Sepang's 12-hour Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) continues for its 11th edition this year with the organiser, the Sepang International Circuit (SIC), drawing up tighter rules with strict conformity to Federation Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) regulations especially on the eligibility of race cars.
In a clear effort by SIC to take the MMER to a higher level and to attract more top professional foreign teams and drivers, it has also decided to revert back to a midnight start.
"The move will see the 2010 race to be flagged off at the turn of the day on Sunday, Aug 8 and finishing 12 hours later at noon," SIC Chief Executive Officer Razlan Razali said in a statement here on Wednesday.
Hailed as Asia's biggest race, the MMER, which started at the turn of the new millennium with five categories, including 1000cc Perodua Kenaris and four-wheel drive Kembara machines, will now be only a three-class competition.
In a clear effort by SIC to take the MMER to a higher level and to attract more top professional foreign teams and drivers, it has also decided to revert back to a midnight start.
"The move will see the 2010 race to be flagged off at the turn of the day on Sunday, Aug 8 and finishing 12 hours later at noon," SIC Chief Executive Officer Razlan Razali said in a statement here on Wednesday.
Hailed as Asia's biggest race, the MMER, which started at the turn of the new millennium with five categories, including 1000cc Perodua Kenaris and four-wheel drive Kembara machines, will now be only a three-class competition.
"For this season, the three classes are the GT Class, the Sports Production Class and the Touring Production Class. The eligibility of competing cars is clearly defined through various articles stipulated by FIA, the world governing body for motor racing," Razlan said.
The change was to ensure that the MMER continued to be the endurance race in Asia, and that its regulations were acceptable by most endurance races around the world, he said.
Razlan said the new rules required all cars to be fully homologated models.
Explaining on the change of racing time, Razlan said it was to make the 12-hour race even more demanding.
"Having started in the day for a few years, now we are back to the original time of racing from midnight to midday," he added.
With a full grid and a crowded track that included fully modified supercars and 1600cc production cars, a midnight start offered a high probability of on-track incidents as compared to a mid-day start when drivers had better handling of their cars and racing situations, he said.
The 2009 MMER only had 57 cars compared to 77 cars in all its races except for the inaugural edition in 2000 when it had 52 cars.
originally appeared on bernama
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