Malaysian Mirror (http://www.malaysianmirror.com) memaparkan berita tentang suatu lgi projek gah Malaysia iaitu pembinaan dan pengeluaran motorsikal berkuasa tinggi (superbikes) yang dibiayai sepenuhnya oleh Petronas.Motorsikal berkuasa tinggi tersebut di hasilkan oleh sebuah syarikat Britain yang di kenali MSX International manakala kejuruteraan enjinnya pula di buat oleh Suter Racing dari Austria.
Petronas di percayai telah membelanjakan jutaan ringgit bagi projek tersebut yang bermula 8 tahun lalu;motorsikal berkuasa tinggi ini dikilang di Essex,England dan terdapat lebih kurang 60 buah motorsikal berkuasa tinggi yang setiap satunya berharga RM145,000 di biarkan terbiar di England.
Nilai motorsikal tersebut yang mencecah lebih dari RM11.6 juta ditinggalkan sebegitu rupa setelah di percayai Petronas tidak lagi berminat untuk meneruskan projek tersebut walaupun puluhan juta ringgit wang Petronas telah dibelanjakan.Motorsikal berkuasa tinggi tersebut diberi nama FP1 dimana hanya 2 buah sahaja yang dipamerkan untuk jualan di Naza Bikers Dream,Kuala Lumpur dengan harga RM182 311 dan masih tidak laku.
Kisah ini merupakan sebahagian dari fiasco yang sudah tidak menjadi suatu yang luarbiasa lagi di Malaysia.Pembaziran dan pelaburan yang tidak prudent serta mentaliti megalomaniac yang telah menjerumuskan khazanah rakyat kepada salahurus yang teruk.Yang nyata isu motorsikal berkuasa tinggi ini merupakan sebahagian daripada senarai panjang Sebuah Lagi Projek BN yang bukan sekadar membazirkan harta rakyat malah boleh dianggap sebagai pengkhianatan terhadap amanh rakyat.
Selagi UMNO/BN terus berkuasa dengan gelagat yang jelek sebegini maka selagi itulah segala khazanah harta rakyat akan lebur dan dibazirkan.Alangkah baiknya jika wang Petronas tersebut digunakan untuk membantu mengangkat pendidikan anak bangsa.Alangkah mulianya jika wang yang dilabur jutaan ringgit untuk membina motorsikal yang terbengkalai itu digunakan untuk membantu mengatasi masalah kemiskinan yang masih ujud.
Ertinya keutamaan yang diberikan bukanlah untuk kebajikkan rakyat tetapi semata-mata untuk memenuhkan selera dan nafsu megalomaniacs mereka.Natijahnya kebajikkan rakyat terabai dan harta khazanah negara dibazirkan.
Amat malang didalam keadaan ekonomi negara yang merudum,pembaziran yang keterlaluan dilakukan oleh Petronas.Pembaziran sebegini hanya dapat dihentikan-sekali gus menyelamatkan harta dan khazanah negara-sekiranya UMNO/BN ditumbangkan.
superbike dream bunked
ESSEX (England) - Petronas had a dream of producing fast and beautiful superbikes. Some 60 of these machines, valued at about RM145, 000 each, have been found in a bunker here.
They have been there for eight years, claimed Motocycle News (MCN), which discovered the secret hoarde.“You’re joking – that’s amazing!” said Carl Fogarty – race team manager and figurehead of the ill-fated FP1 project – when told the news by MCN. It had been thought – and stated by the team – that the bikes were shipped to Malaysia five years ago and disposed off.
But, in fact, virtually all the bikes initially produced to homologate the FP1 for World Superbikes (WSB) racing are still on British soil.(In motorsports, homologation refers to the approval process a vehicle must go through to race in a given league or series. The regulations and rules that must be met are generally set by the series' sanctioning body).
State of suspended animation
The collection found here – worth around £2m (RM11.6mil) – is held in a state of suspended animation awaiting, with the bikes’ owner, Malaysian oil giant Petronas, allegedly keen to draw a veil over the whole episode. The firm burned £30m (RM174mil) on a WSB programme that was intended to kick-start a Ducati-sized bike manufacturing business in Malaysia. But it petered out with a 21st place championship finish in 2006.
The bikes were manufactured for Petronas by engineering firm MSX International in Basildon, here, in record time in 2002, around engines designed by Austrian firm Suter Racing. The idea was that the production process would then be replicated in Malaysia and form the start of a range of higher and lower-spec bikes running to 10,000 and more. Seventy-five road bikes were built in Essex, followed by another 75 in Malaysia six months later.
Bikes still in perfect conditionThough the business that produced this first batch has since changed hands the bikes are still there, now in possession of engineering firm Arrk R&D, which also retains key MSXI staff who worked on the FP1. Tony White is one of them. “They were perfect,” is all he will say about the bikes.
He feels it was a great project to work on that culminated in the build of 150 great bikes."We had everything done down to the owner and dealer manuals.”
In fact the FP1 did eventually go on sale in 2005 – but only in one dealership in Malaysia, that is, Naza Bikers Dream. A pair were still for sale in 2009 for £31,433 (RM182,311) each.
Murray Treece, chief executive of Foggy-Petronas Racing, was the go-between for Petronas and the British engineers who developed the road bike. He told MCN: "Our staff developed the race bike and then were involved in transferring the design and supplier information over to the road bike team. "Exactly what happened after that to the road bikes is unknown (by me at least).”It was a transition in which the FP1 lost virtually none of its clean racing looks, but a fair chunk of its power – down to 127bhp from 185bhp. Even so, at 181kg it should still have been a competitive road bike – though it was never released for road test. Eight years later only the non-radial brakes date the stark, stylish lines of the turquoise triples.
Foggy said at the time: “There is no doubt that this will be the most beautiful bike on the roads. "It combines cutting edge technology with real elegance and has set new standards at the top end of the road bike market”. Treece echoes: “It was a beautiful looking and sounding machine. I wish I owned one”.He believes Petronas underestimated the challenge in bringing a bike to market in such a short time with no infrastructure.
What's the value after eight years?
What does eight years do to the value of a now-outdated but ultra-exclusive superbike that failed to launch? “It’s tricky” says a motorcycle valuation expert for auction house Bonhams Ben Whitworth.“The Petronas (bike) might be a bit long in the tooth compared to modern top-flight superbikes costing around £15,000 (RM87,000)
"But the kudos of owning such a limited edition is certainly comparable to Ducati’s Desmosedici at £40,000-45,000. (RM232,000 - RM261,000)."Very broadly speaking, I reckon an example would be between £15,000-25,000 (RM87,000-RM145,000). "But until one is actually sold at auction and sets a precedent, that remains very much a guestimate. It would be fascinating to see.”How long this treasure trove of a tomb will remain unopened lies at Petronas’ discretion. — Malaysian Mirror/Motorcycle News
No comments:
Post a Comment