F1 Sepang 2011

 Do click here to view photos by courtesy of Shukri, a pro photo kaki friend (in Picasa photo album, click Slideshow).

 Event: Formula One at Sepang Internatinal Circuit

Date: 8,9,10 April 2011

Do click here to view photos taken in previous years by Jason Lee, Shukri and yours truly (KC). Scroll down the pages; this posting appears at top.

Posed by KC Leong

Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix 2010 (Part 3)

Please take note that the next posting shall resume on 28 April 2010. I shall be away for a free-and-easy backpacking holidays to Taiwan with other trekkers for two weeks.

More Petronas Malaysian F1 Grand Prix 2010 photos ... the following photographers are processing and uploading the photos:

Photos from Shukri: Please click here later to take you to the main photo album.

Photos from Jason Lee: Please click here to Hon You's main photo album; click here to Weng's main photo album.

Photos from Wei Liam: Please click here for the main photo album.

Yours truly (KC)'s main photo album: click here

Another photo album containing Jason Lee's runners in action: click here

Click here for Part 2, click here for Part 1 of the Petronas Malaysian F1 GP 2010.

Posted by KC

F1 Petronas Malaysian GP 2010

Please click here to view photos (Album #2) taken by yours truly (KC) on Sunday, 4 April 2010 - F1 Race Day
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Lots of passionate F1 fans waiting for the Driver's Authographs session

"Are you the guy from the Sunshine Runners blogsite? You look familiar ... " A tall, young and good looking Malay guy inside the barricade area asked me. Together with the F1 fans, Jason Lee, Shukri and I were standing next to a railing patiently waiting for the F1 stars to arrive for Driver's Autographs session at 12 noon on Sunday, 4 April 2010 -- the final race day. It was announced that the passionate fans actually started to line up as early as 8 a.m.

Initiation of Starting Grid Parade

I was pleased that someone could recognize me from the blog. It sounds like I also have a fan. After a brief exchange of pleasantries, I asked him why he was there. Due to the loud environment with radio DJ from Hitz FM entertaining the crowd, I could only see that his gesture pointing to a Maybank foreign exchange outlet about 10 feet away. After knowing that his name is Afig, I thought that this name is unique.

Huge crowd at the C3 Hillstand

When I read in the Star newspaper on Tuesday 6 April 2010, I saw a familiar face: AFIQ is one of the rising stars of drivers in the Formula BMW Pacific Series. Now it makes sense why he is inside the restricted area. I should have known that he must be of someone special in this F1 motorsports, and get his autographs and take photos with him... :-) When he is as famous as Michael Schumacher one day, that photo with Afiq would be valuable.
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The 1Malaysia F1 car

Afiq in the Formula BMW Pacific Series

Written and posted by KC

Petronas Malaysian GP 2010

Saturday 3 April 2010: Pre-qualifying Race

Arriving at Sepang F1 Circuit at 10 a.m., the crowd came in slowly since it is considered quite early. This time, the photo kaki group is getting bigger other than Jason Lee and Shukri. In order to support the Malaysian Grand Prix 2010, we went to Sepang F1 Circuit for two days: Saturday and Sunday; from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
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Please click here to view photos taken by yours truly (KC).

Photographers and F1 Supporters: (L-R) yours truly (KC), Shukri, Melvin, Lam, Wei Liam, Jason Lee
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Outside of the Circuit, the familiar sight is the Marlboro booth and the elegant sales girls that provide good opportunity for photographers to show off their skills other than targeting the extreme fast moving cars. Another favourite station is the LG booth demonstrating the latest technology on electronic gadgets and simulated F1 racing cars even those under-aged drivers are able to negotiate tight corners safely.

The Marlboro sales consultants

Life is Gooooooood

Kangaroo TV – This is an excellent gadget where one can rent the handset for two days for RM 300. Not only one gets to see the moving images on a 3"x3" small LCD screen, one can chose the preferred TV cameras (as there are a few of them), and get to hear the live commentaries of the latest happening. The audio version is just the radio headphone which rent at RM 100 that can double-up as earplugs.

Air show -- it was a pleasant surprise to hear the deafening roar from the sky high above as four fighter jets from Royal Malaysian Air Force were performing acrobatic stunts on the sunny sky. While three fighter jets were flying in unison, the fourth and the lone one is spinning around, performing stunts of vertical climb and dropping vertically from the sky. BRAVO to the pilots !!

