The opening race victory of the new A1GP World Cup of Motorsport season for A1 Team Malaysia brought with it much welcome attention, both nationally and internationally. For the team and its driver, Fairuz Fauzy, the beautiful trophy, 10 World Cup of Motorsport points, a place in the record books and the playing of the national anthem of Malaysia brought great pride to all members of the team in their pursuit of the championship for the nation.
The momentum of the team’s success was carried forward from the podium celebrations generating national news coverage on prime time television and footage of the victorious team beamed around the world. Over the days that followed every Malaysian national newspaper devoted space to the team’s achievement celebrating the occasion.
Fauzy was kept busy after the race on Sunday evening and throughout the following week with requests for interviews and comments on the team’s opening round weekend. With a packed schedule of his usual fitness regime, race preparations and travel, Fauzy fitted in all the requests and was featured across a range of radio and TV stations. He says of receiving so much interest, “I can’t remember the last time that my phone has been ringing so much, with media calls, congratulatory messages and texts. It makes it all the more special when so many people appreciate our efforts.”
A1GP is still a relatively new international motor racing series but with nation versus nation competition at its core, the media interest spreads beyond the traditional sports pages, with a recognition that a national motor racing team is of widespread interest. The team personnel have been invited on television programmes to discuss the early season success and it is expected that the coverage of the team will continue to expand into new areas of the media.
Azrai Razuan, Manager of the team’s Fan Club, explains the impact of a win in A1GP, “For the past three seasons we’ve raced around the world in this international series, representing Malaysia. Over this time we’ve seen our fanbase and the interest in the Series grow and grow. Carrying the pride of the nation is a great responsibility, so to reward the support of the country with a win in the first race weekend is very special.
“We have a roster of very supportive partners. Winning this early in the season brings these companies an immediate return on their marketing investment with the team, particularly for our partners who have their branding on our race car and team. There was so much coverage, both TV footage and print photographs, which promoted our partners and gave them widespread exposure. Our goal now is to build on this success, both on track and off track, attracting new commercial partners and investing our resources in maintaining our competitive advantage.”
The team will return to the track in three weeks time with the second round of the A1GP Series taking place at the Chengdu circuit in China, from 7 – 9 November 2008.
