia Series, we wanted to ensure that teams and drivers can take part in both championships, without suffering the large costs.”

– Michel

TR: What changes drive the third year of GP2 Asia? BM: The launch of the GP2 Asia series worked well and it has developed with consistency. In order to grow GP2 Asia, we were very aware that the heightened cost would have gone against one of our principal values. The perfect method by which such an expansion could be realised did not go the direction we wanted and there were less Asian teams than we expected. MalaysiaQi-MeritusMahara.com is a Malaysian-based team, in fact the only Asian-owned team, that has become virtually Ambassador of Asian Motorsport while also showing deep roots in the Middle East through its Saudi partner, team Chairman, Raad S. Abduljawad. It is this combination that gives that team a natural advantage in the GP2 Asia Series. It Track Record 2010

Meritus

Track Record 2010

Meritus

Meritus picture power

Track Record 2010

MeritusSponsor

Winning is Business with team partner NaRaYa NaRaYa chairman Vassilios Lathouras speaks to Track Record TR: Tell us about yourself and your role as the chairman of NaRaYa. VL: When I settled in Thailand, I had qualified as a mechanical engineer. I was such a fan of racing that I wanted to trade spare parts for Nissan and be an importer for them in the country. But everything went terribly wrong. I was just married and decided to do something completely outside of my knowledge. Naraya is a company in Thailand that produces fabric bags and accessories. I started the company on October 6, 1989 and currently, my wife Wasna is the company’s CEO. At the time we had less than 20 sewing machines. NaRaYa now has its own major factory producing bags and various kinds of home and women’s accessories. The first year our profits were US$10,000 with products only sold in Thailand. I remember that we opened our first shop on the day my son was born. It was a really small shop. But now looking back I am so delighted with the path we took. Now, twenty years later, NaRaYa has grown in popularity with profits amounting to US$7.5 million and products being sold world-wide. It now has over 50 subsidiary companies. The NaRaYa group is expanding worldwide. TR: Are you interested in Motorsport? VL: Of course! I spent all my time in Monza when I was a student and I watched all possible F1 races from 1967 onwards. At the time, my heroes were Denis Hulme, the New Zealander who won the championship that year, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart and John Surtees. Many of these champions are forgotten now. Jim Clark was on pole and finished third. John Surtees won in the Honda. They were fantastic cars at the time. Jackx Ickx finished in sixth with the Cooper Maserati, but Jo Siffert had an accident. The race is still vivid in my mind. They were really exciting racing moments. TR: Did you race yourself? VL: No I never did. But I followed all types of races including sports prototype as my brother was living in England at the time and not far from Brands Hatch. So we were there every other weekend watching prototypes races. TR: You have an international business and international family; you are from Greece but live in Thailand – tell us the story of your success. 22

Track Record 2010

“The company is now Thailand’s most successful and well-known company in the textile product sector and has enjoyed increasing international recognition over the years. NaRaYa is a company in Thailand that produces fabric bags and accessories. Now, we employ 3,000 staff. We continually improve quality for our customers. We are looking forward to a bright future.” VL: Narai Intertrade Co., Ltd. has been exporting high-quality Thai textile products under its trade name NaRaYa for several years. The company was started over twenty years ago. The company is now Thailand’s most successful and well-known company in the textile product sector and has enjoyed increasing international recognition over the years. NaRaYa is a company in Thailand that produces fabric bags and accessories. Now, we employ 3,000 staff. We continually improve quality for our customers. We are looking forward to a bright future. To date, the company has attracted significant business on the international market, a trend it expects to grow long into the future. We expand with NaRaYa shops worldwide in many countries: Japan, Singapore, Taiwan, Hungary, Macau, Philippines, Saudi Arabia. TR: How did you come up with the name NaRaYa? VL: The name comes from that of the Hindu