Yours truly (KC) posing with a retired F1 car
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History of F1 cars -- there is an exhibition of a few past F1 cars. The design of modern F1 cars, not only practical and aerodynamic in design, are most pleasing to the eyes. During F1 races, with the parts flying all over during crashes, one would think that they are flimsy in build. Testing them with a few knocks (with my bare fist) on the exhibition units, they are as solid as rocks !!
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Wet ground that increases the challenges
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Pre-qualifying Race – Just after the pre-qualifying round of race was initiated, it started to rain; at times, it gets heavy. It was during that time we got to see F1 cars start to spin around though they were not like in Australian F1 (a week ago in Melbourne) with accidents and smashes. A few of the top racers actually made the wrong judgment (thinking that the rain would stop) and did not change into tyres for wet conditions.
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After going to Sepang F1 Circuit for a few times, I begin to appreciate the saying of one of our F1 photography guru, that it is a serenely conducive place to relax and unwind amid all the deafening roar of the mean machines. Sitting there in the hot afternoon under the covered grandstand with the gentle movement of air, it is the perfect formula for dozing off. And later, feeling very much refresh and energize after waking up from the nap.

Sunday 4 April 2010 – Race Day

Arrival of the F1 stars greeted with warm welcome and cheers

Driver’s Autographs Session – Jason Lee, Shukri, Melvin and I spent some time waiting for the F1 stars at the Driver’s Autographs session. The crowd was entertained by the DJs from Hitz FM. It was announced that the fans actually started to line up as early as 8 a.m. The excitement intensified with the arrival of F1 stars in a few black Naza MPVs at 12 noon. The star that garnered the loudest roar has to be Michael Schumacher. The Malaysian fans like him.

Michael Schumacher - walking tall

F1 Merchandise – One T-shirt cost RM 300; one cap cost RM 150: they are really not cheap to Malaysians. But for staunch supporter, it is worth the money no matter how much is the price. On the other hand, with the strong foreign currency rates, I presume the prices are okay to mat sallehs.

KC posing with supporters from UK
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Supporters from Britain – We saw the same loving couple from UK. They were here last year. According to them, they come every year to support the F1 event. BRAVO to the staunch supporters.

Lunch Packs – This year, there are more choices for food. After looking around, we like the lunch pack (sandwiches) offered by Coffee Bean. The choice of sandwiches are chicken, ham and tuna that cost RM 20 each; a can of drink is RM 5. The only satay stall there is doing a roaring business judging from the amount of smoke that went up into the sky; from far, it could be misconstrued that the smoke came from the engines of racing cars that malfunction.

Sugarcane juice – A stall operated by a group of Chinese, it cost RM 6 for a small bottle. When I chat with one of the partners, he said the rental is about RM 30,000 for three days. Most likely, they will make a lost. Anyway, the mat sallehs don't drink the sugarcane juice; that left with a small segment of Chinese customers.

Hillstands – There are many spectators at the hillstands taking advantage of the lower entrance fees. The popular ones are C3 and C2 which is a covered hillstands. It is a must that spectators at the hillstands come equip with umbrellas to ward off the sunlight and also when it rains. Looking through our telephoto lenses, a group of Ferari supporters even set up a tent that read " Welcome Back Michael Schumacher". BTW, he has switched camps.
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Designated Seats – This is the only moment that sitting is according to the numbering on the tickets. However, as for those who are busy taking photographs, we don’t sit at our designated seat; we just walked around taking photos. Together with the deafening roar, I notice that the cars are moving at much faster pace whether it is hard breaking or lightning-speed acceleration.
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The weather for the final race was superb with the overcast sky and as such, it was a dry day for the race. There was a bit of mishap but the one that attracted our attention is when Michael Schumacher’s car was moving slowing in front of the C2 hillstands and finally came to a halt. After waving hands in acknowledging the fans, he was ferried away in a slow-moving kap-chai (small sized cc motorbike) by the F1 workers.

After two days at Sepang F1 circuit, I was roasted and my face is very red with the sun tan. This event attracts many mat salleh spectators, as well as the locals. One fan said it is better to shift the Malaysian F1 one week later to avoid the convectional rain in the late afternoon. On the other hand, the additional obstacle – the unpredictable rain – is something unique to a tropical country that makes the event more challenging. After all, this is the sports that challenge all obstacles and impossible.

Written by KC
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Stay tuned for more photos ...
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F1 Sepang - Part 5

The photos of Formula 1 taken by Jason Lee at Sepang F1 Circuit from 3 – 5 April 2009 are finally ready. In this photo album, it is about the happenings at the Grand Stand of Sepang F1 Circuit. The most dramatic photos would be the looming of dark rain clouds that affect the event.

The second photo album shall contain all the leng cher (F1 cars) in action speeding at lightning speed. Just in case that you are not attracted by the leng cher, the third photo album would sure attract your attention – the leng lui (beautiful girls) at the Grand Stand… stay tuned.

