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Carlos Sainz collected his third his Dakar Rally victory, this time with yet another team. Having previously triumphed with Peugeot (2019) and Volkswagen (2016), he presented MINI with its fifth overall victory in what is described as the toughest race in the world.

For MINI and MINI Motorsport partner X-raid, this was the first success since their winning run together, which lasted from 2012 to 2015. Sainz, with co-driver Lucas Cruz (also from Spain), drove a John Cooper Works Buggy. He finished 6 minutes 21 seconds ahead of last year’s winner, Nasser Al-Attiyah after completing roughly 7,500 kms through Saudi Arabia’s deserts.

2020 Dakar Rally MINI

Dakar record winner Stephane Peterhansel and his co-driver Paulo Fiuza finished third, 9 minutes 58 seconds behind Sainz and Cruz, to round off an impressive performance from the two JCW Buggies. The two JCW Buggy crews each won 4 stages, while MINI vehicles went fastest on a total of 9 of the 12 days. Seven of the 9 MINI crews that started the rally reached the finish in Al-Quiddia, 4 of them in the top 10.

The 42nd edition of the Dakar Rally this year was held in Saudi Arabia for the first time. The route took competitors from the shores of the Red Sea in Jeddah, around the canyons and mountains of the western part of Saudi Arabia, over the dunes of the Empty Quarter and all the way to the Qiddiya Sports and Culture Complex near the capital Riyadh.

2020 Dakar Rally MINI

2020 Dakar Rally MINI

Dakar 2020

237 out of the 342 vehicles (59.3%) that started the rally in Jeddah were classified as finishers. A further 19 vehicles withdrew from the race but reached Qiddiya under Dakar Experience rules. Over the 7,500-km route through deserts, there were 12 competitive stages which totalled approximately 5,000 kms.

2020 DAKAR RALLY
OVERALL WINNERS IN CAR CATEGORY
1. CARLOS SAINZ/LUCAS CRUZ – Bahrain JCW X-Raid Team
2. NASSER AL-ATTIYAH/MATTHIEU BAUMEL – Toyota Gazoo Racing
3. STEPHANE PETERHANSEL/PAULO FIUZA – Bahrain JCW X-Raid Team
4. YAZEED AL RAJHI/KONSTANTIN ZHILTSOV – Overdrive Toyota
5. GINIEL DE VILLIERS/ALEX HARO BRAVO – Toyota Gazoo Racing
6. ORLANDO TERRANOVA/BERNARDO GRAUE – X-Raid MINI JCW Team
7. BERNHARD TEN BRINKE/TOM COLSOUL – Toyota Gazoo Racing
8. MATHIEU SERRADORI/FABIAN LURQUIN – SRT Racing
9. YASIR SEAIDAN/KUZMICH ALEXY – Race World Team
10. WEI HAN/MIN LIAO – Geely Auto Shell Lubricant Team

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Apart from putting to rest the long-standing question of whether PLUS, the highway concessionaires, will be sold off by the government, it has also been announced that toll charges will decrease by 18% – but only on for private-registered vehicles and only on PLUS- operated highways.

Unfortunately, the reduction will only begin from February 1, 2020, so it won’t be in time to benefit those who will be travelling during the Chinese New Year holidays. However, there are likely to be discounts offered by highway concessionaires, the usual practice during major festive periods.

Bernama reports that, besides the toll reduction, the statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) also confirmed that there will be no change in toll rates on PLUS highways until 2058. This is in consideration for the concession period being extended by 20 years beyond 2038. PLUS is expected to carry out highway maintenance and operational activities without depending on the government, the statement added.

PLUS highway
PLUS is expected to carry out highway maintenance and operational activities without depending on government funding in future.

PLUS Highways

What does 18% mean to the motorist?
The 18% reduction lowers the toll rate on the North-South Expressway – the longest among PLUS highways – to 11.15 sen per km from the present 13.6 sen per km. Travelling from the Jalan Duta toll plaza in Kuala Lumpur to Alor Setar in Kedah would be RM45.50 or RM10 less than what it costs now. The savings from the same departure point in Kuala Lumpur to Skudai in Johor would be RM8.50.

The government will not be compensating PLUS for lowering the rate, and has cancelled the earlier concession agreement which provided for gradual increases in toll rates. The government will save RM42 billion as it does not have to pay compensation, and the money can be used for other development purposes. It also believes that PLUS will remain in a sound financial position to carry out its obligations for the next 58 years.

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With up to 720 bhp and weighing just 1,300 kgs for a power-to-weight ratio of a supercar to achieve a top speed of 230 km/h, the Laffite G-Tec X-Road is claimed to be the first all-terrain street-legal supercar.

It has been developed Laffite Supercars, a multi-national company (based in Valencia, Spain as well as Los Angeles and Miami in the USA) which specialises in automotive design. Racing engineer Philippe Gautheron engineered the chromium molybdenum steel rolling chassis while the Team Virage Group tested and fine-tuned it for several years.

Laffite G-Tec X-Road

Laffite G-Tec X-Road

GM V8 powertrain with electric option
The G-Tec X-Road is powered by a 6.2-litre V8 from General Motors which is mated to a 5-speed sequential or 6-speed automatic transmission, depending on customer requirements. The drivetrain is only rear-wheel drive but the company is willing to develop an electric powertrain for customers who are more eco-conscious.

17-inch suspension travel will allow drivers to jump and fly the 4.3-metre long car like a Dakar rally racer in the desert or navigate the freeway and local streets in comfort. Interior appointments can be customised to personal preference with high quality materials and high-tech accessories.

