A1GP: Malaysian Fans - The Greatest and The Loudest!

The fans that mattered were definitely there...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from A1GP
So were the Jalur Gemilang...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from A1GP
Mostly dressed in A1 Team Malaysia teeshirts...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from Max Revson
and with their huge banners...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from Max Revson
and no less than two Miss Malaysia and one multiple best actress award winner...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from A1GP
as well as die hard friends...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from Max Revson
AND our Malaysian team drivers duly acknowledge them all gratefully...(click image to enlarge) - Pic from HBL Network

Fans' written response and latest photos

Don't let anybody kid you that the Malaysian fans were not there to cheer A1 Team Malaysia's Alex Yoong and Fairuz Fauzy on...they were out there in their throngs...they were fantastic...and man, were they loud...they were electrifying...and they were the ones that mattered to Alex and Fairuz.

Sure, we could have had more fans turning up last Sunday but for the A1 Team Malaysia, they loved those who came for they were the ones whom they raced their hearts out for as well as for those hundreds of thousand Malaysians who watched out of the box in their homes, whether through live or delayed telecasts.

The young and the old were there in Sepang, the government was well represented and there were more than enough fans in the stands to drown out the world. Of course the team wouldn't mind a sell-out crowd at all...and this will surely happen next year as the sceptics would now have been converted while others who missed being there are disappointed...what a show they missed from the A1 Grand Prix of Nations and what a gutsy performance they missed from our team.

Published below are just some of the huge avalanche of positive fans' response from just two sites. Many more appeared in other Malaysian and international forum sites following last Sunday's Malaysia A1 Grand Prix of Nations at the Sepang International circuit.

Max Revson - Racing for Malaysia

Fans' Write-in Reactions:

From: Racing For Malaysia

well done to Alex, Fairuz and Team Malaysia. Alex was splendid in the feature race. Even a brief off and a few lurid sideways moments did not slow him down in hunting New Zealand down. Shame about the pitstops again. Malaysia is looking strong and promising.

TheFazz: 11/22/2005 10:59:50 PM

The presence of PM and HRH Sultan made the moment of Malaysia Boleh shout out sweeter!! Alex looked pretty confident before the race when seen in Paddock..Nobody dared to bet with me before the race that Alex will get podium ..It shows they pretty much thought he could do it too..Max, tell Alex he's shut up plenty of self-declared critics and won plenty more fans!!!

SRV8:37 PM

Spot on Jack (Cunningham)..Hopefully, Malaysia will end the season high so that sponsors will open their eyes on this exciting series which is a lot cheaper than F1 to enter..Being at the track on Sunday made me goosebumped with the fans reaction..Good Luck for Dubai!!

SRV8:30 PMDear journey man,I was there for the race on sunday and it was so great to see the fans all supporting team Malaysia. Being in the stands was eletricifying!! almost like a football atmosphere, i must say i've enjoyed this race more than the F1 races in sepang!, and i would like to commend your site for keeping me and other fellow supporters informed about the progress of team malaysia. Other than this site, i really don't know where to get info about A1 and Team Malaysia. I feel the only thing that A1 needs is abit more promotional and on ground Hype. Keep up the great work.looking forward to more updates:)

- Kelvin Long12:39 PM

Anonymous said...i was there at the race. despite the very poor crowd turn out, i have to say that the crowd that actually attended was super great! it was unbelieveable of all the cheers and support for the national team. (such a goodsport they are, they also cheer once Brazil car able to start at the grid).And it was a really brilliant gesture when the whole team came up to the wall to appreciate the supporters at the grandstand and later on came Alex & Fairuz doing the same thing.fan in yellow.

2:41 PM

f1 @ c.c.c.p. said...i agree. all those fans support is really brilliant. team malaysia is really worthed supporting, and i'm very proud of how well the team is doing. i hope they keep up the good work.joint sixth and potentially able to overtake team gbr is awesome. what more, m'sia is the best asian team on the grid. finally, it takes a fantastic race track to produce a fantastic race. there were so many overtakings going on, it was such a thrill. best a1 race yet.

3:39 PM

Anonymous said...If this keeps up, i wouldn't be suprised if A1 had more publicity than F1. So much action! Controversial ones too, eg: India and Pakistan. But F1 has plans to bring back overtaking in 2006 with the new wing design.Oh, what fun, F1 and A1 all together!