God Phra Narai. It was chosen for its easy pronunciation and positive connotations. But in fact, even in Japan, the name is familiar to Japanese customers: it is a location between Osaka and Suzuka. So the name is easy to recognise and remember worldwide. The uniquely Thai qualities of NaRaYa’s handmade products have earned the company thousands of customers around the world. Currently, the company has more than 30 outlets in Asia and Europe besides the 11 in Thailand. Most of its customers are foreigners who are attracted by the unusual designs and Thai fabrics. Consequently, the company earned recognition and awards for the brand including the the 2000 Prime Minister’s Export Award for Distinguished Brand of the year, 2002 Distinguished Design Award, the 2003 Minister’s Industry Award in the category of small and medium Enterprise Industrial Management, and has been named one of the top ten Thai companies. It was also awarded the 2003 ‘superbrand’

MeritusSponsor

Mysterious girl captivates drivers

status by the UK-based Superbrand organisation. We have won many since, which we are very proud of. TR: What are the values in motorsport that Naraya customers will recognise? VL: There are many similarities between the racing team and our company. Hard work is the secret behind MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com GP’s success. Just like we are industry leaders and ambassadors of our country, Meritus is the only truly Asian team that that has created a greater awareness of Motorsport in the Middle East and in Asia. The team brand is Meritus, from the Latin ‘meritum’ and that means ‘to achieve a lot’. Our objective is to provide our customers with the excellence and resources they require and generate love for the beauty of our delicate and exotic fabrics. The team’s culture ‘Winning is Business’ is similar to our company culture. Just like for a racing team – winning comes first - even if the effort takes 100,000 miles. M

Since its inception in 1996, MeritusGP has grown to be one of the most competitive racing teams in Asia. Over the course of its13 year history the Malaysian owned Meritus team has won 34 Asian motorsport titles, including the last seven consecutive titles of the Formula BMW Pacific team championship. The team ended this year’s GP2 Asia Series on a high as Italian driver Luca Filippi drove them to a blistering maiden team victory in the final round of the season at the 2010 Formula 1™ Gulf Air Bahrain Grand Prix. Prior to the race, many were transfixed by the beautiful smile of the official Gulf Air grid girl positioned close by to US racing sensation Alexander Rossi’s car. Accompanied by her chic NaRaYa bag, even Rossi couldn’t help but be distracted by her mysterious and beautiful smile. Carrying a selection of trendy NaRaYa bags, this Gulf Air grid girl had many of the technicians, engineers and even drivers wondering just who this mysterious beauty was, some even delaying to close their helmet visors to catch another glimpse of her distinctly patterned blue handbag which swung elegantly from her slender arm. As she disappeared amongst the similarly dressed Gulf Air girls, the only thing that made her stand out was the vibrant colours of her fashionable NaraYa hand bag, which flitted in and out of view as the mysterious beauty wove in and out of the uniformed gird girls. As the driver’s brought their sleek racing cars to life with a deafening roar of powerful engines, it was Peter Thompson, President and founder of MalaysiaQI-MeritusMahara.com, who had a knowing smile on his face as he recognised the signature look of the NaRaYa products scattered throughout the grid - the unique combination of supple material, distinctive patterns and vibrant colours make it easy to spot the superior quality of a NaRaYa handbag. Dato’Syed Sultan Idris Ambassador of Malaysia to the Kingdom of Bahrain and Dato Sri Tony Fernandes – Team Principal, Lotus Racing were both seen on the Bahrain grid cheering for their favourite team on the grid. Just like MalaysiaQIMeritusMahara.com’s success, it has been hard work that has driven NaRaya from a small unknown company to one of the largest producers of high quality textile products in Thailand. Both organisations are ambassadors to Asia as they expand and venture out across the globe in an attempt to increase awareness of Asian products and services. While Meritus leads the way in Middle Eastern and Asian motorsport, NaRaYa is a market leader in the textile industry and has expanded to sell its products worldwide via 50 subsidiary locations. Narai Intertrade Co. Ltd. has been exporting high-quality Thai textile products under its trade name NaRaYa since its inception over 20 years ago. It has grown into a popular success story with profits amounting to over US$22 million and products being sold world-wide. With recent expansions including a brand new location in Dubai’s Mirdif City Centre mall, NaRaYa is set to take the fashion world by storm as it continued to establish locations across the world, including the Middle East, Europe and America. Track Record 2010

MeritusBMW – A winning season

Hard work is secret behind

“We are extremely delighted to end the Formula BMW Pacific season with both the team championship and driver’s title and this is testament to the tremendous work the engineers and crew, who are 100 per cent Malaysian, have put in.”

