MARCH 18, 2002

Sepang brings in 92,000 crowd

THE Malaysian Grand Prix was a success in terms of numbers with 92,000 spectators, about 10% short of the 100,000 people that Sepang had been hoping to see. Most people seemed to have a good time but The New Straits Times, the major local newspaper, reported on Monday that not everyone was happy, with some of those who paid the most complaining that they could not hear any public address systems, that there were no cooling fans in the grandstands (which would have helped considerably in the heat and humidity) and that the toilets were overflowing and decidedly unpleasant places to be.

But the government continued to ignore local criticism of the event, saying that race has reaped significant returns for Malaysia and its people. The government said that the event has contributed about $150m in tourist-related activities to the local economy in 2001.