JULY 2001

THEY ARE OFF!

ISTANBUL, 31 July 2001 – The ancient city of Istanbul witnessed a spectacular event this morning. In front of the Blue Mosque, hundreds of spectators applauded the PETRONAS Adventure Team.

Dignitries at the Flag Off included the Malaysian Ambassador to Turkey, Datin Paduka Melanie Yong, the President and Chief Executive of PETRONAS, Tan Sri Dato' Mohd Hassan Marican, the Mayor of the Grand Municipality of Istanbul, Alimufit Gurtuna, and the Under Secretary to the Minister of Tourism, Turkey. After a briefing by Expedition Leader Halim Rahman and words of encouragement from the Malaysian Ambassador and the Mayor of Istanbul , PETRONAS Silk Road Adventure 2001 was flagged off.

To the thundering roar of engines and applause, the convoy headed for the Bhosporous Bridge. Crossing into Asia, the Team drove to the GEBZE , to ferry across to Yalova. The next stop would be Bursa for lunch and some sightseeing, then Izmir for the first night of the 20,000 km journey.

DUTCH FRIENDS

ISTANBUL, 30 July 2001 – The Team welcomed two new members yesterday - Ton Jansen and Fons van Oers from the Netherlands. Specially invited by Expedition Leader Halim Rahman, they will be driving a special Edition Land Cruiser. " Their expertise will be a great asset to our convoy, " said Halim. The duo have already made their mark by driving all the way from Holland to Istanbul on this outing.Their vast experience includes Camel Trophy Challenges and numerous expeditions around the world. Selamat Datang!

48 HOURS TO FLAG OFF !

ISTANBUL, 29 JULY 2001 – With the deadline fast approaching, the Team's all set to take on the Silk Road. The last batch of participants arrived today. Also joining them are two off road experts from the Netherlands who drove all the way from home to Istanbul.

CRUISING THE BHOSPOROUS

ISTANBUL, 29 July – The final batch of team members reached Istanbul today. They were immediately taken on a familiarisation tour of the city. After lunch at the Topkapi Palace, most of the 34 new arrivals spent the afternoon catching up on sleep. Some found the energy to roam the city and were spotted shopping and sight seeing. The day ended with a cruise on the Bhosporous. Dinner was served against a romantic backdrop of Istanbul's palaces and bridges at sun set.

FRIENDS FROM SABAH

ISTANBUL, JULY 24 – The expedition's 12 members from Sabah arrived today. They were met on arrival by Halim Rahman, the Expedition Leader. So far, 32 participants are already in Istanbul with the rest expected to join them on 29 July.

Meanwhile, at the Divan Hotel the Team's presence has caused quite a stir with the cars and bikes are being tuned for the big day. The mechanics are topping up the cars with Petronas Syntium to test the new engine oil on the Silk Road.

NASI GORENG & ENGINE OIL

ISTANBUL, July 24 – The Team received good news today - the much awaited Petronas Syntium has arrived. Final preparations include changing horns for the bikes, checking the flag-off route, and last minute clearing of supplies.

After several days of Turkish fare, the Malaysians are hit by a strong craving for Malaysian food. With some coaching, the hotel chef managed to dish out "nasi goreng" for breakfast!

SECOND GROUP IN ISTANBUL

ISTANBUL, July 22 – The second group of participants including expedition leader Halim Rahman arrived today. Following a briefing, everyone got down to business. As expected, the management team and the mechanics had their hands full ensuring things are ship shape.According to Faruk Rahman, there will be radios to charge, spare parts and rations to check, cars to refuel, and confirmations to obtain from the local authorities.

“We have a lot to be thankful for. So far, everything’s moving as planned . We are very grateful to Barwil and MISC our shipping agents, especially Nurhayat (Barwil) and Zool (MISC). Without them, the cars might still be in the containers !“ said Faruk.

VEHICLES CLEARED!

ISTANBUL , 19th July – All the 4WDs and motorbikes were cleared this evening but it was not untill 2.00 a.m. the next morning that they finally arrived at the hotel. According to team leader Faruk Rahman, there were some unexpected developments but they managed to overcome all of them.

“We checked the cars and bikes at the docks.Some had flat tyres but this was no problem as Ah Tee’s car had a built in compressor. Several batteries also needed attention and were dealt with swiftly. Our mechanics did an excellent job,“ said Faruk.

