SUMMARY

Team Hardcore Pavement is organizing a street luge riding session on the New Year 2005 weekend, from January 1-2, 2005, with the aim to introduce the sport to as many Malaysians as possible, in a fun, safe, and controlled environment. Currently, the sport does not exist in Malaysia, because in reality it is represented by only one Malaysian rider, namely Abdil "Furlong" Mahdzan, who is currently pursuing his studies in the USA. He will be returning to Malaysia for his end-of-semester vacation and will be in Malaysia for 3 weeks before returning to the USA. As such, Malaysians should take this opportunity to witness the sport first-hand for the first time with their own eyes. You can come to this event as one of the following:

• Spectator (free of charge)

• Participant (will be subject to equipment rental fees, for more information, please click here)

• Volunteer (will be compensated for their time and effort, for more information, please click here)

It should also be noted that this is an OUTLAW event, or as Malaysians call it, LUMBA HARAM. As such, this is an unofficial event, but the manner in which it is organized will be as professionally done as possible. Otherwise, come to this event to just chill out and make new friends. We hope to see you at the top (or bottom) of the hill!

OBJECTIVE

• To create awareness among Malaysians about the extreme sport of street luge and gravity sports in general

• To instill and cultivate a downhill riding culture among Malaysians via gravity sports

• To convince as many Malaysians as possible to pick up street luge recreationally by encouraging them to obtain their own street luge equipment and other required protective gear

• To create a niche in action sports as well as a base participation in Malaysia

• To send a strong message to potential sponsors with the presence of street luge and gravity sports in Malaysia

• To organize a full-fledged legal event in Malaysia in the future

• Lastly, by the end of the day, to allow everyone to have fun

OVERVIEW OF RIDING SESSION

• The street luge riding session over the New Year weekend is actually TWO separate sessions.

• The first session is held on Saturday, January 1, 2005, at the joggers track in Bukit Kiara, Taman Lembah Kiara, TTDI. This is a great course to learn to ride street luge because it is located within the Klang Valley, has a moderate course length of 0.8 km, and has a relatively low average speed which is suitable to teach beginners. Since this is a joggers track, expect to see people jogging on the hill while the session is in progress. However, from our past experience of riding at Bukit Kiara several times in June 2004, there are almost no joggers from 10:00 AM until 3:00 PM. Therefore, we will attempt to schedule the session within this time frame as smoothly as possible. In case complications with the authorities arise, we still have our second session scheduled for the day after at Bukit Tinggi, which in our opinion is much safer due to its uninhabitance of people.

• The second session is held on Sunday, January 2, 2005, at an undisclosed road located somewhere within the Bukit Tinggi Resort at Bukit Tinggi, Pahang (about an hour's drive away from KL). This road is a perfect place to ride street luge without being discovered by the general public, due to construction works occurring at the top of the hill. However, there are no construction activities occurring over the weekends, as we found out during our last session there in June 2004. The road has a rideable course length of 2.4 km, and will prove to be too technical for beginners. However, the top half of the course is fairly suitable to train beginners because it is not as technical as the bottom half of the course.

BUKIT KIARA DIRECTIONS AND COURSE MAP (BUKIT TINGGI MAP NOT AVAILABLE)

TENTATIVE SCHEDULES

SPECTATOR INFORMATION

Bukit Kiara is very hot in the afternoon. There are trees providing shade midway along the course, but little to no shade at the start and finish areas. Therefore, you are encouraged to wear sunglasses, sunblock, and / or bring umbrellas. There are not many places to sit, so please bring seating mats with you so you don't have to sit on the grass.

Bukit Tinggi is much cooler due to its geographical location in the highlands, with an elevation of 2000 feet above sea level. The sunlight is not as strikingly hot as it is at Bukit Kiara. Again, you may want to bring seating mats with you to Bukit Tinggi as well.

Drinks will be sold at both riding locations.

PARTICIPANT INFORMATION

As mentioned on the flyer, due to limited equipment and limited time on the schedule, we can only reserve slots for a maximum of 6 participants who are seriously interested to learn to ride street luge on BOTH days. The reason for this is that a small fixed group makes it easier for us to focus our attention on, and ensures that all participants receive the most personal instruction and as much riding time as possible.

Currently, we only have sufficient equipment for 3 participants to use simultaneously. Therefore, the 6 participants who have reserved their slots will be broken down into 2 groups of 3 riders each. As soon as the first group is done using the equipment, they will then switch the equipment with the second group. We will try our best to make sure that everyone can learn the basic skills during the introductory lessons within the allotted time (1 hour) on the schedule. If not, we will make adjustments to the schedule if necessary.

Below is a table of current inventory of equipment that will be rented out to the participants. There are 3 different sets of protective gear available. Each piece of equipment has a varying degree of protection, hence the difference in the rental fees. The first group of 3 riders will choose their protective gear (based on how much they are willing to pay). After they are done using the protective gear, the second group of 3 riders will choose their protective gear, just like the first group.

There are 3 street luge boards to be rented out. Each board is significantly different in its looks, construction, comfort, form, and purpose. We want everyone to be able to experience the sport of street luge by riding a different board each time, because each board offers a unique riding experience. In order to be fair to everyone, we encourage you to switch the boards among yourselves regularly, so that everyone gets a chance to ride the best equipment. As such, since there is this switch occurring every so often, the board rental fee will be standardized in order to make the situation as fair as possible to everyone.

For those who are interested to learn to ride street luge (serious inquiries only), please reserve your slot by sending an email to Abdil at furlong[AT]teamhardcorepavement[DOT]com. You will be notified if you get your slot. If you don't happen to make the 6 slots, don't be discouraged. You are still welcome to attend the event as a spectator, or even help out as a volunteer. For volunteer information, please click here.

For those of you who get the slots, you will be required to fill in your particulars and sign the waiver form (coming soon).

VOLUNTEER INFORMATION

Just as we are in need of about 6 riders to participate in this freeride session, we are in need of about 6 volunteers to ensure the safety of the course while the event is in progress, as well as to help with administrative tasks so that the event can run smoothly. As a volunteer, you will gain some first-hand experience as to how gravity sports racing events are organized in other countries, such as in the USA. Below is a list of criteria we expect from you as a volunteer, as well as the perks and benefits you will receive.

All volunteers will be briefed on their assigned tasks during the volunteer briefing on the day of the event. Please email Abdil at furlong[AT]teamhardcorepavement[DOT]com if you are interested in signing up to be a volunteer!

PAST SESSION PHOTOS