With a record attendance of 157, 219 spectators at the just-concluded 2007 Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix, Formula 1 fans in Malaysia and its neighbouring countries sent a clear message to the world that they want the race to stay.

“I would like to thank all the fans for their support. It was a fantastic
race; but more importantly, there was a fantastic crowd at Sepang. The
message is clear from the fans that the race must continue in Sepang,”
says Datuk Azmi Murad, who is the General Manager of Sepang International
Circuit.

Azmi, who is the 2007 Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix event
director, said at total of 115,794 spectators attended yesterday’s race as
compared to 107,322 spectators on race day last year.

“Friday recorded an attendance of 8,550 and during qualifying on Saturday,
we had 35, 875 spectators at the circuit,” he said, adding that it was
clear that support from racing fans for the Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix
got better and better by each year.

“We will make sure the event gets better and better to woo in bigger crowd
in the future,” he said, adding that as a major tourism tool for Malaysia,
the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix would continue to be a top
priority for SIC and the Malaysian Government.

“The Malaysian Government has also made it clear that they are committed
to the hosting of the event and we at SIC would do our very best to make
sure the event remains as Malaysia’s biggest event for the world,” he
added.

The status of the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix had come under
scrutiny in the media lately following an aggressive bid by Singapore to
host the race though the island republic has yet to secure a go-ahead by
the F1 worldwide rights holder, Formula One Management Ltd.

SIC, however, had openly declared that despite any decision by FOM on the
proposed F1 race in Singapore, the Malaysian GP would continue to be
staged in Sepang beyond 2010 when its current contract expired.

While expressing his satisfaction over the overall organization and
running of the event, Azmi, who is also the Senior General Manager of
Malaysia Airports Holding Berhad, he noted that there was a number of
complaints that the company would need to tackle for the betterment of the
event.

Azmi said with such a huge crowd, it was inevitable that there would be
complaints from the fans over certain issues, which he said would be
addressed immediately in ensuring the event would continue to be better.

“This is very important especially with the next race in 2008 to be the
10th edition of the Formula One Petronas Malaysian Grand Prix. We aim to
make the 2007 event spectacular,” said the 55-year old airport veteran.

Taking over from Datuk Ahmad Mustafa on January 19, Azmi, who SIC General
Manager in 2000 and 2001 before his promotion to the parent company to
head the Corporate Communications Division that year, had to shuffle his
daily routine between the running of one of the world’s best airports and
the world’s biggest motor racing events.

“In truth, it was the support of everybody that made it happened. And, I
would like to thank them all – from the dedicated staff of SIC, Malaysian
Airports Holdings Berhad, the government agencies, sponsors, the teams and
officials. But, most importantly, I would like to thank the fans,” added
Azmi.

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