Motorsport at Sepang is an experience to remember

It was an amazing experience to cover round three of the current season (2007-08) of the A1GP World Cup of Motorsport at the Sepang International Circuit in the outskirts of Kuala Lumpur at the pinnacle of my journalistic career spanning some three decades.

The trip was aimed at creating a hype back home as A1 Team Pakistan was represented by a young and talented driver, Adam Khan. Though Khan, 22, was born in England, his ancestors have roots here in Pakistan.

Spread over 5.54km, the Sepang Circuit was officially opened by the then Malaysian prime minister, Dr Mahatir Mohammad, on March 9, 1999. Designed by renowned German engineer Hermann Tilke, the track was built in just 14 months. The grandstand has a capacity to seat 130,000 spectators.

It is to the circuit’s credit that Sepang has been chosen once again to play host to Round 2 of Formula One Grand Prix World Championship, the sport’s premier event, on March 23, 2008.

The venue echoes with sounds of fast moving cars which enthrall fans in their perennial quest to overtake each other. The main building has separate garages for the vehicles on the ground floor while the upper story houses a huge media centre, dining hall and an enclosure for VIP’s.

Malaysia has emerged as a hub for sporting activities in the region. Apart from housing regional headquarters of couple of sports, it always remains in the forefront to play host to any international event. Staging of the ongoing Champions Trophy is one such example.

Khan, the only son of his parents, is a final year student of B. Sc Economics in London’s Kings College. Born in Lahore his father Kane Khan, 51, migrated to England at a very young age. Kane’s wife is an Indian born in Bangalore.

Besides driving fast cars, Adam can fluently speak six languages — Chinese, French, Italian, German, Spanish and English — his father confided to Dawn in an interview.

The athletically built 6’ 1” tall Khan has returned to A1 Team Pakistan after a year’s layoff. Earlier, he drove the Pakistan car in the inaugural season (2005-06) of A1GP World Cup of Motorsport and finished overall 20th among 25 nations. Countries finishing below Pakistan were Japan, China, Lebanon, India and Russia. Adam Khan’s best finish was fifth in the Feature event in China and seventh in Sprint in Great Britain in the same season.

However, in the ongoing season Pakistan is still without a point after three rounds and six races. Lack of a rookie driver is a great cause of concern.

Seat-holder Arif Hussain has already announced to launch a talent hunt drive for picking a pool of drivers in the near future.

The arrangements for journalists in the media centre were good, barring the fact that there weren’t any PCs to file reports promptly. They (journalists) got the result sheets in time but those who did not carry laptops faced hardship in meeting their deadlines. The organisers should look into this aspect in the future.

Like other sporting events, Pakistan is rich in talent in the field of motorsport. Be it drivers or engineers, they have the calibre to take the sport to new heights provided they are groomed accordingly.