Weekend at the Malaysian Formula 1 Grand Prix - Sepang International Circuit, KL

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Days 196 – 198 (Fri 22^nd – Sun 24^thMarch)



So the reason had arrived for our being in KL. I would have at some point been in KL on my trip but the fact the formula 1 was on made me change my plans and dates to come here, and with air fares in SEA being reasonably cheap it was no hassle to fly in and then fly away from Singapore to where I was, which was good. Lee had wanted to come out to Malaysia and Singapore but after hearing the F1 was on decided to come earlier which is good.

The Friday we made it back to KL from Melaka late morning, checked into our new hostel as our previous one was full for the weekend. We decided we had enough time to head out to the race track for the afternoon. The trip out to Sepang takes around an hour and with getting to the bus to get there about 90 minutes in total. We made it out there about 10 minutes before the second practice session of the weekend. Friday is a free seating day so we used this to our advantage to sit firstly on the main start finish line, with a nice view of the lotus paddock. We then moved after finding the straight a little boring and loud. We headed across to the back straight instead. From there you can see half the course which was quality. We also stopped by the last corner for a gander. While we were there it hammered it down with rain forcing all the formula 1 cars to retreat to the pits as quick as they could. All on slicks there were a few delicate cars moving round the track. The rain in Sepang comes in very quickly and is very heavy.

After practise we had a little look around the fan zone which was not very good. We went to the F1 in Monza, Italy 2 seasons back and the fan zone was awesome but here there was very little to do or see which was a shame, luckily the race track is so good and the tickets so cheap we weren’t too bothered. We took in the GP2 qualifying from the first corner and then headed back into town.

The trip back consisted of pretty much everyone on the bus falling asleep, whether a mix of heat, air con and dehydration, there was not a soul awake. We found a huge food court in the mall near our hostel and ate there and decided all meals would be there as it was so cheap, (RM6-12, £1.30-£2.50) for a full meal, sometimes with soup and a side dish, can’t argue with that in a pricey city. We were that tired that after that we did nothing and relaxed in the hostel.

Saturday was qualifying day at Sepang. We got to the course by 10am, giving us 6 hours until the qualifying session. We watched a GP2 race, a Porsche Asia Cup race, the final F1 qualifying then had a kip on the grass until just before the main event of the day. The GP2 race had a few crashes and very good battles up front which kept it entertaining, the Porsche cup not so interesting.

We managed to get a sort of free upgrade as the gate between stands was open so we moved into a better one and got a far better view. Later in the afternoon I bumped into a lad called James (England) who I’d met in the middle of Vietnam in mid January. We all watched qualifying and then headed off back into town. The qualifying was good if not hot. The real feel according to my weather app for the day was a mere 47 degrees. We sat in the shade all day, no sun exposure yet were both burnt, Lee far worse than me as my skins had practice and he’s pale from a cold winter back home.

In the evening we ate in the food court once again and headed back to the hostel. Lee crashed around half 9 leaving me wondering what to do with myself.

There just happened to be a gig on in front of the Petronas twin towers which I’d heard about so around half 10 I decided to head over to have a look. The main headline act happened to be none other than the Backstreet Boys. Now this is not really something I’d go and watch but it was free and I was made to listen to it growing up by my mum so I sort of know all the songs. I left lee fast asleep as I knew he’d hate it and wandered over. It turned out I timed it perfectly, they were on within 10 minutes of me being there, lots of locals and plenty of tourists about. They were actually pretty good and the show they put on was entertaining. I chose to not sing along even though I could have done. There was a worrying amount of teenage/early twenties Malaysian lads going mental jumping and dancing with each other, backstreet boys must be big there. The guys were more excitable than the girls, very strange.

Sunday was the main event. The Malaysian formula 1 race. We made it out there by 11am today. There wasn’t as much going on so no need to be so early. We had to sit in our correct area which was disappointing as the view wasn’t good, but for £20 for the entire weekend ticket we couldn’t complain at all. We took in the GP2 and Porsche races once again then there was a couple hour gap with nothing happening while the F1 built up. We went to the main fan area and had a look around the little museum to Malaysian motor sport and motor industry. I never knew Proton was Malaysian until I was here, brought back memories of my dad’s old car. There were also some nice formula 1 cars from previous Malaysian races on display. It was incredibly hot once again so we hid near the air con eating ice cream. About an hour before ‘lights out’ we headed back to our grass hill stand.

