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[Jimisgod]

As of 2011 we have two championship events in the various states of South East Asia; at Singapore and Selangor, Malaysia, which seems quite over-representative of a region not too well known for either racing or car production, outside the various plants established by marques in Thailand etc. Of course the Lotus (?) group and AirAsia have found a place on the grid, albeit far to the rear, but that is still generally a Malaysian owned team.

Aside from the one Prince Bira of Siam, now Thailand, and the embarrasing Yoong, I can't recall any other drivers coming from the various states of mainland (Burma, Cambodia, Laos, Malaysia, Thailand, Vietnam) or insular (Brunei, Indonesia, Philippines) South East Asia. I do recall the tragic death of one driver of Filipino origin at Indianapolis in 1992, reported in news as the first Filipino in Indycar, but it seems the participation of drivers from this region is rather rare, no surprise given the relative poverty of most there. Are there any oft forgotten tracks or drivers from the area people remember?

Given the hair raising experience of biking there, I do wonder why there are not more SE Asian grand prix motorcyclists in the ranks...

Edited by Jimisgod, 04 July 2011 - 13:16.