For the sake of the youth’s involvement in motorsport, former PM Dato Seri Ismail Sabri allocated RM20 million in Budget 2023 to build drag racing circuits in every state when he was in tenure. While that may help to boost the involvement, not everyone is on board with the idea.
Youth & Sports Minister, Hannah Yeoh confirmed in a parliamentary reply yesterday (24 May) that the government has no plans to go on with the building of the race circuits. This is because every state government will have to bear a high maintenance cost.
Sabri disagreed with Hannah’s decision and linked it to the cause of rising social issues among the youth, such as illegal racing.
“Hannah Yeoh does not understand the youth”
Sabri said the absence of a motorsport platform has not only opened the doors to illegal racing among young people but also street thugs. He highlighted that drag racing circuits will be the best platform to produce more young talents in motorsport.
“It will attract more professionals to train the youth and nurture more talents in the industry.”
Hannah’s decision not to proceed with the building of the race tracks has clearly disappointed Sabri as he believes that the interest in motorsport among the youth has been overlooked.
“It’s as if the Ministry of Youth & Sports doesn’t understand the aspiration of the youth and their interest in motorsport. I hope the Ministry can come up with a solution that will benefit the youth,” Sabri told the media.
In the meantime, Sabri also asked Hannah Yeoh to visit the completed race tracks in Terengganu and Johor. He explained that the building of the race track in Johor was only minimal, which was focused on the race circuit and the safety fence.
The one in Terengganu, however, involved a higher cost as the place has a grandstand.
Do you think the drag racing circuit projects would have helped the youth when it comes to motorsport?