Track Record 2010

MeritusBMW – A winning season

Meritus-GP success

A WINNING COMBINATION: Firhat Mokhzani (from left) with Rio Haryanto and Dustin Sofyan helped MERITUS-GP to its seventh consecutive Formula BMW Pacific title

ou don’t get to the top of your game on luck while talent can only take you so far. To go further, you need to put in countless hours of hard work, dedication and practice. This has always been the mantra of MeritusGP, Asia’s most successful motorsports outfit with 34 international titles in the last 13 years. Team president Peter Thompson said MeritusGP, who is based in the Klang Valley, has a team of dedicated local staff who doesn’t mind working round the clock if necessary. Their efforts paid dividends when Questnet Team Qi-MertiusGP clinched its seventh straight Formula BMW Pacific (FBMWP) team crown last season while its driver Rio Haryanto won the drivers’ championship. Rio is the first Indonesian to win the title but the sixth from MeritusGP to take the crown following wins by Ross Jameson (2008), Jazeman Jaafar (2007), Earl Bamber (2006), Lee Marchy (2004) and Tung Ho Pin (2003). “Both team owner Firhat (Mokhzani) and I are firm believers in hard work. This is something we drill into our engineers, crew and drivers everyday and it has paid off,” said Thompson. “We are extremely delighted to end the Formula BMW Pacific season with both the team championship and driver’s title and this is testament to the tremendous work the engineers and crew, who are 100 per cent Malaysian, have put in.” As a reward for their efforts, Thompson said the FBMWP engineers and crew would be seconded to the MalaysiaQi-MeritusGP. com GP2 team. Senior engineer Sharli Mohamed was the first to be attached to the GP2 team when he joined them for the successful 2009-2010 season which saw Meritus become the first Asian team to win a GP2 race. “Right now, we only have one foreign engineer in the FBMWP team and he is there to train our local crew as we want to promote them to the GP2 team,” explained Thompson. “Our ultimate goal is to have an allMalaysian crew in GP2 but that will take time. As such, we are slowly introducing our local engineers to the higher level with the hope one or two can make the grade for next season. Track Record 2010

MeritusBMW – A winning season

“Meritus is the only team in the global BMW series that offers all the steps on the motorsport ladder from karting, to FBMWP and FV6, GP2 Asia and soon GP2 Euro, which is the F1 development series. And as you can see with our efforts with the FBMWP crew, we do this not just for drivers but also for the technical staff. Back in 1996 all our staff were Europeans and now we only have one technical trainer in our championship winning FBMWP team.” Away from the track, Meritus has also announced plans to initiate the development of Malaysian Motorsport Technology and Manufacturing and plans to utilise its Malaysian technical crew together with its GP2 engineers to design its first formula car before the end of 2010.

Rio rises to the top the MeritusGP way

Though it was his older brother Roy - who first won a race for MeritusGP 13 years ago in the Formula Asia 2000 - who introduced Rio Haryanto to MeritusGP owner Firhat Mokhzani, the young Indonesian has improved the Haryanto results with MeritusGP, securing the 2009 Formula BMW Pacific Drivers’ Classification title. to become the first Indonesian driver to do so. Haryanto also celebrated as the Questnet Team Qi-MertiusGP, won the Formula BMW Pacific Team Title for the seventh straight time. 26

Track Record 2010

Consistency, in addition to no small measure of natural talent, played a large part in Rio’s success as he earned first-place points in 10 races, a winning streak that began in Round 6 in Kuala Lumpur and then followed him to Sentul, Indonesia, (where he won all four races, from four poles and with four fastest lap), Singapore, as the series raced in support of the Formula 1 Grand Prix, on the program at the FIA World Touring Car Championship in Okayama, Japan and then at the season finale at the Macau Grand Prix. In total, Haryanto reached the podium 12 times in 15 races including six outright wins. For Rio, his ‘home’ race in Indonesia proved pivotal. He said: “Sentul was the turning point for me because it was my home race and I knew the track better than the others. “From the practice I was the fastest and then in the four races, perfect. It was really perfect for me and when we got to Singapore I had some confidence and was able to keep going.” The Indonesian made his Formula BMW Pacific debut in 2008, when he raced in the final three rounds of the series as a guest driver. The excitement of racing on Singapore’s Marina Bay street circuit, in Shanghai and at Formula BMW Pacific’s inaugural race at the Macau Grand Prix, brought him back for a full season in 2009. “I expected to win the championship

