Malaysia

[speedyguy]

A few years ago, Malaysia was hailed as the new take-off country for speedway, with results carried in Speedway Star. Ricky Wells was the top visiting star but some locals also had some positive results. From what I gather, it lasted just the one season despite some good attendances at meetings.

 

What went wrong? Why the sudden demise for the sport in Malaysia?

[Jonas H]

http://www.speedway-forum.co.uk/forums/ind...amp;hl=malaysia

[Puma23]

just one reason

 

no money no speedway

[Bavarian]

just one reason

 

no money no speedway

 

Yes and no, but it goes a bit deeper. The whole concept of the guys who introduced speedway there, as a relative cheap form of motorcycle sports to Malaysia, was to get the many "wild" motocyclists, who often do their racing on public streets, on to a proper racetrack and offer them a "legal" route to fame and fortune.

 

This concept was funded by the government, the ministry for youth and sports, for a one year trial period. Only one speedway track was built, but if successful, the intention was to built them in all regions of the country, and even make speedway a professional sport in Malaysia.

 

The intention was that wealthy owners would have their race teams, buy the machines and employ riders and mechanics, and take their share of the prize money.

 

Of the recruited local would-be speedway riders (whom Ivan Mauger tested and selected for further education as speedway riders), most were rather poor lads from underpriviledged families, who were hanging out on the streets. Boys who had been doing stunts and other dangerous riding on their little motorbikes, and often causing accidents and trouble on the public roads. Non of them would have been able to afford setting themselves up with a speedwaybike, equipment and mechanics, as well as the logistics behind that all.

 

The Speedway Promotion decided to use their own brand of motorbikes and converted some Malaysian built scooter bikes (115cc?) that looked a bit strange on a speedway track and were nowhere near as fast and powerful as a 500cc Jawa, but it was a start. From a spectator's view, though, this wasn't very spectacular racing, and the spectator attendances soon dwindled.

 

At the end of the first season their best riders were trained on the 500cc Jawas, and the Cup of Malaysia International Speedway meeting, won by Ricky Wells, was the first (and only) "real" speedway meeting held there. Despite contrary reports, it was not a good advert for the sport. The setting was quite o.k, but the racing quite boring to watch, with most of the Malaysian riders struggling to stay on board of their unfamiliar Jawas, and the four international riders ranging from Ricky Wells and Andy Aldridge, to a Japanese guy who once rode speedway in California and a veteran Englishman, who had ridden in Div.2 in the late 1970's. It was always doomed to fail miserably, and with many important politicians invited to watch this event, that was it.

 

The verdict was, that it was a waste of money, but was not becoming a popular sport to watch. Attendances were indeed very poor. The ministery withdrew its support and that was it for Malaysian Speedway. It could not finance itself and without the government funds, it could not continue.

 

 

However, one has to bear in mind that the initial plan was for Malaysian Speedway to reach an international level within three to five years, and at the end of this period to have a world championship Grand Prix in Southeast Asia.

 

Now, I feel that despite the failure to establish the sport on a domestic level, there may still be enough interest left in Malaysia to go for the big thing, and that's nothing else but a Malaysian Speedway Grand Prix!

 

One thing is for certain, there are many many rich people in Malaysia, and motorsports is very popular there, as can be seen with the Formula 1 GP and Motorcylce roadracing. It would be peanuts for a company like Petronas to sponsor a Malaysian Speedway Grand Prix. Therfore I would not rule out the possibility of a SGP happening, and I guess the people there would be interested. They want the highest level of this sport, but not some wobblers who struggle round the track out in a field.

 

[mp2]

Theres a bit more to it than that I believe. It suddenly "stopped".

 

When you're in KL, every red light is like the start of a MOTOGP! It's insane, you aren't even safe on the footpaths! So, there is a motorcycle culture there among all citizens regardless of race, sex or age.

 

Getting them into the sport is a different story and sustaining it for a level of time. It is a very diverse place, when I was there, the KL Masters Tennis Tournament was on and it was only that I caught an ad on TV that I actually knew it was there. Otherwise, there was nothing to indicate the event was even on in Central KL.