RUN UP TO THE BIG RACE – 2007 PETRONAS PRIMAX 3 MERDEKA MILLENNIUM ENDURANCE RACE
DEAF MAN SEEKS CHANGES IN RACING RULES
Muhammad Khairun Cuganathan is deaf and he wants to race cars. His handicap, however, prevents him from doing so because Malaysia’s racing authorities has denied him a racing license.
Undeterred, Khairun, however, had remained determined to be part of the 2007 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race, which will be held at Sepang Circuit from tomorrow (August 23) to August 25.
Prevented from driving, Khairun will now be manager for the racing team entered by the Malaysian Sports Federation of the Deaf (MSFD), which will be competing in Class B for cars between 1601cc and 1900cc in a Proton Satria GTI.
Unable to drive, Khairum had secured the services of seasoned racers – Ahmad Faizal Mohd Khamis, Azlan Shah Rozali and Roduwan Roduan to carry the challenge of Team MSFD Motorsports, which has Puncak Niaga and Concorde Hotel as its main sponsors and AGTM Motorsports and H&R Auto Garage as their technical partners.
Speaking through sign language and an interpreter, Khairun, who is vice-president of MSFD, expressed disappointment in the ruling by Malaysia’s motorsports governing body – Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) – not to grant racing licenses to the deaf.
Having owned a driving license since he was 18, Khairun, who had been deaf since the age of four after suffering high fever, did not see the rationale of deaf people not being allowed to race as racing instructions are being conveyed through flags, lights and sign boards.
While he understands that the ruling could be an international regulation, he asked why not Malaysia took the lead in bringing in the changes and helped deaf community globally into participation of motor racing and other more extreme sporting events.
An ardent fan of Michael Schumacher, Khairun said that he had always loved motor racing and followed the sports especially the Formula One World Championship and that he wanted to use the event to uplift the social status of the deaf in Malaysia.
With 36 cars in Class B vying for the 26 places on the starting grid, Team MSDF Motorsports faces an uphill task in qualifying on Friday and looked highly certain of not making the cut based on the preparations of the other Class B teams and their timings in the practice sessions.
Class A for production cars above 1900cc has 18 entries and Class C for cars with engines below 1600cc has 29 entries. The open class – Class O – has 17 entries; bringing a grand total of exactly 100 cars taking part in the eighth edition of the MME. The rules, however, allows only 77 starters.
While acknowledging that his team would not be winning the race, Khairun stressed that the federation’s participation in the race was primarily to open the eyes of society and accept them on par as the normal people.
He said that the federation wanted the society to look and treat the deaf as normal people; adding that it would be difficult if rules and regulations are being created to prevent them for doing things that normal people do like motor racing.
For the 2007 Petronas Primax 3 Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race, Khairun will be assisted by another deaf friend – Hazrul Badri Che Haron, who like him became deaf after suffering high fever when he was three years old.
Other members of the team are normal people; but Khairun said he is determined to get more deaf people and members of MSFD involved in the team next year.
And, perhaps, he might even be racing in 2008 if his requests do not fall on deaf ears.
