Story by Amanda Khong
THE Penang D-Dirt Northern Nitro Challenge was held on March 27 at Bayan Baru.
The event featured 56 remote-control car racers from Malaysia, Japan, Hong Kong and Indonesia.
Deputy Chief Minister I Datuk Mohd Rashid Hasnon was present to flag off the race together with Bayan Baru MP, Sim Tze Tzin, Nibong Tebal MP, Datuk Mansor Othman and Penang Remote Control Car Association chairman, Din Hassan.
“I would like to thank the organisers for planning such an interesting event for the future of sports tourism in Penang. I personally feel that Penang is growing in sports tourism alongside our medical tourism,” said Sim.
Rashid and Sim had some fun of their own by racing against each other to officially flag off the race.
The youngest semi-professional racer was 12-year-old Adam Fikri Mohd Razif from Kuala Lumpur.
“I started this since I was four years old but I’ve only started competing since last year. It was a family hobby that my two brothers and father indulge in so I just tagged along and picked it up,” said Adam.
Adam’s father, Mohd Razif Mohamed, shared that Adam’s best trait when competing is that he is completely emotionless and is purely focused on his buggy during the race.
Cynthia Lye, 45, who also hails from Kuala Lumpur, was the only female participant from Malaysia and this is her second year in the professional category.
Cynthia who is a designer at her own design firm said she has always been interested in racing especially cars.
“I’ve been interested in motorsports since young and I decided to take up this sport because it is a form of racing but in a safer environment since I’m controlling my buggy and not driving a real car. It is really challenging and very exciting,” added Cynthia.
A Penangite veteran, Mohd Khairel Mohd Khalid, 43, who has 25 years of experience in the sport, also shared why he is so enthusiastic.
“It is a very fun and challenging hobby and it requires very strong determination and a lot of enthusiasm,” said Khairel.
Khairel added that he wishes to see more people take an interest in this hobby as it is a safer alternative for those who are interested in racing.
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