11.08.2004 The Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT will receive its first taste of long distance racing when Amprex Motorsports enter the 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance at the end of this month

Genji Hashimoto, owner and driver of Team Amprex Motorsports believes his newly acquired Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT will have a good chance to obtain a top position in the Merdeka Millennium Endurance (MME) race, considered as Asia’s biggest race with the participation of more than 100 cars and 300 drivers.

“The Merdeka Millennium Endurance race will be a different story altogether. It is a different game and will suit the Lamborghini,” said Kuala Lumpur-based Hashimoto.

He will be partnered by one of Asia’s top touring car drivers Charles Kwan of Hong Kong, and Germany's Norman Simon, his co-driver in the current Japan GT championship, for Sepang’s F1 circuit 12-hour race.

He said the Lamborghini was being prepared for the 2005 Le Mans 24-Hour Endurance race and that MME race, which will run for half that time, was a perfect preparation for the team.

“The ultimate target is Le Mans. The Japan GT championship race is not actually a priority,” says Hashimoto, who finished 12th at the Japan GT race at Sepang on June 19 with Simon, when the Malaysian-based team put their newly acquired 550bhp Lamborghini to test in a race for the first time. In the next round of the series on July 18 at the Tokachi Speedway, the team finished in 15th position, following a mishap on the track.

Officiated by the Malaysian Deputy Minister of Federal Territory, Datuk Zulhasnan Rafique, the 2004 MME race was launched in a colourful ceremony at Desa Sri Hartamas with the attendance of competitors, sponsors and Sepang International Circuit (SIC) partners.

The 2004 MME race will be Hashimoto’s third attempt in the event. After failing to finish in their debut in 2002, Hashimoto finished ninth overall and fifth in the open class last year with Charles and Matthew Marsh in their BMW M3. “Both Charles and Norman would be coming on the 22nd and we would immediately go into serious preparations for the race,” added Hashimoto.

Amprex Motorsports team director Hong Heng Soon said that is the first time a Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT would be participating in a 12-hour race. “The MME race would be a good test for our car, as we need to simulate in preparation for next year 24 hours of Le Mans. So far, the Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT has not been driven for more than 1000km in any event, even in Europe and America.

"The distance for FIA GT race is 500km as well as in ALMS (American Le Mans Series). Therefore, we take this opportunity to run our car and test all components for much longer distance. In fact, we might drive another 12hrs on private test after the MME race in Sepang because is more accurate to simulate on an actual race distance for Le Mans. Then, all components will be sent to Reiter Engineering for analysis after the race.

"We are optimistic about the race but in the same time, we have to be realistic because the reliability of the car is still a question. No doubt this car is being built for endurance race; but we have to be cautious.

"This will be our third time participating in MME and we did not do well in the last two events. Hopefully this time luck is on our side and we should be able to achieve good result with a possibility to win.” Amprex Motorsports has an international support crew, which includes five Malaysian mechanics.

The car was developed for racing by the sports unit of Audi, who also own Lamborghini. The company that builds the car, which is powered by a V12 6.0-litre engine is Reiter Engineer of Germany.

According to a statement by SIC, previous participants of the MME, first held in 2000 included drivers from the Japan GT Championship, international drivers with racing experience in the British Touring Car Championship, Formula Nippon, Asian Touring Car Championship, Formula BMW, Formula 2000 and all of Malaysia’s top drivers including ex-Formula One driver Alex Yoong.

"There will be three drivers to a car and they take turns accordingly to the race regulations to complete 12 hours of non-stop racing around the 5.543-km Sepang Circuit. Each driver can only drive a maximum of 75 minutes non-stop and they must rest at least two-thirds of the driving time before resuming the race. The maximum cumulative driving time for each driver is five hours. Only those who complete the 12-hour period will be classified,” the statement said.

Flag-off for the 2004 Merdeka Millennium Endurance race will be at 10am on Saturday, August 28, 2004. Qualifying will be held on Friday, August 27.