Former General Manager of Motorsport Asia (MAL) and current CEO of the Motorsport Association of Malaysia (MAM), Mia Sharizman Ismail, has been appointed as the Head of Operations (Asia) for the Lotus F1 Racing.

 

Sharizman will oversee the team's operations including promoting and nurturing alliances with motorsports bodies in the region. Sharizman will also be an understudy to Paul Craig, the General Manager (UK) of Lotus F1, with the aim of transferring knowledge and expertise back to Malaysia.

 

"I am delighted with this appointment. I look forward to contributing to the team's growth and achieving its targets. I share the enthusiasm and optimism of the team to see the Lotus F1 cars on the grid in Bahrain in March 2010. Together we will strive to ensure its progress and success. I see this as a very steep learning curve but we will prove that Malaysians too can compete on the world stage” said Sharizman.

 

When asked about the aims of Lotus F1 Racing for the coming season, Sharizman says, “The team is being very realistic and optimistic at the same time. We know where we are, where we stand, which direction we are heading with the budget and the little time that we have. We are heading into it with a strong feeling and belief that it will succeed eventually”.

 

“Tony Fernandes is assembling a good team in the UK and in Malaysia and I strongly believe that the team will gel in a matter of time and the desired result will come eventually”.

 

Although this appointment will be a shift for Sharizman, from race organizer to race team management, the task at hand is something that he is prepared for. “With the experience I gained during my time in Motorsport Asia, running and managing the operations of the event, I believe I can do a good job. The experiences that I have acquired there are valuable and I knew that one day it would propel me to greater heights.

 

David Sonenscher, CEO of Motorsport Asia is proud of Sharizman’s achievements and appointment into the highest echelons of motorsport. “It is a great step for him and a huge challenge. With the background knowledge he has, I am sure that he will be more than up to the job.

 

“I wish him and the Team all the success they desire and we will be watching their journey along with everyone else with huge interest. It will be a great story for him and Malaysia if they succeed at the highest level of the sport”.