Aspar MotoGP team to have M7 energy drink as new main sponsor

The Aspar Team will once again be expanding its operation in MotoGP for 2014, with a new project which features an international flavour. Adding to the team’s Spanish roots and an American and Japanese rider combination, the premier class outfit will be incorporating a new Malaysian main sponsor: DRIVE M7. Part of Mutiara Motors group, DRIVE M7 is an energy drink brand which has had a presence in its home continent since 2011. Now it looks to make gradual expansion into the Asian, European and North American market. The Aspar Team continues a progressive internationalisation process, with a real revolution in 2014.

After establishing itself in the MotoGP/CRT class over the past two seasons, the Aspar Team has an even more competitive project in place for 2014 and the new Open Class concept put in place for the top level of Grand Prix racing. The new Honda RCV1000R and former World Champions Nicky Hayden and Hiroshi Aoyama are the new lineup, which will begin preseason testing shortly. The new team colours will be the green, silver and black of DRIVE M7. The DRIVE M7 brand has a long history of sporting collaboration, in disciplines such as Formula V6, Drift, Japan GT300 and GT500. The move to MotoGP as main sponsor of the Aspar Team –soon to be named DRIVE M7 Aspar Team- is another step forward for the company. M7 a company renowned for its production of some of the best international car performance products. DRIVE M7 is scientifically formulated and tested to provide maximum power and endurance to its consumers.

Flying the flagship colours

Malaysia Airlines’ flagship, the A380, is the pride of many especially the staff of the national carrier.

The group of bike enthusiasts consist of members of Malaysia Airlines staff who have painted their own motorbikes identical to the airlines’ A380 livery to reflect the loyalty and spirit for the company.

Aptly named MH Bikers, they have set an objective of promoting Malaysia Airlines’ A380 and branding on the road as well as supporting other company initiatives, whilst indulging in their hobby.

This event will mark the first, where the newly painted bikes will be photographed with the A380. Malaysia Airlines Group CEO, Ahmad Jauhari being a biker himself, joined the special photo shoot.

Nationwide Tryouts Tour for MIMMA 2 !!

Malaysian Invasion Mixed Martial Arts Fighting Championship (MIMMA) is back for the second season of the highly successful All-Malaysian Mixed Martial Arts (MMA) tournament and reality TV series with a bigger scale and wider coverage than before. In 2014, MIMMA plans to take the audition and tryouts to the people with a nationwide tryout tour.

Winners of MIMMA 2 will be challenging the current champions for the MIMMA Championship Title Belts with over RM150, 000 in cash prizes waiting for the best amateur MMA fighters of Malaysia.
MIMMA FC was the first All-Malaysian MMA Tournament organized by Tune Talk in 2013 which is also a reality TV show broadcasted nationwide and region. It saw over 300 aspiring mixed martial artists signing up for the tryouts and 112 potential amateur fighters made the cut to be the Top Amateur MMA fighters in their respective weight divisions.

During the First Season of MIMMA, the preliminary competition was held at Paradigm Mall, Kelana Jaya whilst the Grand Finals were held at Stadium Negara with an astounding attendance of 8000 enthusiast fans. It was perhaps the single largest Amateur MMA tournament ever held worldwide over duration of 5 months.

In 2014, MIMMA 2 plans to engage fans and mixed martial artists from around the country by bringing the Tryouts to major cities around Malaysia, including Sabah and Sarawak. This ensures that the competition will be reaching out to the huge pool of potential talent at the grass roots level beyond Klang Valley. During Season 1, MIMMA crowned seven champions in the Flyweight, Bantamweight, Featherweight, Lightweight, Welterweight, Middleweight and Heavyweight divisions. In MIMMA 2, the tournament will be looking for new champions, with a twist; Winners from this season will be recognised as contenders to challenge the current MIMMA Champions for the championship title.

The MIMMA Championship titleholder will be Malaysia’s best Amateur MMA fighter. However, if any of the current champions have already received an offer or signed a professional MMA contract with an international organization, the title belt for that weight division will be deemed vacant for a new champion from the 2014 MIMMA.

MIMMA FC was a brainchild of Tune Talk CEO Jason Lo with the Minister of Youth & Sports, Yang Berhormat Tuan Khairy Jamaluddin to develop the Fastest Growing Sport in the World for Malaysian martial artists and fans. MIMMA FC Season 1 has a proven track record of being an excellent stepping-stone or starting point for aspiring martial artists to start a professional sports career. This is justified when Sabahan Allen ‘Solomon’ Chong, Season 1 MIMMA Lightweight Champion, the only South East Asian who was chosen as one of the 16 competitors at The Ultimate Fighter in China (the most successful Pro MMA reality TV show in the world), with the potential of winning a 6-figure (USD) professional MMA contract with Ultimate Fighting Championship (UFC) should he win.

Jason Lo quotes: “Allen making it to The Ultimate Fighter is a credit to him, but also to all the hard work of so many individuals and organizations within the Malaysian MMA community in elevating the sport internationally. We now have more fighters representing our country at the international level than ever before. We even won 2 Gold medals for Muay Thai in the recent SEA Games, proving that we have made a difference in the MMA scene in Malaysia.”

