Time and again, they rubbed salt in our wounds and throw dirt at our face. I really don't see why it should be any different this time around.
It's not enough that they ridiculously claimed to organise the FIRST pedal car race in Malaysia. It's not enough that they foolishly claimed to have INTRODUCED the "new" sport to Malaysians. It's not enough that they absurdly RIDICULED the Scout Car Grand Prix, which existed way before they knew anything about pedal car racing, as a "past-time sport". Now they went one step further by getting the Malaysian Book of Records to rubber-stamp them as the "First Pedal Car Race" in Malaysia. All this when the Scout Car Grand Prix (formerly known as the Scout Soap Box Derby) existed way back in 1969.
Even after a former sea scout wrote to the Editor of The Star, the official media sponsor of the event, regarding the gross misrepresentation and inaccuracies of their articles and such claims as "first", "debut" and "past-time sport", nothing came from that effort. What else should we have expected from them but to keep quiet about the matter? They would have been shooting their own foot if they had retracted after over-glorifying what is nothing more than a copycat attempt.
And when corporate sponsors are asked to cough up RM5000 per car, it makes it all the more laughable when our own cars which look and function much better than the scrap metal they've dished out for the "inaugural race", cost just a fraction of that amount. Even when their cars cost 5 to 10 times that of a scout car, the organiser's car was unable to complete the race which they were leading by about 500m after it crashed with another car.
Some may remember how Jody7 tried to knock VitalStatistix off the tracks (and claimed they lost control of their car) but all but destroyed their own car with VitalStatistix very much intact and went on to win yet another race. This goes to show that even high school students embracing a "past-time sport" utilising "old bicycle parts" are more capable in putting together a sturdier car than a "professional vehicle" manufactured by "local engineers". So much for their "professional" cars now, huh?
As such, an effort will be made in the following weeks to set the record straight that the Scout Car Grand Prix existed way before the so-called First Malaysian Pedal Car Race. The Pedal Car Race by the Penang Turf Club is a laudable attempt, make no mistake about that and this is by no means an attempt to stop the event from ever being organised again. I'm actually glad someone came forward to organise such a novel event but when you ignore the facts and try to rewrite history and ridicule previous efforts in the process, that is just not right.
Please do not take this an attempt to get the Scout Car Grand Prix instated as the "First Pedal Car Race" by the Malaysian Book of Records, for it is not. We do not care about labels. If they had not made claims that they were the first to organise, first to introduce the sport and belittling the Scout Car Grand Prix and the efforts of all the scouts involved in organising the event and constructing the cars in the process, we wouldn't have given a rat's ass. All that we seek is for the Scout Car Grand Prix to be recognised for what it is, not just some silly small "past-time sport" that has no significance at all for I assure you, you are gravely mistaken. We just want to set the record straight.
It's not enough that they ridiculously claimed to organise the FIRST pedal car race in Malaysia. It's not enough that they foolishly claimed to have INTRODUCED the "new" sport to Malaysians. It's not enough that they absurdly RIDICULED the Scout Car Grand Prix, which existed way before they knew anything about pedal car racing, as a "past-time sport". Now they went one step further by getting the Malaysian Book of Records to rubber-stamp them as the "First Pedal Car Race" in Malaysia. All this when the Scout Car Grand Prix (formerly known as the Scout Soap Box Derby) existed way back in 1969.
Even after a former sea scout wrote to the Editor of The Star, the official media sponsor of the event, regarding the gross misrepresentation and inaccuracies of their articles and such claims as "first", "debut" and "past-time sport", nothing came from that effort. What else should we have expected from them but to keep quiet about the matter? They would have been shooting their own foot if they had retracted after over-glorifying what is nothing more than a copycat attempt.
And when corporate sponsors are asked to cough up RM5000 per car, it makes it all the more laughable when our own cars which look and function much better than the scrap metal they've dished out for the "inaugural race", cost just a fraction of that amount. Even when their cars cost 5 to 10 times that of a scout car, the organiser's car was unable to complete the race which they were leading by about 500m after it crashed with another car.
Some may remember how Jody7 tried to knock VitalStatistix off the tracks (and claimed they lost control of their car) but all but destroyed their own car with VitalStatistix very much intact and went on to win yet another race. This goes to show that even high school students embracing a "past-time sport" utilising "old bicycle parts" are more capable in putting together a sturdier car than a "professional vehicle" manufactured by "local engineers". So much for their "professional" cars now, huh?
As such, an effort will be made in the following weeks to set the record straight that the Scout Car Grand Prix existed way before the so-called First Malaysian Pedal Car Race. The Pedal Car Race by the Penang Turf Club is a laudable attempt, make no mistake about that and this is by no means an attempt to stop the event from ever being organised again. I'm actually glad someone came forward to organise such a novel event but when you ignore the facts and try to rewrite history and ridicule previous efforts in the process, that is just not right.
Please do not take this an attempt to get the Scout Car Grand Prix instated as the "First Pedal Car Race" by the Malaysian Book of Records, for it is not. We do not care about labels. If they had not made claims that they were the first to organise, first to introduce the sport and belittling the Scout Car Grand Prix and the efforts of all the scouts involved in organising the event and constructing the cars in the process, we wouldn't have given a rat's ass. All that we seek is for the Scout Car Grand Prix to be recognised for what it is, not just some silly small "past-time sport" that has no significance at all for I assure you, you are gravely mistaken. We just want to set the record straight.
No comments:
Post a Comment