Formula One demo in Kuching
Massa thrills crowd
By Sauber-Petronas (14/3/2004)
March 14 2004
Today SAUBER PETRONAS participated in a Formula One demonstration in the city centre of Kuching, capital of the state of Sarawak, Malaysia in front of a mesmerized crowd of 120,000 people.
Giancarlo Fisichella:
"For me itīs the first time with the team here in Malaysia and also the first time that Iīm part of the PETRONASī Malaysian F1 Grand Prix promotion campaign. Itīs a very new experience for me. Thanks to that Iīm able to meet the people of Malaysia and get to know the country and its culture a bit better, which poses a rare opportunity to me as we usually do not see more of a country than just the race track. Itīs great to see and feel how enthusiastic the people are about this sport . They are very friendly and their welcome is warm.
"The demonstration today also gave us a glimpse of what have to expect again next Sunday during the race at Sepang. The weather here is extremely hot and the race is physically demanding, so it was also a kind of little preparation for us today."
Felipe Massa:
"I knew this kind of promotion from 2002, my first year with the team. However, itīs a completely different experience as this time we are in another area of Malaysia, in Borneo. Itīs PETRONASī philosophy to bring their own passion for motorsports to all parts of the country and to educate the people about their involvement in this kind of sport. During these promotion days we mainly meet with school children. We try to bring Formula One and its technical aspects closer, but for the kids itīs not just that: for them we give them something which money canīt buy. Itīs a life-long memory of a great day, but which is also meant to motivate them for their future career."