because I had already raced three times as t of the series, so I think I came in with more experience than the others,” Rio said. “But at the beginning of the year, I struggled and didn’t win that many races. But then when it came to Sentul, I won all four races and we just kept working hard.” He also believes that winning the Formula BMW Pacific title will serve as the platform to further his international motorsport career. “I’m very happy to have the title and it’s fantastic to be the first Indonesian to win Formula BMW Pacific with MeritusGP,” said Rio, who goes on to Australia next week to compete in Formula 3 in preparation for his move to European F3 in 2010. MeritusGP has raced in Asia since 1996 and the team’s first drivers were Rio’s brother Roy and former Jordan F1 driver Narain Karthikeyan. The team won the AF2000 drivers championship that year with Narain and its first Asian team championship. Thirteen years later the Malaysian owned Meritus team has now won 34 Asian motorsport titles, including the last seven years of Formula BMW Pacific team crowns. Managing director Firhat Mokhzani has lead the teams success from AF200 in 1996 to Formula BMW Pacific, Formula V6 and also in GP2 Asia. Firhat said: “We have come a long ways since our first win with Rio’s brother Roy in

MeritusBMW – A winning season

Firhat – the man with the midas’ touch

1996 and our step by step approach is similar to many of the great F1 brands like Williams We have ambitions and one of them is to use our GP2 Asia team to retrain and upgrade our engineering investment in our Malaysian technicians. Back in 1996 all our staff were Europeans and now we only have one technical trainer in our championship winning Formula BMW Pacific team. “We have created history by becoming the first Asian team to win a GP2 race and the next step is to move into the main series in Europe. GP2 Europe supports all of the European F1 events including Monaco and our plan is to further establish the brands winning engineering and to use this operation to enhance of Malaysian engineering and design team.” M

2009 Constructors’ Championship (Top five) 1. Questnet Team Qi-Meritus 367 points 2. Eurasia Motorsport 284.75 points 3. E-Rain racing 289.63 points 4. Team Holzer PFX 173.5 points 5. Atlantic Racing Team 172.5 points 2009 Drivers’ Championship (Top five) 1. Rio Haryanto 250 points 2. Gary Thompson 180 points 3. Axcil Heferries 163 points 4. Fahmi Ilyas 102 points 5. Dustin Sofyan 89 points

Firhat Mokhzani is no stranger to success. The owner of MeritusGP, Asia’s most successful motorsports team, has been behind every one of the team’s 34 international titles in the past 13 years, but even he took some time to savour the latest two crowns in MeritusGP’s trophy cabinet last season. On a bleak and gloomy rainy day at the Okayama International Circuit in Japan, last November, the future of Questnet Team QiMeritusGP shone brightly as it clinched its seventh consecutive Formula BMW Pacific team title while 16-year-old Rio Haryanto won the driver’s crown. It was brilliant achievement for the Malaysian team as many had doubted its strategy of going for two young drivers would pay off. But the gamble proved worth while as Rio won six of the first 10 races of the season, including five on a bounce. Rio’s winning streak came to an end when the guest drivers from Eurointernational, made up of Formula BMW Europe and Formula BMW Americas champions entered the last four rounds. Rio, however, scored maximum points in those four races as guest drivers are not eligible to collect points. He finished second three times and fifth once. His partner, 14-year-old Dustin Sofyan collected points in 13 of the 14 races. There is one only more race in Macau on Nov 22. “This year’s victory is probably the sweetest of all as not many expected MerituGP to continue its winning tradition,” said a delighted Firhat. “We knew it would be a big risk fielding drivers who are only 14 and 16 but we could see their talent right from day one. “It was a tremendous team effort and I must congratulate the 100 per cent Malaysian crew, who proved once again that they are the best in the business.” Firhat said Rio actually surpassed his expectations by winning so many races and showed just what he is capable of when he gave the Formula BMW Europe and Americas drivers a run for their money. As for Dustin, Firhat said: “Dustin actually did quite a good job as he scored points in 13 of the 14 races. People forget he is still very young and I’m more than happy with his contribution to the team. I believe he will become an even better driver next year, after having a season under his belt.” Track Record 2010

