2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series set to discover local water sports talent

Developing Malaysia’s potential as a global maritime player by uniting the marine motorsports community. (from left) P1 Marine Motorsports CEO, Encik Shafique Iqbal; Powerboat P1 Management Ltd CEO, Mr James Durbin; LBS Bina Group Berhad Group Managing Director, Tan Sri Lim Hock San; and Executive Directors, Dato’ Alan Chia, and Dato’ Cynthia Lim, at the inaugural P1 AquaX Malaysia Series Grand Finals in D’ Island Residence, Puchong.

Petaling Jaya, 15 December 2016 – Sun, skill and speed were the theme of the day at the inaugural 2016 P1 AquaX (pronounced Aqua Cross) Malaysia Series held at D’ Island Residence, Puchong recently. Malaysia is the first Asian stop in the international calendar for P1 AquaX. The 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series is a collaborative effort between property developer and advocate of motorsports, Misi Aktif Sdn Bhd (a wholly owned subsidiary of LBS Bina Group Berhad) and P1 Marine Motorsports (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd (P1 Marine Motorsports).

The collaboration is aimed at creating an avenue to discover local water sports talent and promote competitive water sports events in Malaysia. The competition kicked-off with the first round held on 29 and 30 October 2016 at the Kepong Metropolitan Park. The second and final rounds took place on 26 and 27 November, and 10 and 11 December 2016 respectively at D’ Island Residence, Puchong.

“LBS Bina has been a strong supporter of motorsports. Our love for motorsports dates back to our involvement with enhancing and managing the Zhuhai International Circuit (ZIC) in China. Complying with the highest international standards, ZIC has grown to be a home for Chinese motorsports since 1996. Similarly, we see great potential in the 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series and believe it is a very good platform to nurture local talent and put Malaysia on the map,” LBS Bina Group Berhad Group Managing Director, Tan Sri Lim Hock San, said.

Speaking about his vision for P1 AquaX Malaysia, P1 Marine Motorsports CEO, Shafique Iqbal explained, “Malaysia’s diverse demography and tourism potential present an ideal platform for P1 AquaX to expand the marine motorsports culture into Asia as well as put Malaysia on the global stage. Bringing the competition to Malaysian shores has a multiplier effect which includes the creation of job opportunities for youth, stimulating the local economy, and further development of Malaysia’s potential as a global maritime player. This is just the beginning and we look forward to growing the P1 AquaX fan base here.”

LBS-P1 Marine motorsports tie-up promotes local water sports talent and competitive water sports events in Malaysia. (standing, third from left) P1 Marine Motorsports Executive Director, Encik Kadir Rashid; LBS Bina Group Berhad Executive Director, Dato’ Cynthia Lim; P1 Marine Motorsports CEO, Encik Shafique Iqbal; and Powerboat P1 Management Ltd CEO, Mr James Durbin, with winners of 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series.

In addition to uniting the marine motorsports community and enthusiasts, the 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series also aims to be a platform to scout for and train new talent. Promising candidates will have the chance to represent the country in the upcoming P1 Asia AquaX Championship 2017 and P1 World AquaX Championship 2018. As a multiplier effect, the event will also create new job opportunities and skills among the younger generation in the field of commercial water sports as well as the tourism and marine services industry.

The P1 AquaX Malaysia 2016 Series featured two disciplines namely, ‘Enduro’ which involved races taking 30 to 40 minutes to complete; and ‘Sprint’ which takes 10 to 15 minutes to complete. A total of 34 professional competitors nationwide showcased their abilities in a battle of agility and skill to be the first P1 AquaX Malaysia 2016 Series champion.

In the Sprint Spark category, Mohd Danial Mohd Shariff clinched the top spot and a cash prize of RM1,500. Meanwhile, first runner-up, Saifullah Nazar and second runner-up, Raja Nazrin Shah, were awarded cash prizes of RM1,200 and RM800 respectively.

Haji Idzam Norhaidi Haji Mashud topped the Sprint Ski category to claim first place and a cash prize of RM1,500. First runner-up, Muhammad Fadhli Hashim and second runner-up, Muhammad Syahmi Hashim completed the podium line-up, taking home cash prizes of RM1,200 and RM800 respectively.

Facing stiff competition in the Enduro 200HP category, Christopher Keasberry proved his mettle by finishing ahead of the competition. He took home a cash prize of RM2,000. First runner-up, Mohamed Suffian Bin Saidi and second runner-up, Mohd Danial Mohd Shariff took home a cash prize of RM1,000 and RM500 each respectively.

For the Enduro 300HP, Lim Hong Hao upstaged his competitors to win a cash prize of RM2,500. First runner-up, Mohamad Faez Mohamad Noor and second runner-up, Bryan Chia Wai Yuen were each awarded a cash prize of RM2,000 and RM1,000 respectively.

Following weeks of consistent finishes in the previous races leading up to the Grand Finals at D' Island Residence, Lim Hong Hao claimed the ultimate bragging rights being awarded the first P1 AquaX Malaysia Series Cup. The victory came with a cash prize of RM4,000.

“We are very happy to be collaborating with our partners from P1 Marine Motorsports and play a part in promoting sports tourism by bringing the competition to Malaysian shores for the first time. We also look forward to seeing the Malaysian community enjoy the festivities and competitive spirit of the event,” said Tan Sri Lim.

Tourism Malaysia, through its My Tourism Data Portal, reported that Malaysia welcomed a total of 25.7 million (25,721,251) tourists and RM69.1 billion tourism receipts from January to December 2015. The country has a target of achieving 36 million tourist arrivals and RM168 billion in receipts by 2020. To achieve this, the Government has outlined targets set under the Tourism National Key Economic Area (NKEA) to be achieved through twelve Entry Point Projects (EPPs) clustered under five themes, one of which includes sports.

The 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia series is a Jet Ski sporting competition adapted from the P1 AquaX franchise of marine motorsports. P1 AquaX was introduced in the United Kingdom in 2011 and expanded its reach to the United States of America (USA) in 2013. This year, the expansion of the championship continues into Southeast Asia and the Great Lakes in the USA.

For more information on the 2016 P1 AquaX Malaysia Series, visit www.p1aquaX.com. To know more about development in D’ Island Residence, please contact 1700-81-8998 or visit www.d-island.com.my.

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