Mofaz, Petronas in junior racing team venture
Earlier today, we witnessed the birth of a new racing team when representatives Petronas and Mofaz Racing put pen to paper to form the Petronas Mofaz Racing Team, set to compete in the 2010 season of the Formula BMW Pacific series.
With four young drivers set to spearhead the team’s challenge in its debut season, Petronas Mofaz Racing is formed with the objective of being a platform to develop and nurture young Malaysian talent in the arena of motorsports.
The team’s four drivers, taken from the Petronas Formula Xperience (PFX) racing school, are Calvin Wong Weng Man (17), Ryan Ritchie (16), Natasha Nur Ida Adam Seatter (16) and Abang Amirrul Hadi Abang Khirudin (17). The quartet was unveiled to the media during the signing ceremony between Mofaz and Petronas at the KL Convention Centre earlier today.
The aforementioned PFX racing school was formed in 2006, a talent development initiative made possible because of Petronas’ position as a premium partner of the BMW Sauber F1 Team. Its curriculum draws on expertise of racing instructors worldwide, and incorporates elements from BMW’s Education and Coaching Programmes used in Europe. Candidates in PFX are selected from a pool of 15-18 year old karters registered under AAM, after having their abilities assessed.
Training under the PFX’s curriculum is applied both via theoretical and practical means, with focus on the drivers abilities and conduct on the track and off it. The five key elements imparted to the drivers during the training are: Driving & Racing Techniques, Technical – Vehicle Dynamics & Chassis Set-up, Conditioning, Discipline, and PR & Media Skills.
The Formula BMW FB02 single-seat racer is powered by an engine from Bimmer’s motorcycle division, the four-stroke K1200 RS inline-4 engine. It displaces only 1,171cc, but produces 140hp at a stratospheric 9,000rpm. Torque output of 128Nm @ 6,750rpm would sound very undriveable for a road car, but because each one of these things weigh in at 455kg (excl driver) it’s good for the century sprint in less than four seconds.
Seremban-born Calvin Wong got into go-karting as early as six years old, but there was never doubt of his talent as he claimed the Asian Karting Open championship cadet title within four years of his debut race. Since then, the young man has continued to rack up one junior title after another, before catching the eyes of PFX scouts, landing him a place in the said school in 2008.
Ryan Ritchie’s foray into karting came much later than Calvin, but he was quick to make up for lost time – scoring two wins in the Yamaha Senior and the in the PLUS Yamaha Endurance Series with Calvin in 2006, just after three years dabbling in the sport. He was recruited into PFX one year after Calvin.
Selangor-born Abang Amirul got into go-karting as a hobby at the age of 13 and worked his way up, eventually booking a berth in the Malaysian Rotax Max karting championship in 2007. Competing as a junior, Amirul completed the season fourth in the championship, with a podium finish and also the title ‘rookie of the year’. He followed that up with an impressive showing in the Asian Karting Open championship in Macau, before being shortlisted for PFX in 2009.
She’s the only lady of the quartet, but she can give a few guys (yes, me included) quite a few lessons in driving. Her debut in go-karting took place in 2005, and she has not looked back since. Her impressive showing in what is still a male-dominated sport saw to her entry into PFX in 2009.