Getting the cars to their parking lot at the hotel posed the biggest challenge.Unless the owner/driver was there to drive them, the cars were not allowed on the road.

“We could not leave the cars in the container yard. The agents came up with a solution – put all the cars on car carriers and transport them into Istanbul !“

ADVANCE PARTY ARRIVES

ISTANBUL, 17 July – Arriving safely, the boys are surprised by the warm weather – not much different from Malaysia, only more windy. It’s summertime in Turkey.

They had no problems clearing customs and immigration. Everyone is friendly and inquisitive. The hotel is some distance from the airport. Surprisingly, no one seemed tired but most hit the sack almost immediately. The next day would be spent organising the preliminaries – confirmations, contacts, clearing agents, etc.

Team documentary producer Harun Rahman said, “ I tried to get on the net but the line’s buggy. So I was not able to visit our website. E-mails were okay though and everyone here says “Hi” to all back home."

OFF ON A MISSION . . .

PAT's early birds at KLIA with relatives and friends before flying to Istanbul last night. Among their first tasks – to take delivery of the cars and bikes which would be arriving by sea. The vehicles are expected to reach Istanbul around the same time. According to Faruk Rahman, there's much more to do.

ADVANCE PARTY FLIES TO TURKEY

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 July – The advance party led by Faruk Rahman left KLIA at 9.45 pm this evening. They were seen off by family members and PAT officials including Halim Rahman, the Expedition Leader. Judging from their faces, all the team members were in high spirits. Posing for photographs, the group held up their banner and the Jalur Gemilang to loud applause from friends and well wishers.

There were poignant moments too. At the departure gate, family members hugged as they bade farewell. Spouses and children lined the public gallery ,waving to their loved ones.

Once there, the boys will clear the 4WDs and bikes due to arrive by sea on the same day. The advance party will prepare all necessary ground work for the Flag Off on 31 July 2001.

ROSE AMONG 4WD THORNS

KUALA LUMPUR, 16 July – To the Team's sole female participant, 4WDs are very much a part of life. Nevertheless, she's still one excited lady when asked about her forthcoming trip. Popularly known as Malaysia's " First Lady of 4WDs ", Zainab Abdul Rahman is no stranger to off-road adventures. She's driven across some of the most challenging trails in Malaysia and even helped map out a few. The Silk Road Adventure will be her first though along the historic route.

What does she think of the latest outing ?

"We haven't left yet, you know !"

"But this much I dare say - it will be wonderful ! In life, there's always something new to learn. I'm sure it will be a humbling experience,. We are all looking forward to it," she said, matter-of-factly.

Zainab should know. Not only is she an experienced 4WD adventurer. She's married to Halim Rahman, the expedition leader and a pioneer of four wheel driving in Malaysia.

Well, it takes two to know.

ISTANBUL HERE WE COME!

KUALA LUMPUR, 13 July – PETRONAS Adventure Team official, Faruk Rahman will lead an advance party to Istanbul on Monday, 16 July 2001. The group of eight includes technicians and inspectors, who will help clear the Team's vehicles. The twenty 4WDs and five dirt bikes are expected to arrive in Istanbul on 17 July - a week ahead of the original schedule. Accompanying the advance party are a video crew and photographers. The rest of the expedition members will leave Kuala Lumpur later in the week.

According to Faruk, everything's progressing well. "We expect to clear the vehicles without too much difficulty. We are looking forward to the co-operation of the Turkish authorities. But there's still plenty to do and our engineers will have their hands full. Our video team is all geared up for the challenges ahead. On behalf of my colleagues at PETRONAS Adventure Team, I would like to thank all our sponsors and friends for their support and good wishes."

We are with you, boys!

IPetronas Adventure Team on TV3's Malaysia Hari Ini.

Dr. Zaini Shaarani and Azman Baharuddin from Petronas Adventure Team will appear on TV3 at 8.30 a.m. on Saturday, 14th July 2001 to talk about the latest expedition and objectives of the PETRONAS Adventure Team. Stay tuned!

Minister of Youth and Sports Meets the Team

Minister of Youth and Sports, Datuk Hishamuddin Tun Hussein Onn presented the PETRONAS Adventure Team with the "Jalur Gemilang" (Malaysian Flag) at the Youth and Sports Ministry today.

Also present where representatives from PETRONAS Motorsport Division and several Team members. Dr Zaini Shaarani gave the minister and everyone present a short briefing on the Team its objectives and the Silk Road Expedition.