DECEMBER 28, 2001

Malaysians targeting Asia markets

THE organizers of the Malaysian Grand Prix are hoping to attract 100,000 spectators for the event in March and has been targeting a number of countries in the region in an effort to ensure that there is a larger crowd than there was last year. Having Alex Yoong as a driver will obviously help but the main thrust of the marketing program is Singapore with the Sepang authorities hoping that as many as 15,000 race fans will travel up for the event. The Malaysians have also targeted Hong Kong, Thailand, China, Indonesia and Taiwan with a road show promoting the event while there are also hopes that the Japanese will take more interest in F1 now that there is a Japanese racing driver and Toyota, a Japanese-owned team.

In previous years Malaysia has attracted a lot of business from Europe with package tours from Britain and Germany attracting a lot of fans who are looking to attend an F1 race which is a little more glamorous than the average European event.