(May 11): The high cost to rent racing circuits is a reason why car enthusiasts opt to hold illegal races on highways, a member of a car club said amid public anger over a road race involving Perodua Myvi cars which killed a family of three, including a seven-month old baby.

Malaysia Mini Cooper Club advisor Datuk Ahmad Nordin Abu Bakar said motor sports fans who were from low and middle-income groups felt aggrieved when seeing the well-to-do able to enjoy motor sports through legitimate ways.

"There is no cheap race track here. At the Sepang (circuit), it is expensive and hard to reserve. So they have no other place and use public roads," he said in an interview.

There are other racing venues, however, at Bukit Sagor in Teluk Intan, in Malacca and Johor, he added.

Motoring clubs discourage their members from racing and take a serious view of traffic violations as this would tarnish the club's image, Nordin added.

The Mini Cooper Club, for instance, was geared towards leisure activities and holding gatherings for members to expand the understanding of their cars and improve their knowledge in motoring in general.

"We usually will convoy to places like Genting Highlands, to have breakfast and afternoon tea before going back," he said.

"It is through the club that we can negotiate over the price of spare parts and accessories with workshops, besides getting sponsors for club activities."

The club also does some charity work, such as the fund it set up to help orphans and victims of the east coast floods last year, he said.

Car clubs have been on the receiving end of negative comments since the fatal accident at the Duta-Ulu Klang Expressway (DUKE) on May 2. In the 1.05am incident, Fairuz Nizam Husain, 35, his wife Nova Safitri Azhari, 25, and their seven-month-old baby girl Nur Firuza Annisa, were killed when their Pajero crashed with two Myvi cars at KM6.2 of the DUKE highway.

Kuala Lumpur traffic police was quoted by Bernama saying the accident happened when a Myvi car on the fast lane hit the Pajero which was on the middle lane. The Pajero then veered to the left where another Myvi, which was on the left lane, crashed into the Pajero causing the bigger vehicle to spin out of control and the passengers thrown onto the road.

Eye witnesses were also reported saying they saw six Myvi cars speeding at the time the accident occurred.

The accident has caused the term "mat rempit", normally used to describe illegal street racers on motorbikes, to be used on social media against car drivers as well.

A Mitsubishi Lancer GT Owners' Club (LGTC) member said this was unfair, as street racing is not the original objective of such clubs.

LGTC treasurer Mohd Aladasani Ariffin said they only gathered to share information about cars and to socialise with other car owners.

"We don't organise illegal racing in highways. Those who want to race can join races organised by any party at the Sepang circuit."

"Our mentality is not to race but there are some people who look at us negatively," he said.

Established in 2007, LGTC registered with the Registrar of Societies (RoS) in 2014, and has around 200 active members in the country, Aladasani said.

Like the Mini Cooper Club, LGTC also holds leisure activities, road trips in convoys and does community service through charity events.

"Those who race are individuals. Any club member who is found to do so will be advised not to break the law," he said.

Similarly, Viva Owners Club (VOC) president Mohd Fardzreen Abd Razak, 28, said car clubs were an avenue to do charitable works and for community engagement.

Clubs never endorse street racing and those who did it had to be responsible for their own actions.

"Those who break the laws and traffic rules have automatically broken the club's rules. So, to say that we are the ones who organise illegal racing is wrong," he said adding that VOC had registered with RoS since 2012.

With around 3,000 members, including in Sabah and Sarawak, the club participates in charity events organised by government agencies, including Youth and Sports Ministry, Fardzreen added. – The Malaysian Insider