JPJ To Take It Upon Themselves To Regulate Race Cars, Why Not MAM?

Yesterday, Datuk Zailani Hashim the Director-General of the Road Transport Department (JPJ) made an announcement during the APJM Melaka’s 20th Anniversary Celebration that its department would take it upon themselves to oversee the inspections of vehicles used in motor sports. 

This is following the crash of a Mitsubishi Evolution 9 during the Battle Of The King (BOTK) 2022 event at the Terengganu Racing Circuit which saw the driver killed in the incident. 

According to Datuk Zailani, JPJ would ensure every racers pay importance to the vehicle's technical inspection before participating in the race. He further added that this is based on actual available guidelines in motorsports for the preparation of  drift and drag machines. 

Datuk Zailani Hisham, Director General of JPJ (Image: ismaweb.net)

Datuk Zailani says, “Before this we have never heard of a case of a drift vehicle being involved in an accident like this. For the case that happened in Terengganu, we will check with the PDRM who is investigating this case according to Section 41 (1) of the Road Transport Act 1987". 

He said this at a press conference after the APJM Melaka 20th Anniversary Celebration Ceremony at Tiang Dua, here, today.

When asked to comment on the tragic death of the driver at BOTK2202, Datuk Zailani added that JPJ at all times never takes lightly of such matters, especially when it comes to drift and drag sports which poses inherent dangerous and risk of accidents.

However, the big question here is, why is JPJ the one issuing the statement and not the Motorsports Association of Malaysian (MAM) who is the actual body put in place similar to Fédération Internationale de l'Automobile (FIA) to oversee all aspects related to motorsports. MAM’s task amongst which would include licensing all drivers to ensure they are fit to compete, sanctioning all motorsports events which would technically ensure all proper aspects of safety and organisation is addressed and to ensure all vehicles are properly prepared safety wise. 

For the season organiser of the BOTK, this is not their first rodeo and in fact not their first major disaster. Back in 2012, during their “Million Youth Rally” Drag, a Mitsubishi Lancer veered off hitting 17 spectators. At that time, there were two regulatory motorsports bodies, MAM and Automobile Association of Malaysia (AAM) who both came forward claiming the event was not sanctioned by them. As for the organiser, somehow they just kept running bigger and bigger unsanctioned events year after year. 

Why are big events involving large crowds and high powered machines still not being sanctioned a decade later? These are not small backyard grassroot events. Isn't it high time MAM actually set out to do what they were supposed to? 

A local seasoned veteran in the motorsports scene Manan Supri shared on the Facebook group, Defensive Driving & Riding Group, “The National Motorsports Body, Malaysian Association of Motorsports (𝗠𝗔𝗠) should take necessary action to interfere and step in to ensure that all motorports event organisers be made compulsory to be an affiliate of MAM's for future motorsports meetings related to speed events and 𝗠𝗨𝗦𝗧 𝗕𝗘 in compliance to the MAM's National Competitions Rules (𝗡𝗖𝗥)”. We couldn't agree more.