MeritusBMW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A winning season

Track Record 2010

MeritusBMW â&#x20AC;&#x201C; A winning season

Memories of a successful season

Track Record 2010

MeritusBMWDriver

Afiq could be the next Malaysian champion

e may not attract as much attention as some of the other Malaysian drivers, but Mohd Afiq Ikhwan could very well upstage his compatriots in this season’s Formula BMW

Pacific. The 18-year-old driver will make his single-seater debut for Meritus-GP in April and while many may consider him a late starter, Afiq is a firm believer in the old adage, better late than never. In a way, making his single-seater debut in his late teens could be a blessing in disguise for Afiq, who only started karting three years ago. But it was a memorable experience as he was named the Rotax Max go kart Rookie-of-the-Year for 2007. “I know I’m a late starter but I believe my maturity will help me in my driving,” said Afiq, who set some impressive times in his first three tests earlier this year. “I had a great first season in karting three years ago where I not only won Rookie-of-

Track Record 2010

the-Year, but also got the opportunity to compete in the World Final for Malaysia. “Unfortunately, I was too nervous and didn’t set the track ablaze. Worse luck was to follow a year later. I had once again qualified for the World Final but was stranded at the Bangkok Airport due to the political protests in the city. “Those two incidents helped toughen me up and taught me not to take anything for granted be it in racing or in life. Now that I’ve been given a chance to race for Meritus-GP, I’m determined to follow in the footsteps of Jazeman Jaafar, who was the 2007 Formula BMW champion.” A big fan of the late great Brazilian driver, Aryton Senna, Afiq said he has his family to thank for giving him the chance to concentrate on racing. “I had no idea what degree to pursue when my dad told me I could take the year off to live my dream. In fact, he was the one who wrote to Meritus-GP in December to ask for a test.

MeritusBMWDriver

BIOGRAPHY Date of birth: Aug 8 1991 PARENTAL GUIDANCE: Mohd Yazid (right) has played an instrumental role in his son Afiq’s racing career.

Current age: 18 Place of birth: Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia Resident: Saujana Impiana Kajang, Malaysia Height and Weight: 169cm, 54kg Hair: Black Eyes: Black

“He got an immediate reply from Meritus-GP co-owner and head of driver development, Firhat Mokhzani, and in January I was in the car,” recalled Afiq. “All in, I think I have only been in the car less than 15 times. It may not be a lot but the feedback I have received from the technicians and mechanics have proved invaluable.” Firhat, who has been the brains behind all of Meritus-GP’s 34 international titles in the past 13 years, said he had no hesitation in signing Afiq on scholarship

“I had heard of him before but after his successes in karting, was not given a real chance to shine after that as he didn’t any sponsors,” said Firhat. “As everyone knows, motorsport is an expensive business. Meritus-GP is willing to absorb the cost of giving Afiq a drive in this season’s Formula BMW as we believe he has the potential to become a winner. “I’m confident his results in the opening two rounds will make many people sit up and take notice and he will surely attract many sponsors before the season is over.” M

Blood type: AB+ Hobbies: Futsal Favourite drink: Lychee Favourite meal: Laksa Johor Start of racing career: 2007 Worst experience: Stranded at Bangkok airport and missing karting champiosnhip Most memorable experience: Rotax Max go kart Rookie-of-the-Year 2007

Q&A with Mohd Afiq Ikhwan TR: How did the contact with Meritus happen? MA: My father wrote to Firhat Mokhzani and furnished him with my race results. I was then asked to attend some tests and managed to impress the team

also give me advice on how to be successful in everything I do

TR: What attracted you to Meritus? MA: I like red and the team’s colour caught my eye but obviously, the team’s winning track record was the main reason

TR: When looking at the calendar and at the track maps, which Formula BMW Pacific circuits will you enjoy most? MA: Sepang, as it will be my first time racing on my home circuit.

