www.borneo4x4.com

2009 BORNEO SAFARI

Bigger Prizes for 2009
 

by Fred Leong

5.9.2009.

 

 

KOTA KINABALU: This year’s annual 19th International Borneo Safari 4x4 Challenge will see a bigger and hefty cash prizes waiting for the top winners.

 

James Wong, President of KFWDC.

 

The event, scheduled for Oct 25-Nov 1, will again see two categories (Open and International), where the cash prize winnings excluding long lists of branded sponsored giveaways are awaiting for competitors.

 

Kinabalu Four Wheel Drive Club (KFWDC) James Wong announced that for the Open category, the champion will receive cash Prize alone of RM10,000, the second placing with RM5,000 and third placing with RM3,000 plus other goodies.

 

For the International category, the champion team will take home RM3,000, RM2,000 and RM1,000 for the 1st and 2nd runners-up plus giveaways.

 

This will be in a history of sort when it comes to cash prize winnings compared to previous Borneo Safaris, where the cash prizes were much smaller.

 

James, who is also the Sandakan Municipal Council President made the announcement after chairing the organising committee meeting held on Friday to finalise all preparations.

 

“We decided to increase the prize money for this year after receiving good response and entries from interested teams from local hardcores including several teams from Peninsular Malaysia and Sarawak,” he said.

 

“We are also expecting few foreign teams as well  including regulars like the avid Japanese 4x4 teams have confirmed their participation again this year.”

 

Hong Kong participant's vehicle

 

To a question, he added, this year’s event will also see several foreign participants who are coming as observers and tag along visitors, while several electronic and print media too have already confirmed coming to cover the event.

 

He wish to thank the Ministry of Tourism, Culture and Environment and the Sabah Tourism Board towards their full support in sponsoring the foreign media’s airfares and accommodations.

 

With the same note, he also thanked the Isuzu Malaysia Sdn Bhd for being the event media partner by sponsoring the local Malaysian media for the same purpose.

 

The annual Borneo Safari was infact little known not until last year, where STB and Isuzu Malaysia came in support by getting several journalists to cover the event, which basically was an eye opener for foreign enthusiasts through their reports.

 

This time round, top guns (chief editors, directors and senior writers) from the International Press Reports (IPR) under Colin Webb and Robin Dale Mendoza, Bob Teoh of Sin Chiew, who are well versed with the well-known Rainforest Challenge in Peninsular Malaysia.

 

Apart from that Kuala Lumpur-based China 4x4 magazine, the Overlander and the Kuala Lumpur Adventure Club will be part of the convoy to give as much publicity on the event.

 

Meanwhile, James reiterated his earlier calls to all vehicle owners to take note of the strict scrutinizing process of all participating four wheel drives.

 

The first checks will be conducted from Oct 10- 11, the second from Oct 17-18 for all Sabah-based vehicles at the Hi-Tech Electronic Centre along Jalan Tuaran.

 

The final scrutinizing for foreign vehicles will be conducted a few days before the flag-off on Oct 25 at the STB Office in Jalan Gaya.

 

After flag-off, the convoy will proceed straight to Telupid and than to Jalan Tongod, where the first day campsite will be.

 

Few Special Stages (SS) will be held at the campsite before the convoy heads straight into the pristine Deramakot Forest Reserve, where the extreme challenges await all participants.

 

Participants are expected to be inside the reserve for four nights due to its extreme and treacherous long abandoned timber track and anticipated to come out of the wilderness on Thursday and than to Sandakan.

 

Entrance fees for competing members is at RM750 per-vehicle and RM3,000 per-team for corporate entries.

 

Competitors need to take note that their vehicles must abide by KFWDC’s specification – must have a full door, roof, roll cagers, proper mud guards and well covered back truck.

 

Vehicles like the one used as buggies will not be allowed to join in the fray.

 

This was an utmost importance when it comes to safety reasons especially in night SS.