KUALA LUMPUR: The presence of Korean pop superstar Rain, who will be performing on the final day of the Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix, is expected to draw in the crowds for the prestigious event.
Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer Datuk Razlan Razali said with three more weeks before the race, some 45,000 tickets had been sold, which was a 10 per cent increase over their sales projection at this point.
"The increase has to do with SIC's announcement that Rain will be doing a concert at the circuit's grounds on the penultimate day of the prestigious race," he told reporters after unveiling the trophies for the race, which are sponsored by Tiffany & Co, here on Friday.
Tiffany & Co will sponsoring the winners trophies for the F1 over the next three years as well for Malaysian MotoGP and Merdeka Endurance Race.
Razlan said the earthquake tsunami disaster in Japan would also play a part in higher attendance at the race this year as tourists scheduled to travel to Japan would be looking for alternative destinations.
The Malaysian F1 was an attractive alternative and SIC had received inquiries from tourism agencies in Taiwan, he said, adding that SIC was confident of meeting its 100,000 tickets sales target this time around as it was normal for Malaysian fans to buy tickets at the last moment, furthermore with three teams with Malaysian links taking part namely Mercedes Petronas GP Team, Lotus Racing Team and Lotus Renault GP Team.
The Malaysian leg of the F1 championship will be held from April 8 to 10.
In a related development, Razlan said he hoped Malaysian rider Muhammad Zulfahmi Khairuddin would do well in the Qatar MotoGP which gets underway tomorrow.
Muhammad Zulfahmi, 19, who is representing AirAsia Sepang International Circuit Racing Team, will be competing in the 125cc category. - BERNAMA
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