Please click here for Photo Album 1 by courtesy of Jason Lee... click Slideshow, click F11.
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click here for part 1 to 4 (scroll down the pages).
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Jason Lee

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Huge crowd at the C2 Hillstand

At the Tower Stand

The torential rainstorm strikes five minutes after this photo was taken

Posted by KC

F1 GP Malaysia - Part 4

Please click here to view photos by courtesy of Shukri taken at F1 GP race in Sepang F1 Circuit from 3-5 April 2009.
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Please click here (or Photo Album on the left sidebar of this blogsite) to access Shurki's photo albums..
Click here for previous postings on F1 GP at Sepang F1 Circuit (Scroll down the pages).
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Shukri in Action

Clear wordings with bluring of wheel in motion

Another suprb shots extracted from Shukri's photo album

3 Days at F1 Sepang Circuit

The Formula One race hosted at Sepang F1 Circuit in Malaysia was finally over last week amid a dramatic end marred by lashing of the torrential rainstorm. Congratulations to the organizer, the support crew, the volunteers for successfully staged this world-class event. Jason Lee, Shukri and I were there for three consecutive days from 3 to 5 April to support the event.

Other than the good points, let me highlight a few of my observations, possibly that require improvement by the organizer.
The Weather – According to Chinese, April 4 is Cheng Beng day (All Souls’ Day where the descendants pay respect to their ancestors at the cemetery) where there is heavy rainfall. If the race were to start at 3:00 p.m., raining at 6:00 p.m. would not be an issue as the race would have completed by 5:00 p.m. Unfortunately, it was scheduled to start later to adjust the timing for the European TV broadcasting but collided head-on with the rainstorm. I was told by one photographer that a bomoh (shaman in Malaysia) is usually engaged to divert the rain, and to ensure that the rain would not come when the race was in progress. So with the heavy rain twice a day on that eventful F1 GP final on Sunday, maybe he was overpowered.
Note: Today (Sunday 12 April), it also started to rain heavily at around 6:00 p.m..

Car parking – The standard car park costing RM 50 is an earth-based hill with undulating terrain. Due to the constant soil erosion, it was a bumpy ride in this car park with earth crust hitting the undercarriage of the car. Car owners who came in late just double parked their cars near the entrance that made the situation worst. On the way out after the race, the exit was a small one-lane exit causing much waiting and anxiety to get out of the car park.

Checking the bags containing photographic equipment - Shukri and Jason Lee

Checking of bags – For security reasons, all bags are requested to be opened and inspected. The officers-in-charged were readily confiscating all food and drinks. A friend of mine speculated that with the drinks, a spectator may throw the water bottles onto the track thereby injuring the drivers of F1 cars.

Confiscated items

Food and drinks – Since all food and drinks are barred from entry into the Sepang F1 Circuit, spectators were forced to buy food and drinks from the stalls operated in the Grand Stand. Of course, if one has strong stomach, he/she can try drinking the tap water from toilet. The lunch pack cost RM 25 each and all stalls sold the same kind of food – to certain extend, there was monopoly business at certain higher level of food distribution.

Choice A: Hot dog, a can of soft drink, a small packet of potato chips and a small package of biscuit. Choice B: nine sticks of satay, a little kuah (source), similar drink as in Package A, a small packet of biscuit (no potato chips). So for three days of lunch, I spent RM 75 for the terrible food. The satay was hard to swallow (not that I have to paid RM 25) as they were quite hard.


F1 Merchandise – This one really amazed me: a T-shirt cost RM 190; a cap, RM 170; an umbrella, RM 220 !!!! But I see a lot of people buying also. At Sepang F1 Circuit, everyone is affordable; after all, the cheapest ticket is around RM 500.


Leaking roof – This is a sheer sign of lack of proper maintenance. When it rained, the roof started to leak. Leaking did not discriminate anyone – the expansive ticket holders (thousand plus Ringgit) could be affected also.

Traffic control – When the event was over, getting out of the car park and into the opposite side of the main road for homeward bound was truly a headache. It took much time to exit the car park; then the cars were diverted to the LCCT (Air Asia terminal) round-about which was about 10 km further away, and later joined the traffic jam again to the Salak Tingi round-about – same main entry, same exit concept. Hope the authority could open up another main exit.


Sea breeze - At around 1pm, there was no race for about one hour (lunch time). Sitting there enjoying the peace (without the roar of the machine), the sunny weather and the breeze, Shurki said, "It was like at the seaside with the breeze (minus the wave)."

Despite the shortcomings, we shall still go back to Sepang F1 Circuit to witness the next exciting motor or car racing. Meantime, will the authority strategize to improve the shortcomings? Or just wait for the next event to happen at Sepang F1 Circuit again.

Written by KC