Double boost for Tour of Malaysia

PETALING JAYA: Naza World and Chevrolet have stepped in to be among the main sponsors of Jelajah 1Malaysia (Tour of Malaysia), the oldest cycling event in the country.

The Asian jersey, which is presented to the main sponsors, will be worn by the leader and winner of the category of the six-stage Tour beginning on March 8 in Kota Iskandar, Johor.

Naza World will also provide the use of 54 Chevrolet Captiva cars to be used by the secretariat and the media personnel for the event, which ends in Nilai on March 13.

A fleet of 55 Harley Davidson motorcycles will also create pre-race excitement in the form of a mini-cavalcade 30 minutes before the beginning of each stage.

The chief executive officer of the Tour, Datuk Naim Mohamad, welcomed the contribution from Naza World as timely.

“Since the Tour of Malaysia was launched in 1963 to coincide with the Merdeka celebrations, it has grown by leaps and bounds,” he said. “It is the oldest cycling event that is a platform for young local cyclists to develop and hone their skills in stage racing.

“The event is ranked in the 2.2 class category by the UCI (international cycling federation) this year and we will announce the list of participating teams soon,” said Naim.

LeTua and the Terengganu-Pro Asia outfit, who have top sprinter Anuar Manan in their ranks, are among the local teams to watch for in the Tour.