23.08.2004 Amprex Motorsport's Lamborghini Murcielago R-GT lines up as the clear favourite to take victory this weekend at Malaysia's 12 hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race
The 2004 Merdeka
Millennium Endurance Race (MME), which will be held at Sepang Circuit this
coming
Saturday, looks set to crown a team of non-Malaysian drivers for the
first time since its inception in 2000.
Former MME winner Admi Shahrol Ahmad Safian, in making his assessment of the
2004 grid, believes that the Lamborghini Murcielago, which will be driven Japan
GT driver Genji Hashimoto and his partners - German Norman Simon and Charles
Kwan of Hong Kong - will comfortably win the 12-hour endurance race.
"They are going to be runaway winners for this year's race. Without doubt, they
are definitely the car to beat this year," says Admi, who won the 2002 Perodua
Merdeka Millennium Endurance race with Jeffrey Wong and Tommy Lee in a TVR
Chimaera for the TVR Sports Racing Team.
Adding that the 550bhp Murcielago R-GT,
entered by Amprex Motorsports, would not only be superior in terms of power
and acceleration, but would also be boosted by the new rules introduced for this
year's event. Last year, only a maximum of 50 litres of petrol were allowed
during re-fuelling, however for this year this has been increased to 100 litres, allowing the Amprex
drivers to undertake increased length stints.
"They can now drive up to a maximum of the allowed 75 minutes for each driver.
Last year, Hashimoto and his team needed to pit after about 40 to 50 minutes
just to take in fuel because of the 50-litre rule," said Admi, who currently
working with SIC in the Events and Operations Department.
Driving a Japan GT Mazda RX7 with Kwan and Matthew Marsh of Hong Kong, Hashimoto
finished ninth overall and sixth in the open class completing 249 laps, compared to
268 laps by the winners in the 12-hour race.
Admi said at the recent Japan GT Championship Malaysia race in Sepang, the same
Murcielago R-GT was lapping in 2 minutes and 20 seconds, which was about 15 seconds
faster than lap time of the fastest Porsche GT3 Cup cars in the MME.
Even, the super-light Radical, which made a strong impression on its debut with
an overall third last year, would have a tough time matching the capabilities of
the Amprex Racing Team, which would be boosted by the skills and experience of
three great drivers, said Admi.
"Hashimoto had been racing in the Japan GT and is very, very fast. Charles Kwan
is a multiple Asian Touring Car Champion and needs no introduction while Simon
is an experienced race driver, competing in the German DTM Championship. It
would take something extraordinary by the other competitors to stop the
Murcielago.
"As I see it, the only way that the Lamborghini will not win is a mechanical
problem or it rains on the race day. And, I am talking about medium or heavy
showers. The Lamborghini will still rule if it's only a slight drizzle," he
concluded.
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