SIC Confident Of Selling 80,000 Tickets for Malaysian GP

SEPANG (Selangor, Malaysia), Sept 27 (Bernama) -- Formula One (F1) fans in the country have been urged to not miss their last chance to get see their favourite drivers and teams in action live during the weekend’s Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC). With the ticket sales had reached 60,000, SIC chief executive officer Razlan Razali is confident that SIC can achieve its target of 80,000 tickets before bidding farewell to F1, after hosting the race for 19 years, branded as F1NALE. “I was informed by the marketing team that the sales were picking up and as we know, Malaysians are always late to buy. So I believe by the weekend, we can reach our target,” he told reporters during the track visit and traffic announcement here, Tuesday. “This year’s ticket sales are very positive compared with other years. With the price of tickets reduced to as low as US$11.28 (RM47.58), we hope to achieve the targeted sales,” he said adding that SIC can accommodate up to 120,000 spectators for the race. Razlan reiterated that after hosting the F1 since 1999, the race would not likely return to Malaysia anytime soon, or at least five years, as it requires a lot of effort and cooperation from many parties. Meanwhile, Razlan confirmed that the SIC had made safety upgrades to the track as the current season’s race cars are faster, equipped with wider tyres and has more downforce, causing the drivers to push the brake pad close to the corners. “Simulation by the International Automobile Federation (FIA) before this indicated that tyre barriers at five turns, including turn 1 and 4 needed to be enhanced, so we have done it. As they (drivers) brake late, I am still worried how it will affect our asphalt…We will see on a daily basis from Friday to Sunday, how much the cars will affect our circuit because three weeks later we have the MotoGP,” he said. Known as one of the hottest and toughest circuits in the F1 calendar, the weekend’s race from Sept 29-Oct 1, would see rivals Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes AMG Petronas and Sebastian Vettel of Ferrari back on the wheels for the championship, with Hamilton leading with 263 points against Vettel’s 235 points with six races left. Tickets can be purchased online through SIC’s official website http://www.sepangcircuit.com or at booths set up at the Kuala Lumpur Convention Centre (KLCC) and NU Sentral among others. -- BERNAMA