SHAHRULASRAF DOMINANT IN RD 2 OF PANGLOBAL KBS A1 DRIVER SEARCH
winning from 8th on the grid
Twenty-six year old Shahrulasraf Ishar from Shah Alam showed his rivals a clean pair of heels when he won dominantly from eighth on the grid in rd. 2 of the 2006 PanGlobal KBS A1 Driver Search with Alex Yoong last Sunday. The event was held in the Sepang International Kart circuit under the watchful eyes of A1 Team Malaysia's Alex Yoong who is looking for more talents to groom for the national racing team. Abdul Muhaymin, an automotive engineer from Cheras, finished second 7.058s adrift while Md Misbahudin Idrus Tam finished third in the rd. 2 final race held over 8 laps. "I'm very pleased with my performance," said winner Shahrulasraf. "I kept my concentration to drive a smooth race. I think patience is the key - I didn't push very hard, didn't rush, i just keep it smooth and steady." Second finisher, Abdul Muhaymin was equally delighted, "My kart was good and I didn't want to make any mistakes. I just drove my best to ensure I qualify so I'm very happy with second." Misbahudin who grabbed the last step of the podium said, "I have been preparing for this race for months and this is the first try for me this year. I'm very happy to qualify for the grand finals so third is a real bonus for me." Six drivers from each round qualify for the Grand Final to be held on the 13th of August later this year where the champion will be sponsored for a Formula Malaysia/Hayabusa race drive as well as join the A1 Team Malaysia as a crew member for the A1 GP weekend in Sepang in November 2006. The other three qualifiers from round two are fourth placed Wan Mohd Fairuz Zainal Abidin, Kamarulnazri Ismail who finished fifth and Danny Choo rounding up the six qualifiers for the grand finals. Yoong threw a challenge to more teenagers to take up the PanGlobal KBS A1 challenge, saying, "As usual the level of skills is pretty high. I am impressed by the top six but I would like to call upon younger competitors to take part in this series. The winners this round are in their twenties which is OK for us but for the A1 Team Malaysia to benefit from a longer term development plan it will be good to see more karters in their teens taking part to show us what they are made of."
The PanGlobal KBS A1 Driver Search with Alex Yoong is organised by the Malaysia Motorsport Organisers & Competitors Association (MMOCA) and sponsored and promoted by PanGlobal Insurance Bhd., co-sponsored by The Ministry of Youth & Sports and supported by A1 Team Malaysia, Alex Yoong and the KartQuest Circuit. Round 3 will be held on the 18th June at a different venue to be announced. Entry forms can be obtained by emailing to mmoca@alexyoong.com or calling 03-7981 6564. QUALIFIER RD 2 – 21st May 2006 - SEPANG
FINAL RACE RESULTS
Pos./Kart No./Driver/Laps/ Best Lap/ On Lap/ Total Time/ Weight1- 6- Shahrulasraf Ishar- 8- 1.06.268 - 9.57.8782- 1- Abdul Muhaymin- 8- 1.06.710 +7.0583- 5- Md Misbahudin Idrus Tam- 8- 1.06.894 +8.1104- 9- Wan Mohd Fairuz Zainal Abidin- 8- 1.06.678+9.9015- 4- Kamarulnazri Ismail- 8- 1.07.844 +10.8436- 8- Danny Choo- 8- 1.06.728 +12.6267- 7- Khairul Izwan b Razali- 8- 1.07.5838- 2- Mohd Salehuddin b Abd Shattar- 8- 1.06.573
9- 10- Anuar Abd Hamid- 8- 1.07.35810- 3- Wong Lib Wen - 8- 1.07.974
Top 6 finishers qualify for the Grand Finals on 13th August 2006
