It’s nice to watch races up close in Sepang, but to actually catch one live overseas (the UK to be exact) must have been pretty amazing! That was exactly what one lucky JobStreet.com contest winner got to do. Ask anyone and they’ll tell you that Ang Kai Juan has come a long way from playing our A1 Team Malaysia JobStreet challenge at home, to watching it live in an all-expenses paid trip to the UK! We recently caught up with Kai Juan following his return from the land of crumpets and tea…
JobStreet.com: Welcome back to sunny Malaysia. It must have
been quite a weekend! Did you manage to do anything in the UK before the
weekend races!
Kai Juan: It was a wonderful
weekend. I maximized my time there and visited the city of London along with
the four other winners. London is just wonderful and very picturesque. It’s
also easy to get around in – a day travel pass for example gives me access to
all train stations without paying a penny more! I visited most of the
famous spots in London like Buckingham Palace, the Big Ben, the London Eye, and
even Madame Tussauds. I really enjoyed my time there and as you can see, I took
quite a lot of pictures :D Above: Hanging tight with the King himself Above: Kai Juan with the London Parliament overlooking the river Seeing as to how this leg of the race was hosted
in a foreign country, was the atmosphere very different from Malaysia’s? To be honest, the
race at Brands Hatch was my very first A1 GP experience. Many fans of Ireland
and Holland went all out in support of their teams with the Ireland fans
wearing mostly green while the Holland fans were orange all over. There weren’t many
Malaysia fans though. Us aside, there were perhaps 20 others who supported the
team. Another notable difference was of course the weather there – it was so
much cooler in comparison to races in Malaysia where one would expect more
rains. While it was not the most impressive of races for the Malaysian team, what
was your most memorable moment during the races? I would have to say
that it would be during the start of the Sprint Race. Aaron Lim, the main
driver for A1 GP Malaysia, had some problems then and had to start his race in
the pits. It’s encouraging that he still managed to finish the race in 16th
place though.
We heard that you even got a chance to visit the pits! Could you tell us
some of the nifty things you observed “behind the scenes”? Actually most my
time was spent sitting in my seat. But when I did get the chance to go behind
the scenes (usually before or after the races), I was amazed at how hard
everyone was working to ensure that the car was in the best condition possible. The atmosphere was
tensed as they scrambled to adjust the various settings and prepare for the
next race. I think there was even a specific person whose sole job was to
monitor the car’s tire condition and temperature! Yet another advantage of
going back to the pits was getting a chance to see the many A1GP race queens
there. I won’t go into the details ;D And having said all that, have you ever thought
about joining the pit crew? I did think about it
– it would be interesting to work in a team. The travelling aspect of the job
is also admittedly pretty amazing! What’s even cooler is if I was given the
opportunity to work with the team Malaysia – I’m extremely proud to be a Malaysian.
But I guess when push comes to shove, it will depend solely on a person’s
interest. We should all pursue the ambitions of our childhood. What about being the man behind the wheel? Have
you ever wanted to be a race car driver? Not really, because
to be a racer isn’t easy – I feel that you will need to start from a very young
age to be successful. I did however get my fair share of the limelight during
the Saturday races when a few people mistook me for Aaron! They wanted me to
sign their books. Of course, I quickly cleared things up and no, I didn’t give
them my signature! Above: Kai Juan stands next to the real deal! That must have been quite an experience! What
about the team manager? Do you think the he or she has it any easier? I am certain that
the team manager himself has a larger burden to bear, but it really depends on
how he faces and takes up the challenges from each race. The commercial
director’s task alone is more than impressive! He’s basically in charge of
sourcing and managing commercial partners. During the trip I
got rather close to team Malaysia’s commercial director, Owen Leed, who is a
funny guy but means business when it comes to work! Despite his many
responsibilities, he still found time to take care all of us. I guess you need
to be very independent. I was in awe at the way he handled the arrangements of
the press conference at hotel *immediately* after the races! We will be running the competition once again
when the new A1GP season starts – any advice to future participants? You should just
enjoy the game and have fun with it. I for one didn’t think I could win and
never thought that far to begin with. I put it down to sheer luck! When I got
the call I was suspicious and thought it was a scam (I’m glad it isn’t)! I must
say though – I thought the extra 2 seconds given to JobStreet.com members
really helped. I’d like to thank JobStreet.com again for the opportunity! ;) Together at Brands Hatch: From left, Ang Kai
Juan (JobStreet.com A1GP challenge winner), Jack Cunningham (A1Team Malaysia
CEO), Owen Leeds (A1Team Malaysia Commercial Director), Raja Azura Raja
Mahayuddin, Syed Abdul Qader Mohd Ansari and Azirruan Bin Arifin Envious? Well don’t be -- just keep a lookout for
this year’s JobStreet.com A1GP challenge! Feeling restless? Why not practice those fingers and see where you
really stand in our A1GP Challenge! Click here to register and play!
Good pics. London is really nice city. I was there twice last year by business via ECT and I cannot wait until I will go there next time.
Posted by: London Hotel | Thursday, 29 October 2009 at 07:56 PM