KUALA LUMPUR, April 12 — His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, and Her Majesty Raja Zarith Sofiah, the Queen of Malaysia, cheered on their princes Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj and Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj, who competed in the opening race of the GT World Challenge Asia series at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit today.
According to the Sultan Ibrahim Sultan Iskandar official Facebook page, His Majesty watched the race from Johor Bahru and conveyed his happiness while praying for their success and the Johor Motorsports Racing (JMR) team.
"I am pleased with the strong start shown using the new Corvette machine. To Tunku Putera, try again in the next race. I am confident the performance will improve, and may you have better luck," said Sultan Ibrahim.
Both Tunku Abdul Rahman and Tunku Abu Bakar represented JMR, kicking off the season with a commendable achievement as Tunku Abdul Rahman and his teammate, Alexander Sims from the United Kingdom, secured third place in the Pro-Am category.
The success marked JMR’s first podium finish of the season.
[caption id="attachment_397307" align="aligncenter" width="1151"]
His Majesty Sultan Ibrahim, the King of Malaysia, watches the opening race of the GT World Challenge Asia series at the Petronas Sepang International Circuit from Johor Bahru on April 12, 2025. The sovereign's sons Tunku Putera Johor Tunku Abu Bakar Al-Haj and Tunku Panglima Johor Tunku Abdul Rahman Al-Haj competed in the race. — Picture via FACEBOOK/SULTAN IBRAHIM SULTAN ISKANDAR[/caption]
However, luck was not on Tunku Abu Bakar and his teammate Jordan Love’s side as they were involved in a crash, causing damage to their car and forcing them to fall behind for the rest of the race.
Meanwhile, Raja Zarith Sofiah graced the event at Sepang in person to watch the race.
Her Majesty was accompanied by Tunku Temenggong Johor Tunku Idris Iskandar Al-Haj, Tunku Tun Aminah, and Tun Aminah's husband Datuk Dennis Muhammad Abdullah.
Raja Di-Hilir Perak and Raja Iskandar Dzulkarnain Ibni Almarhum Sultan Idris Shah were also in attendance.
The Queen also expressed her appreciation to the fans who came to show their support for the JMR team.
"I would like to thank all the fans, especially those who made the effort to come from Johor Bahru to Sepang. I am deeply touched by their unwavering support.
"May they have a safe journey back to Johor Bahru, InsyaAllah," said Her Majesty.
— Bernama
