Honda Racing Fest Hits The Mark With Northern Motorsport Fans

The fifth and final round of the Honda Racing Fest 2009 took place between December 19 and 20 at Chiang Mai 700 Year Stadium and was a great treat to all motorsport enthusiasts in the north, as well as being the final chance for the drivers to make their bids for the end of season awards.

The event was held on a 2.2 km temporary race track circuit at the Chiang Mai stadium, just 200m shorter than the Bira International Circuit in Pattaya. The drivers raced in an anti-clockwise direction on the asphalt and concrete road surface while negotiating the track’s 12 difficult corners. Racing on this circuit required a complete set of driving skills.

Pasrit Promsombat won this year’s Honda Jazz One Make Race Championship with the overall highest points tally of 77 from all 5 rounds, despite finishing only 3rd and 7th in the last two races in Chiang Mai — losing to Teerat Nittayasut, the hottest new racer, who took first place in both races.

In the Honda Civic One Make Race category, it was a close contest between Narasak Iittiritpong, the leader in the Class A, and Apatorn Kannasut, with just one point separating the two at the finish; Narasak ending the season on 77 points to Apatorn’s 76.

Jack Lemward won the first race in the Honda Civic Class, defeating Suttilak Booncharoen, who led the table in the B Class, and Narasak Iittiritpong, the winner of Class A who came trailing in 4th place. Iittiritpong beat Lemward in the second race and subsequently clinched the 2009 Civic One Make Race Class A Championship. Suttilak Booncharoen meanwhile led from the start of the 5 championship rounds to win the 2009 Civic One Make Race Class B title.

Karan Suppapong took 2009 Honda Pro Cup Championship title after his closest rival Piti Pirompakdee had an accident during the first race in Chiang Mai and had to quit. Suppapong was able to hang on to top place in the points table despite finishing down the order in both races last weekend; Tony Percy and Patsakorn Yaemkatehom were the winners in the two final round races.

The winners in all the race categories in Chiang Mai received trophies graciously donated by HRH Princess Soamsawalee.

The 2 day event proved to be another smash hit with the racing fans here in the northern capital, following on from the inaugural event last year which was held at the Royal Flora Ratchapruek.

with thanks to : CM-MAIL

Two Northern Schools To Receive New Dormitories Courtesy Of The Japanese Government

Bankadwittayakom School in Mae Wang District , Chiang Mai and Sila-laeng School in Pua District, Nan Province will be the beneficiaries of the Japanese government program Grassroots Human Security Projects Scheme (GGP) which will provide funds to build dormitories for children from outlying districts who need accommodation in order to be able to attend school. In an agreement signed by Mrs. Junko Yokota, Consul-General of Japan in Chiang Mai and Ms. Wilaiwan Phiriyakrit, Director of Bankadwittayakom School, the GGP pledged 3,322,000 baht for dormitories in Mae Wang.

On the same day, Mrs. Junko and Mr. Phumiphan Prarom, Director of Sila-laeng School signed an agreement where the GGP pledged up to 3,163,000 baht for the construction project in Nan.

Bankadwittayakom School, serving more than 600 students, is the only public secondary school which covers both lower- and upper-secondary education in Mae Wang District, Chiang Mai. As a result, the school accepts students from neighboring districts as well. Currently, more than 25 percent of the students stay at dormitories in or near the school. Although the school has two dormitories for female students, it has no dormitories for male students and they stay separately in small and decrepit quarters for teachers instead of students’ dormitories.

Sila-laeng School provides kindergarten and primary education to 238 students from 8 villages in the Sila-laeng sub district and 6 other districts in Nan, Phayao and Chiang Rai. Many of the students are from remote hill tribe villages and about 50% of the student body requires on site housing. The school already has 6 dormitories but they are overcrowded and rundown.

In response to requests from both schools, the Government of Japan and the GGP agreed to provide funds for the construction of dormitories to provide students not only with a safe and clean living environment but an appropriate learning environment as well. It is expected that the dormitories will enable easier access to secondary education for students, especially for minorities and those from low income households living in mountainous areas.

Moreover, it will bring them greater options for advanced education and employment after leaving school. Fore more information regarding the GGP projects please contact Mr. Sato, Consul General or Ms. Hoshii and Mr Tsuda, GGP coordinators. 053-203-267.

with thanks to : CM-MAIL

Wil Drinkers Toast New Liquor Tax?

Excise tax ceiling to be raised; foreign beers, liquors will be subject to a zero import duty under Afta scheme ; An executive decree will be issued shortly to raise the excise tax ceiling on alcoholic beverages in preparation for the implementation of the Asean Free Trade Area (Afta) on January 1, a source from the Finance Ministry said yesterday.

The Cabinet is expected to consider the measure on Tuesday, just before the arrival of 2010 when all imported beer and liquor will be subject to a zero import duty under the Afta scheme.

Finance Minister Korn Chatikavanij yesterday declined to comment on the planned excise hike.

However, official sources say the excise ceiling on beer, for instance, is expected to rise from Bt100 to Bt460 per litre based on alcohol content, while that of distilled white spirits and whisky will rise from Bt120 to Bt400.

PREVENTING DUMPING

The planned hike should help prevent cheaper foreign-made alcoholic drinks being dumped in the Thai market once liberalisation is in place.

“Alcoholic beverages damage consumers’ health, so it’s necessary to use the excise tax as a measure |to manage consumption. Compe-tition in the alcohol industry should also be curbed because fiercer competition as a result of market liberalisation will lead to more consumption.

“In addition, the government should enforce a law banning the advertisement of these products to prevent further damage to public health,” said a ministry official, who asked not to be named.

Under the Afta scheme, Thailand and other Asean countries will be opening up their domestic markets to boost trade within the 10-country grouping.

From January 1, several types of products – including alcohol – will benefit from the zero import tax rate, allowing an influx of cheaper beer and liquor from within the region.

At present, Thailand is the largest market for alcoholic beverages in Asean, followed by the Philippines and Vietnam.

Sources say Chinese beverage firms with production facilities inside Asean are expected to flood the Thai market with cheap beer and liquor. In addition, some European firms are already using production facilities within Asean to supply low-cost products to the Thai market.

If the excise tax ceiling does not get adjusted before Afta is enforced, Thai producers will be hit hard by the dumping of foreign products.

Beside beer, competition in the distilled white spirits and whisky market segments is also expected to be fierce due to the reduction of import duty.

with thanks to : NATION

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