TR: How do you prepare for each race, mentally and physically? MA: I go to the gym everyday and my parents

TR: Do you have any superstitions before a race? MA: No

TR: Do you have brothers and sisters? MA: Two elder sisters, 23, and 22 who

are both studying. TR: Do your parents support your racing career? MA: Yes TR: What is your best racing quality? MA: My will to win no matter the circumstances TR: What languages do you speak? MA: English and Bahasa Malaysia TR: Which driver do you admire most? MA: The one and only Ayrton Senna Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

A lesson well learnt

o say Dustin Sofyan had a roller coaster first season in Formula BMW Pacific last season is putting it mildly. The Jakarta native, who finished fifth overall in his debut season, had some great results mixed with some spectacular crashes and near misses in his first ever single-seater season in 2009. Dustin got off to a good start when he finished fifth in the season opening race Sepang International Circuit but in the second race the following day, he had to retire on the first lap after he was involved in an accident which saw him go airborne after being hit by another driver. “It was a frightening experience but thankfully no one got hurt,” said Dustin. “This is part of racing but I hope never to experience anything like it again.” In fact, that was the only race of the season that the then 14-year-old failed to score points in. This year, he is all geared up to show what he is capable off but to do so he needs to, “cut down on silly mistakes.” “I need to stay focus if I harbour any hopes of winning the championship,” said Dustin, who turns to fishing and other water sports when he has any free time. “I’ve been working real hard from the last day of the previous season until now as I know I have an added advantage from many of the other competitors as I have raced in most of the circuits, with the obvious exception of the new South Korea circuit, which will host six races this season. “I have absorbed many lessons from my first season and I can’t wait for Sepang. It is going to be exciting.” Dustin is also looking forward to racing in Singapore once again, scene of another of his big crashes last season. “Despite my crash, I still earned a total of four points from that weekend’s two races. It was exciting racing on the streets and I hope to do much better this season,” said Dustin, who has been also working on his mental strength. “We get up so early for practice, 5am, and sometimes it can be difficult to stay awake. But it is better now as I have been working hard on staying focus right from the beginning of every session. “I know this is my big chance and I am determined to succeed my former team mate Rio Haryanto and become the next Indonesian Formula BMW Pacific champion.” His experiences will surely make Dustin hard to beat. M

Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

BIOGRAPHY Date of birth: July 29 1994 Current age: 15 Place of birth: Jakrarta, Indonesia Resident: Jakarta, Indonesia Height and Weight: 165cm, 60kg Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Blood type: Hobbies: Hanging out with friends Sports: Fishing and water sports Favourite drink: Sprite Favourite meal: American, Italian, Indonesian and Malaysian cuisine

Q&A with Dustin Sofyan TR: How did the contact with Meritus happen? DS: Last year when my dad approached Peter Thompson and Firhat Mokhzani TR: What attracted you to Meritus? DS: They have a winning tradition TR: Do you have any superstitions before a race? DS: No TR:When looking at the calendar and at the track maps, which Formula BMW Pacific circuits will you enjoy most?

DS: Singapore as it is a street race and I want to make up for my crash there last year TR: Do your parents support your racing career? DS: Yes TR: What is your best racing quality? DS: My determination TR: What languages do you speak? DS: English and Bahasa Indonesia TR: Which driver do you admire most? DS: Michael Schumacher

Track Record 2010

MeritusBMWDriver

Pasin ready to make the step up with Meritus

asin Lathouras was born to race. The driver of Greek descent was born and raised in Bangkok and got his love for the sport via his father, Vassilios Lathouras, who caught the racing bug while a student at Monza in 1967. It was there that the elder Lathouras saw the likes of Denis Hulme, the New Zealander who won the championship that year, Jim Clark, Jack Brabham, Jackie Stewart, John Surtees, Jackx Ickx and Jo Siffert in action for the first time in his life. While it was too late for him to embark on a racing career, Vassilios vowed he would do all he can to support any of his kids who showed the same interest in the sport. As such, when his son Pasin began to show the makings of a champion when he won the Rotax Max Challenge DD2 Class, Vassilios didn’t hesitate to show his support. Such has been Pasin’s progress that in little more than three years he was talent spotted by Meritus-GP, Asia’s most successful motorsports team with 34 titles in the last 13 years. The Malaysian-based outfit gave Pasin a few test drives in their Formula BMW Pacific car earlier this year and were so pleased with the results, they immediately offered him a contract for this season’s Formula BMW Pacific which flags off in Malaysia from April 2-4. “I’m delighted to be given a chance to prove myself with such 34

