Following the success of the inaugural 1Minimoto Challenge Malaysia 2014 held last year, Malaysia’s next generation of young and aspiring two-wheeled racing talent once again hit the black-top of the ELITE PLUS Speedway Go-Kart Circuit, Shah Alam; this time for the revamped and new 1Full Throttle Challenge 2015 event.
The one-day racing event, held on Sunday, May 3, was organised by local motorsports establishments HB Motorsports and PiTRIDES. The partnership marks their return from their highly successful initial endeavour in organising the 1Minimoto Challenge Malaysia event held last year.
Officially sanctioned by both the Ministry of Youth & Sports Malaysia (KBS) and the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM), at least 60 participants registered to compete across several categories for the one-day race event. Amongst the categories contested included MiniGP sprint and endurance races, Supermoto sprint races, an exclusive Time Attack session for KTM Malaysia CKD bikes, and a unique new category tailored specifically for two-stroke race machines called the “2T 150 Challenge”.
Like the 1Minimoto Challenge that preceded it, 1Full Throttle Challenge has aimed itself specifically at inspiring and nurturing many young and talented Malaysians with a properly sanctioned racing avenue. More importantly, the event’s secondary mission was also to promote motorsports safety amongst youths, combating illegal street racing in the process. The latter mission was expressed fully with an anti-street racing slogan adorned on the front fairings of each PiTRIDES’ Kayo MiniGP race bikes.
This year, the organisers of 1Full Throttle Challenge event were privileged to have several key partners and sponsors that helped in making the event a success. These included Shell Advance, KTM Malaysia CKD, Shark Helmets Malaysia (Winmaster Sdn Bhd), Alpinestars Malaysia (Iktikad Raya Marketing Sdn Bhd), AHM PRO Racing Exhaust, Strada 7, QBEE Motors, as well as local online motorcycling portals BikesRepublic.com and MotoMalaya.net acting as the event’s official publicity partners.
For many spectators in attendance, the on-track action and duel between riders in their respective categories was a sight to behold. However, it was the Malaysian riders from the Shell Advance Asia Talent Cup 2015 that stole the limelight halfway through the day amongst many young fans. Riders Shafiq Rasol, Helmi Azman, and the towering Fakhrusy Rostam were present and took part in a special demonstration free run session, displaying their top-flight skill and fitness levels they have achieved from competing in Asia’s only leading Moto3 championship series.
Whilst the Asia Talent Cup riders’ demonstration was aimed at inspiring the new generation, the special 2T 150 Challenge brought out much nostalgia amongst many older-aged fans. The sight, sounds, and even the smell of these two-stroke machines reliving their glory days was also something to behold, with participants hailing from all corners of the peninsula competing for the title as the undisputed ‘King of 2T’. Amongst the machines that were fielded here included legendary and fan favourite models such as the Kawasaki Ninja 150RR Super Kips, the Yamaha TZM 150, and the Suzuki TXR150.
Though the late afternoon thunderstorm wreaked havoc in the day’s scheduled Supermoto and MiniGP sprint races, it did little in extinguishing the passionate flame in many of the categories participants– both young and old, men and women. More importantly, the one-day event concluded with no serious injuries reported amongst participants, with many of them crowned as champions in their categories including one lady rider in the Supermoto CKD category. Many were awarded with the all-important trophies, as well as various exclusive prizes and gifts contributed by the event’s key sponsors and partners such as Shell Advance and Shark Helmets Malaysia.
As the 1Full Throttle Challenge 2015 challenge concluded last weekend, organisers HB Motorsports and PiTRIDES have shifted their focus towards organising yet another edition of the challenge before the year ends. More details will be announced at a later date.
