malaysian 4x4

About the PETRONAS Adventure Team

PETRONAS’ involvement in motorsports is not just confined to the high-speed actions within a racing circuit, but also extends to the vast desserts and jungles of the world. The PETRONAS Adventure Team is a division within the PETRONAS Motorsports family, and organizes 4-Wheel Drive expeditions both locally and abroad.

The expeditions have been more than just a brand and image building exercise for PETRONAS and Malaysia, but also embodies PETRONAS’ pioneering spirit. Born out of a passion for adventure and fuelled by a thirst for adventure, the PETRONAS Adventure Team was formed in 1999 to take on the challenge to experience the world from a different perspective.

The team’s first expedition brought them to mystical Tibet in 1999, followed by the team’s venture into the steamy jungles of Indochina in 2000. The first expedition of the new millennium took the team to the greatest of East-West routes, the Silk Road. After Siberia in 2002, the team headed to amazing Africa, a land of exciting diversity. A year later, the Sahara enticed the team to visit Africa once more.

On the occasion of PETRONAS’ 31st Anniversary in 2005, the Team embarked on a gruelling journey to the greatest mountain range on earth – the Himalayas. The feat culminated with a Malaysian Book of Records entry for the team by being the first Motorised convoy and the first Malaysian 4x4 expedition to reach Everest Base Camp.

With seven expeditions to its name, the team embarked on its 2006 adventure closer to home. 60 participants in 23 four-wheel drive vehicles undertook the team’s eighth adventure, this time through the multitude of different landscapes and rural tracks through the Malay Archipelago in the PETRONAS Nusantara 2006. Kicking off from Bintulu in the Malaysian state of Sarawak, the team traversed into Indonesia’s Kalimantan, crossing to the islands of Sulawesi, Flores, Maumere, Lombok, Bali, Java and Sumatera, before finally ending the quest in Banda Acheh.

Community Relations
One of the most touching chapters in all the expeditions undertaken by the PETRONAS Adventure Team Malaysia are the community relations programme organised along the expedition routes, particularly in the countries where PETRONAS has business interests. The journey of thousands of kilometers on lesser traveled roads has enabled team members to gain an invaluable insight, an enriching experience and an appreciation for the diversity of the communities it meets along the way.

In line with the team’s main objective of experiencing the unique interaction between man, machine and nature, the expeditions have provided the team with an effective platform to reach out to the different communities. Through outreach programmes organised with PETRONAS, the team have graced schools, orphanges, orang asli settlements and welfare homes to help meet the needs of the different communities through donations that range from food provision to educational tools.

An integral part of the expeditions, past community programmes have included donation of computers to schools in Changlun, Kedah and in China; bicycles to a home for abandoned children in Bangkok; provisions to Orang Asli settlements as well as donations to communities in Iran and Pakistan, to name a few.

In the team’s PETRONAS Nusantara 2006 Expedition, the team provided a helping hand with provisions to earthquake victims in Jogjakarta and participated in extensive community outreach programmes with over 1,000 orphaned children from three provinces in Banda Acheh, the site of the devastating December 2004 Tsunami.

The PETRONAS Adventure Team Malaysia remains unrelenting in its quest for adventure and knowledge. Most of all, it is not for the sake of a quest, but more importantly to share experiences and be enriched by the people and cultures the team comes across along the way.

for more information click here : http://www.petmos.com.my/en/4-Wheels/Teams/Expeditions/Philosophy/4x4--PETRONAS-Adventure-Team--Spreading-The-Malays.aspx