Laffite G-Tec X-Road

Only 30 units available
Final assembly of the 30 units to be available will be done in Los Angeles and the car can be registered for road use in California. Being able to conform to vehicle regulations in California would enable it to meet regulations in other markets.

Customers will get their cars towards the end of 2020 after paying retail prices that start from US$465,000 (about RM1.9 million) with the electric version costing at least US$545,000 (about RM2.21 million).

Laffite G-Tec X-Road
Laetitia and Bruno Laffite, owners of Laffite Supercars

About Laffite Supercars
The company creates concept cars and road-ready vehicles in limited runs, and also works on confidential projects for customers wishing to acquire unique and exceptional road-ready supercars.

The owners are Bruno and Laetitia Laffite and Bruno is the nephew of 6-time winner Formula One racing driver, Jacques Laffite, and competed for more than 15 years in numerous racing events in the 1990s. Laetitia has driven and tested many sportscars, spent 15 years in the art industry and is also as an exclusive art dealer in the prestigious Monaco Yacht Club.

Laffite G-Tec X-Road

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Ever since petrol stations began accepting payments electronically, using credit cards or debit cards are the pumps, motorists have enjoyed greater convenience when refuelling. While the use of credit cards has not required a ‘hold’ of RM200 on the related account, those who use a debit ATM card from a bank are subjected to this inconvenience for up to 3 days. That’s certainly an unnecessary burden, especially for a motorcyclist who may buy just RM2 of fuel.

MyDebit and the 22 participating banks are putting consumer interests first by doing away with this practice. Related to this initiative, Payments Network Malaysia Sdn Bhd (PayNet) has announced a collaboration with Petron to accept payments using ATM cards at all Petron station self-service fuel pumps with no RM200 hold.

Petron

Petron station

“With 42 million ATM cards in circulation, virtually every customer carries an ATM card which they can use to pay for their fuel purchases,” said Peter Schiesser, Group CEO of PayNet, the operator of the MyDebit card scheme.  “As Malaysia’s national debit card scheme, our priority is the rakyat. MyDebit is the only card scheme in Malaysia that does not hold RM200 at petrol pumps.”

“When a petrol chain accepts MyDebit payments, consumers can select the amount of fuel that they wish to purchase and only that amount is blocked during fuelling. If consumers refuel less than the amount selected at the start, all excess amounts are credited back to their bank accounts immediately after fuelling is done,” explained Mr. Schiesser.

Petron
Motorcyclists especially will be happy that there is no RM200 ‘hold’ for 3 days when they purchase just a few ringgit of petrol.

The announcement was made in conjunction with the launch of ‘FUEL-YoooH MyDebit Je with your ATM Card!’ recently at a Petron station in Bandar Baru Kulim, Kedah. The move, which supports the government’s aim to develop a cashless society, enables Petron customers easier, faster, more seamless and convenient cashless payment using their ATM cards at the fuel pumps.

To commemorate the roll-out of MyDebit ATM Card at Petron stations, PayNet and Petron have a campaign that rewards motorists who use their ATM cards for fuel purchases. Until March 13, 2020, any fuel purchases at Petron pumps using ATM cards issued by banks in Malaysia with a minimum spend of RM5 will provide a chance to win prizes that include 2 Grand Prizes of Proton X70 SUV. Besides a total of 84 prizes, there are also four RM500 Petron Gift Cards to be won weekly.

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Legacy Racing will make its GT World Challenge Asia debut this year with an Am class-entered Mercedes-AMG GT3. The Malaysian team is run by Tedco Racing, which has previously competed in national championships but will now make its pan-Asia debut with two familiar faces – Leona Chin and Tengku Djan Ley.

The team will begin its GT World Challenge Asia campaign on home soil at the Sepang International Circuit on March 28/29 and then continue to Thailand, Japan and China for the other rounds of the 11-race championship.

Legacy Racing

The ‘Prince of Drift’
Tengku Djan’s racing career spans 24 years, with participation in Japan’s Super GT series as well as back-to-back Merdeka Millennium Endurance victories at Sepang. However, he didn’t earn the nickname ‘Prince of Drift’ for nothing – he was crowned Formula Drift Asia champion in 2009 and 2010, and finished seventh in last season’s FIA Intercontinental Drifting Cup.

“I’m looking forward to a great season with a new, all-Malaysian team,” he said. “We hope to be competitive in the Am class, but both Leona and I are new to GT racing. And it’s not going to be easy as GT World Challenge Asia has the highest level of competition in the region.”

Legacy Racing

First GT3 drive for Leona Chin
As for Leona, her racing experience includes stints in the Mini Challenge Asia Series, Renault Clio Cup China and Malaysian Championship Series, where she finished second in the last season. “It was always a dream to race in any GT championship so to now have an opportunity in Asia’s most prestigious GT series is pretty amazing,” she said.

“It’s going to be a tough and challenging year as it will be my first time racing a GT3 car, let alone the beautiful Mercedes-AMG. But I’m also very excited about visiting new circuits that I’ve never previously raced at. Competing in GT World Challenge Asia will provide me with great experience at a very high level of racing,” Leona said.

Team boss Kelvin Liang acknowledges that they are newcomers to GT World Challenge Asia and GT racing. “Generally, we will need to dig deep to catch up with the rest of the established teams and drivers. Success, however, will be sweeter being an all-Malaysian team of drivers and crew,” he said.

GT World Challenge Asia

Following two seasons that surpassed all expectations, GT World Challenge Asia’s format and regulations – originally based around the British GT Championship’s – will remain largely unchanged in 2019, albeit with one key difference. The series brings together a mix of GT3 and GT4 machinery, while GTC cars are also eligible to compete at the 12 hour-long races.

GT World Challenge Asia 2020 Calendar

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