5:13 PM

Rikeys said...congrats to Alex & Fairuz keep up our nations pride!7:52 PMGO GO GO! said...WOOHOO!! Sepang nicest race of the season hands down! It looks as if you don't have to win the race to be a winner! Case in point, Alex Yoong and the cheers from the Malaysian crowd. Good drive nonetheless. Go Team Malaysia!

9:09 PM

f1 @ c.c.c.p. said...what happened during m'sia pit? i missed the action. pls explain

3:42 PM

Anonymous said...Right rear wheel nut got stuck, or something like that. But 5th is still good!5:09 PM

Anonymous said...hey, journey man. Are you one of the crew or what? you always get the best pix and story. I was taking video just acorss from the pit at the grandstand. Maybe can see who took the pix. Anyway, excellent job Alex. Heard on the 4th qualifying segment, you actually get the top 3 place. well done. Malaysia are proud.

9:55 PM

From: Pitstop Forum

Matfoo 22 Nov 2005 : 5:03:19 PMThe atmosphere was fantastic, especially when Alex passed Matt at the last lap to gain back his 5th place. Though I couldn't see it from where I was sitting but the loud cheer of the crowd told the whole story that Alex overtook him.
Being in the garage and see Alex drove off to do his qualifying was also a good experience. Overall, it was an exciting race and I can say the best A1 race so far after 4 rounds. Not only Malaysia did well, the battle between Alexandre and Neel is also heart beating.The proudest moment is when both Alex and Fairuz stand on the pit wall and wave to the cheers of the Malaysian crowd. Superb job team Malaysia.

HYMS 21 Nov 2005 : 09:26:11 AMI don't really count how many times the crowd shouted the "MALAYSIA BOLEH" but it was the first times I ever heard in Sepang for many years.

TheFazz 21 Nov 2005 : 11:43:44 AMThe Malaysian round of A1GP was to me was the most exciting race so far. I was really pleased that the crowd acknowlegded the achievement by Team Malaysia. We have been consistent and fairly competitive. There are a few areas to improve on particularly the car setup and pitstops, but overall they have been doing a great job so far.Kudos to Alex for a strong race and the last lap pass on New Zealand was excellent despite the car being very tail happy towards the end with the drizzle and tyre wear.
HYMS - great picture! I love the crowd rallying for Alex & Fairuz! This is great encouragement - I am sure both Fairuz and Alex would be delighted by this.Now - support from the media and corporates. My media watch: The Star had a 1/3 page report on the race and a bit on Malaysia's performance and Alex comments. Would have liked it to feature HYMS' picture and capture the electric atmosphere as both Alex and Fairuz stepped up on the barriers to the acknowledgement of the crowd. That magic should have been captured.

grs8k8ergal 21 Nov 2005 : 11:54:14 AM
it was the bestest race!!!!!.......now, i'm totally hooked to A1.....i was jumping up and down cheering team malaysia...something i have not been doing for some time now.....i'm definitely going next year!!!!.....congrats to the whole team malaysia!!

SRV 21 Nov 2005 : 09:11:21 AMAs I've told you earlier, the crowd will not exceed 10,000..This is pretty bad for an entertaining series like A1..A lot of free tickets given out and hillstand ticket holders have option to join in at Main G/Stand.. On a positive note, A1GP will definitely be bigger next year..I'm 110% confident..Alex could've been on podium should the pitstop went a ok..Italy & Czech started 16 & 17 but came home higher than Malaysia. On thing I noticed is that the A1 is way different from F1 and the patriotism for Malaysia really shows..Alex & Fairuz got great reception from crowd..I'm sure deep down Alex feels that he's shut up few critics. Hopefully, after last race in Shanghai in April 2006, Malaysia will be at top 5 overall...This will open eyes of corporations who intend to go international and do their bit in sponsoring Malaysian team..After all, the A1 world coverage is tremendous and definitely 70-80% cheaper than investing in F1..

Brandon 19 Nov 2005 : 10:22:36 PMCongratulation! to those who made it to the garage visit, the experiences can only be explained if u were there! We will post up the pictures ASAP.