We were sat eagerly awaiting the race when the rain started. Having no cover we tried to dart into the only covered spot being the gents. We noticed the gate that was earlier locked had been handily ‘knocked down’ by somebody, prompting a lot of C1 viewers to wander into C2 very quickly before anyone turned up to stop it. So we got back into the stand we watched qualifying and more importantly had cover from the rain and a perfect view.

The drivers came out from the pits to do a couple laps to take place on the start straight. No fewer than 7 managed to end up in the gravel, including a Williams that lost its front wing. Considering they were only making their way to the start I have never known so many incidents. The national anthem followed by formation lap ensued. The race then started, in the dry after the rain stopped. No major incidents at the first corner or chicane which surprised me, but there was plenty going on. Alonso’s wing falling off, a brilliant battle up top between the Red Bulls and Mercedes, which included Lewis Hamilton pitting in the wrong teams area. It all results in a Red Bull 1-2, with a Mercedes 3-4, although both questioned for team orders, one abiding and the other ignoring them. Personally I think races should race, end of story.

We made it back into town pretty early considering how many people were at the track, got some food and cleaned up. We headed back to our previous hostel to have a few beers on the roof top bar. I’d agreed to meet up with my friend Jeroen, (Dutch lad I met in China 6 months ago). When he family got there we had a good catch up, sharing our stories etc for a couple hours. Me and Lee were then shattered so headed back to get some shut eye.



Day 199 (Mon 25^th March)



We had decided yesterday we would not make a plan on what we’d do until we woke up, just wanted a lie in after a few early mornings. We woke around 11am and decided today wasn’t the day to leave Malaysia. We were thinking of going to Penang but it’s the wrong way as we are ending in Singapore. So we would stay in KL for one more day and spend it lingering about pretty much. We had gone past a huge stadium each day on the way to Sepang so being a huge football fanatic I wanted to go and have a look. We got the LRT out to the ground, being the Malaysian National Football Stadium. It holds around 87,000 people so is massive. I had no idea they had a stadium of such capacity here. We circumnavigated the ground and as usual found an open gate, it was only slightly open and we found out why later on. We popped into the ground, walked down to the front of the stand and took some pictures, it’s a mighty fine stadium, similar to Athens Olympic Stadium. It was built for the 1999 Asean games

On leaving we noticed a few garbage men heading in through the same gate. We obviously got lucky as they were collecting the wheelie bins. Otherwise we may not have gotten in. There was another entrance open, I asked the security guard but we weren’t allowed in. This would have taken us onto the track, but we got in anyways. We also got into the Hockey area next door after the security guard let us in, another smart little stadium, makes me wonder if they will bid for any games at some point, everything is already in place. It wouldn’t cost them much to clean up and modernise it a little.

We then had a wander through the market and headed back to the hostel at 5pm ish. We decided we’d go to the cinema in the evening, something nice and easy to relax us. Tomorrow will see us going to Singapore and we aren’t sure in the slightest how long the bus is so an easy night sounded good. We watched Olympus Has Fallen, the new Gerard Butler film about the North Koreans attacking the Whitehouse, wouldn’t be surprised if they tried it with tensions increasing daily out there. After the film, which was pretty decent, bar a couple sketchy editing efforts by the Malaysians we wandering around the Times Square shopping centre. We found an indoor theme park which had a fully functioning rollercoaster. Unfortunately it was 10pm by this point and was closed for the night. The shopping centre had everything, we could have easily spent the day there and probably a fair wedge of money. Maybe it was a good thing we found it on our last night. It looked a class place though. Back to the hostel to type up this blog before the trip tomorrow to Singapore. Malaysia I haven’t really explored so much, but with the prices in the country I am not too concerned. I only really came for the Formula 1 and I saw that so happy to move on.

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Comments

[The Travel Camel]

Good F1 photos!
I was sitting high in the stand in the back strait for the weekend. It was a great race to attend, and there will be ramifications from this race that will last a long time, especially within the Red Bull team when Vettel ignored team orders. I would love to attend Monza one day to see the race and experience that fan zone! Did you try the free go-karting and ATV activities (where you can drive) or the free sliding and rally sections (both where you are passengers)? They were at the bottom of the hill near to where the bus drops passengers.

[Zico1878]

No we never got round to the karts and ATV's. I did see them. To be honest i didn't realise it was free until you just mentioned it so definitely have missed out there. Monza is a must on the european circuit i'd say. It's a good track and general admission there lets you walk and watch in various places, not in the same spot like Malaysia. I'd do Malaysia again, cheap and we had such a great view over half the track, very worth it !!