“Malaysia is at the center of ASEAN and it represents a melting pot of so many different cultures and styles. At Tune Talk, we never do anything halfhearted, just like the rest of the MMA community. Ever since our serious involvement in this sport, which surely will pivot our brand towards a common growth pattern, we have seen the growth of Malaysian MMA, putting us on the world map of MMA development. Things are cooking and can only go further with the newly created MMA Association to govern the sport here. I'd like to thank Kementerian Belia dan Sukan for their continuous support as well as ONE Fighting Championship, who have both been incredibly supportive in this endeavor. Mostly, I’d like to thank the fighters and MIMMA participants who give us all
courage to fight for our dreams with honor and integrity,” he added.

The creators of MIMMA constantly look forward to more Malaysians being offered a career in this sport with international organizations like ONE Fighting Championship, Bellator FC, World Series of Fighting and of course, the UFC. The continuous support from Kementerian Belia dan Sukan has been astounding for Malaysian MMA and MIMMA FC. This directly helps develop and grow the sport to place our nation prominently on the map of this fastest growing sport in the world, making
Malaysia the fastest growing nation in the sport of MMA.

MIMMA Season 2 will be aired on AXN Asia. Airing schedule will be announced at a later
date.

2014 Z1000's Call Of The Wild

Unleash the wild one in you

Firstly, let's learn a new Japanese word - "Sugomi". Sugomi is a philosophical concept incorporating several elements to produce an enthralling and intoxicating effect. The Sugomi concept was first used on the Z800, encompassing every aspect of the styling and engineering approach carefully combined and conceived as a whole, to be experienced by the rider as the ultimate Z.

This Sugomi approach is applied to the latest addition of the Z series, the 2014 Z1000. Combining visual concepts and engine character with chassis response, an exciting riding experience is the ultimate aim of the supernaked.

Sculpted bodywork brings you the aggressive and unique sugomi inspired Z design to boldly highlight brutal functionality. The new engine and chassis settings deliver a stiffer, more direct ride, enhancing the riding impact and transforming the Z1000 into a radical Supernaked.

Simply stripped down, the latest litre class Z comes pure with an almost feline character (see the new LED headlights) resulting in an intimidating presence. With a plunging headlamp cowl accentuated by the narrow aspect ultra-bright LED headlamps which are a first for a Kawasaki motorcycle, the LED lamps are compact low energy, long-life units employing the inner two bulbs for low beam and all four units for high beam. The new Tokico monobloc calipers are radially mounted and controlled by a radial pump master cylinder, to govern the petal rotors for a great braking response and feel. New Big Piston, Separate Function Forks with damping and pre-load adjustment are tuned for plush feeling, to cope with aggressive sport riding into Langkawi's twist and turns along the coastline, as well as relaxed city cruising.

The latest  Z1000 features an uprated engine with more power, more torque and crispier throttle response than ever. There's now more power and urge, delivered in a more stimulating way. Revised ECU settings and camshaft timing plus oval connecters between the header pipes and numerous other revisions such as connected cylinders for less pumping loss, the Z1000 now presents you a smoother useful power band almost throughout the entire rpm range. And there's the intoxicating intake howl adding to your riding exhilaration, tempting you to keep on pushing the beast in the higher rpm range, even though at the expense of a higher fuel consumption, and we thank Kawasaki Malaysia for the unlimited supply at Langkawi during the recent Malaysia Press Introduction recently. We also sampled the new Ninja 1000, but let's keep that for another instalment.

A forward-inclined riding position is acquired with the large tube aluminium handlebars, stylish wide mirrors and an upgraded LCD meter arrangement totally in-keeping with the focussed personality of this premier Japanese Supernaked machine. The stance of the Z1000 entices you to climb aboard and invoke the animal in you. A four exit exhaust system styled to accentuate the rear quarters of this muscle motorcycle, finished by its angular rear seat accentuated by the characterful LED tail light.

The latest Z1000 is a significant step for Kawasaki's attempt to be a major player in the Supernaked category, adjudging from the success of the earlier Z750. Kawasaki believes that with its unique Sugomi design approach, the latest Z1000 will appeal to the growing number of riders who feel an affinity this type of machine as well as acting as a visual benchmark, reflecting much of what makes the Kawasaki brand so distinctive and appealing. The new Z1000 could be yours for RM76,900.

ENGINE
 Engine type
Liquid-cooled, 4-stroke In-Line Four
 Displacement
1,043 cm3
 Bore x stroke
77.0 x 56.0 mm
 Compression ratio
11.8:1
 Valve/Induction system
DOHC, 16 valves
 Fuel system
Fuel injection:φ38 mm x 4 (Keihin) with oval sub-throttles
 Ignition
Digital
 Starting
Electric
 Lubrication
Forced lubrication, wet sump
TRANSMISSION
 Transmission
6-speed, return