REPORT: Royal Selangor Heritage Car Rally 2010 Sunday 14 March 2010
If you were at Dataran Merdeka this Sunday at about 9.30, or at Bukit Malawati, Kuala Selangor at lunchtime, you would have witnessed the awesome spectacle of the first ever Royal Selangor Heritage Car Rally!
Organised by Badan Warisan Malaysia (BWM) in association with the Malaysia and Singapore Vintage Car Register, the rally aimed to increase public awareness of the need to save our nation’s built and cultural heritage. The event was also helping to raise funds to support BWM in their mission to promote the preservation and conservation of Malaysia’s historic buildings and places.
70 cars took part in the rally which started at the Royal Selangor Visitor Centre, in Setapak. The convoy drove past a series of historic buildings and sites in Kuala Lumpur and Selangor, including the Sultan Abdul Samad Building, Kuala Lumpur Railway Station and KTMB Headquarters, before proceeding to Kota Malawati in Kuala Selangor for their lunch break.
Many drivers remarked that this experience allowed them to learn more about the heritage of Selangor and they were especially surprised at the number of heritage sites in Bukit Malawati alone. The Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor was very supportive of the event and sponsored refreshing fresh coconut drinks and goody bags. On arrival at Kuala Selangor, participants were received by the Orang Besar Daerah YDH Datuk Mohamad Yaacob bin Ismail and the Yang DiPertua Majlis Daerah Kuala Selangor Tuan Haji Haris bin Kasim who then joined participants for lunch at the Asrama Pusat Seri Tanjung.
The final leg of the rally was from Kuala Selangor to Klang, ending at the Istana Alam Shah. BikingMsia acted as the official Marshall of the event and worked with the Royal Malaysian Police to ensure a smooth journey throughout.
Duli Yang Maha Mulia Sultan Sharafuddin Idris Shah Al-Haj Ibni Almarhum Sultan Salahuddin Abdul Aziz Shah Al-Haj, was Royal Patron of the event and hosted the tea and presentation ceremony. HRH Sultan Selangor also presented prizes for the best presented cars in the categories ‘vintage’, ‘classic’ and ‘modern classic’.
Best Presented Cars:
Vintage - PRE 1950 1st Prize - 1931 Ford Tudor owned by Ganesan a/l Subramaniam 2nd Prize - 1936 Rolls Royce owned by Stanley Yong Eng Tuck 3rd Prize - 1939 Alvis Tourer owned by Zulkifli Dato' Omar
Classic - 1951 - 1969 1st Prize - 1954 Packard Clipper owned by Peter Klement 2nd Prize - 1965 Mercedes 2.30 SL owned by Ong Kheng Liat 3rd Prize - 1959 Mercedes 220 SL owned by Chin Kok Hwee
Modern Classic - 1970 - 1984 1st Prize - 1982 BMW Baur 320 owned by Jaqueline Lim 2nd Prize - 1981 Citroen 2CV8 owned Arnout J.W. Everts 3rd Prize - 1983 Alpha Romeo Spider owned by Mohd Fariz bin Abu Bakar
The first prize winners were awarded a trophy sponsored by Royal Selangor while the other prize winners received a meal voucher for two at Suffolk House Penang.
Winners of the drivers’ quiz also received a meal voucher for two at Suffolk House Penang – the two lucky winners were Peter Klement and Ranihisham Samsuddin.
Malaysia’s own professional rally king, Karamjit Singh, not only assisted with the flag-off but he also drove one of the rally cars. The event was made even more exciting when celebrities including Vanidah Imran, Adibah Noor, Kartini Ariffin, Jasmine Abu Bakar Sharifah Amani and Sharifah Aleya joined in the Rally and hosted a public programme with the FlyFM Troopers and OneFM at Bukit Malawati, Kuala Selangor.
The Main Sponsor of the event was Royal Selangor International Sdn Bhd while other sponsors were SP Setia Berhad, Permodalan Nasional Berhad, I&P Group Sdn Bhd and NCB Holdings Berhad. A number of other companies also generously donated in-kind support to the event. These included AAM, Concorde Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Corus Hotel Kuala Lumpur, Eastern & Oriental Berhad and Nestle Malaysia.
NTV7’s Jasmine Abu Bakar covered the event as a driver of one of the Rally cars. Media Prima Radio Nertworks sent teams from FlyFM and OneFM to support Badan Warisan’s efforts by drawing out members of the public to view the cars and meet the drivers and invited celebrities through live reports.
The Rally ended on a high note when HRH Sultan Selangor generously allowed the Rally participants and guests to tour the Royal Automobile Gallery which is located in the grounds of Istana Alam Shah. It was immensely enjoyable privilege appreciated by all invited.
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