Track Record 2010

a prestigious team. Everyone involved in racing has heard of Meritus,” said the soft spoken Pasin, who will race in his first single-seater championship. “They have a tradition of winning and producing great champions. I’m over the moon to be one of their drivers for the 2010 Formula BMW Pacific Championship. “This is my first real test in a single-seater championship and I’m determined to show what I can do. It won’t be easy but with the backing of such a great team, I’m confident we can have a successful season. “It has been hard for me as I had to divide my time with school back in Bangkok but the coaching and guidance I receive from the Meritus technicians has

filled me with confidence.” On his targets for this year, Pasin said: “Obviously, I would love to win one of the three championships I’m eligible for – Drivers’ Championship, Rookie Championship and the big one the, Constructors’ Championship. “Meritus has never lost the team title in Formula BMW and I hope my start to singleseater action will see me helping it retain its title for the eighth consecutive year.” Pasin sees himself following in the footsteps of James Grunwell, a former Meritus driver, who was also based in Thailand. Grunwell was the 2008 Formula V6 champion. “Grunwell is one of my heroes and we have raced together in karting and he has taught me a lot. I hope to be a champion with Meritus like he was,” said Pasin, who in his spare time has a penchant for remote control cars, badminton, tennis and football. “I’m looking forward to racing in Singapore and Macau this year as there are street races and will surely test me as a driver. It will be both challenging and exciting and I hope I can show just what I’m capable of.” If his will to succeed is any indication, Pasin will surely be on the podium in 2010. M

MeritusBMWDriver

BIOGRAPHY Date of birth: Dec 3 1993 Current age: 16 Place of birth: Bangkok, Thailand Resident: Bangkok, Thailand Height and Weight: 179cm, 80kg Hair: Black/ Brown Eyes: Brown Blood type: B+ Hobbies: Remote Control Cars Sports: Badminton, Tennis, Soccer Favourite drink: Coke Favourite meal: All Thai foods Start of racing career: Four stroke karts First success: 2nd using Rok 125 engine in Super Kart Thailand Championship series Worst experience: Akoc round in Macau, first time racing KF2 class. Most memorable experience: Akoc round in Thailand, racing against Aron Lim, Fahmi Ilyas, Tanart Sathienthirakul, Shogun, and Jonathan Reveille Tin Sritrai and Stefano Marcelo. (Top karting competitors in Asia.) First win: Rotax Max Challenge DD2 Class.

Q&A with Pasin Lathouras TR: How did the contact with Meritus happened? PL: Through another Meritus driver, James Grunwell.

mentally and physically? PL: I follow a training programme given by the team, and focus on my goals towards each race.

TR: What attracted you to Meritus? PL: The team’s long history of dominating the race

TR: Do you have any superstitions before a race? PL: No

TR: Where did you race before? What’s your first race? PL: Thailand and karting series around Asia. My first was a 6 hour race with 4 stroke kart.

TR:When looking at the calendar and at the track maps, which Formula BMW Pacific circuits will you enjoy most? PL: Singapore and Macau as they are street circuits

TR: How do you prepare for each race,

TR: Do you have brothers and sisters? PL: No, only child TR: Do your parents support your racing career? PL: Yes TR: What is your best racing quality? PL: I can adapt to situations quickly TR: What languages do you speak? PL: Thai and English TR: Which driver do you admire most? PL: Jack Lemvard and James Grunwell Track Record 2010

MeritusBMWDriver

Meritus’ own Montoya ready to burn up the track

he youngest participant in this year’s Formula BMW Pacific could also be the quickest. Oscar Tunjo may only be 14-years-old, but he has been burning up the Sepang International Circuit (SIC) with some super quick times during off-season testing. The son of a car salesman in Cali, Colombia, Tunjo has been racing competitively since he was just three-years-old and is the youngest driver to be recognised by a federation of global karting by passing the Mobil Karting School in Colombia. He is also the youngest driver to receive a license as a novice pilot when he was five. Two years later, he was crowned the national champion in the Easy Kart expert cadet, an event closely associated with former Formula 1 driver Juan Pablo Montoya. Tunjo has now set his sights on going one step further than the Colombian icon by one day winning the Formula 1 world title. But first, Tunjo has to take his first steps in single-seater racing when he makes his debut for Meritus-GP at the Malaysian Grand Prix. “Getting my FIA license approved for this season’s Formula BMW Pacific was the happiest day of my life,” said Tunjo, who was Colombia’s national karting champion when he was only five. “I’m looking forward to this year’s championship as I believe we have a good car and should be challenging for the title once again. “I can’t believe it has been 10 years since I dad first took me to go karting on my birthday. It was love at first sight and even at that young age, I knew I wanted to make a career out of racing.” After his initial success in Cali, where he was beating kids nearly twice his age, Tunjo continued to improve and has since won championships in Spain and the United States, He was enticed to race for MeritusGP as the Malaysian company has an unsurpassed winning record. It is also recognised

Track Record 2010

MeritusBMWDriver

BIOGRAPHY Date of birth: Jan 5 1996 Current age: 14 Place of birth: Cali, Colombia Resident: Mont Kiara, Malaysia Website: www.oscartunjo.com Height and Weight: 169cm, 62kg Hair: Black Eyes: Brown Blood type: A+

as the best training ground for F1 aspirants, as evident by its collection of former drivers who have graduated to the highest level of racing. “My dream is to make it to Formula 1 one day and I see Meritus as the perfect stepping stone for me,” said Tunjo, who, surprisingly, chose Michael Schumacher over Montoya as his favourite driver. “I’m always at the garage watching the mechanics and technicians working as I want to understand the car better. Meritus has produced champions like Jazeman Jaafar, Ross Jamison, James Grunwell and Rio Haryanto and I want to be spoken in the same breathe as them.” Young he may be, but Tunjo is certainly going places. M

Hobbies: Karting, gym, video Games Sports: Soccer and Swimming Favourite drink: Manzana Postobon, a soda from Colombia Favourite meal: Pasta Start of racing career: Three-year-old karting school in Cali First success: National karting champion Colombia when five-years-old: Most memorable experience: Getting FIA license to compete in Formula BMW Pacific Best win: To be the youngest driver to be authorise by FIA to get an international C licence to compete Formula BMW Pacific Best Podium: All podiums

Q&A with Oscar Tunjo TR: How did the contact with Meritus-GP happen? OT: After meeting up with Peter Thompson. Meritus has a great reputation and working with him was easy. TR: What attracted you Meritus-GP? OT: Team work, professionalism, and a family feeling TR: Where did you race before? OT: In Colombia, Spain, United States TR: What did you do the most recent weeks to stay in shape? OT: I have a personal trainer at the gym. I go four hours a day, two hours in the morning and another two in the evening.

TR: How do you prepare for each race, mentally and physically? OT: Mental trainer to stay focus and a personal trainer to keep fit. TR: Do you have any superstitions before a race? OT: No TR: When looking at the calendar and at the track maps, which Formula BMW Pacific circuits will you enjoy most? OT: Sepang and Singapore

TR: Do you have brothers and sisters? OT: Yes, Gonzalo Tunjo, who is also my manager and Valentino Tunjo, who is a singer TR: Do your parents support your racing career? OT: All the time TR: What is your best quality at home? OT: Discipline TR: What is your best racing quality? OT: Always giving my best

TR: What is your favorite circuit in the world? OT: Sepang

TR: What languages do you speak? OT: English, Spanish and Italian

TR: Are you a good son? OT: Of course!

TR: Which driver do you admire most? OT: Michael Schumacher Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

Track Record 2010

MeritusDriver

Track Record 2010

Winner of 4th Round, GP2 Asia 2010 Series