Standing by the pitwall as she gazed in admiration the mean machines of the 11th edition Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race (MMER) passes by, Malaysian beauty Thanuja Ananthan could feel the adrenaline rush and her heart racing in excitement.

“I have always loved motor racing ... My dad is a fan of motor racing, and he would always be following the races on the television. After a while, I picked it up from him. This indeed is a special day for me,” said Thanuja, who is the Miss World Malaysia 2009-2010.

“I think the most interesting part of the sport is the drivers and the riders themselves. They are taking part in a dangerous sport, putting themselves at risk and doing it voluntarily. Initially I found it quite disturbing, but it’s definitely an interesting sport,” said 24-year old beauty queen, who joined Malaysia’s Youth and Sports Minister Datuk Ahmad Shabery Cheek and local singer, Caprice in the official flagging-off of the 2010 race.

A total of 36 means machines with the likes of the Lamborghini LP560, BMW Z4, Audi R8, Porsche RSR, Mosler, Lotus and Aston Martins are contesting in the 12-hour endurance race; featuring several famous icons in motor racing.

“I’ve never watched a night race before, and I’ve been wondering how it would be like. This will definitely be an interesting experience for me,” she said, joking that she would be preparing herself for the elevated noise level as the race takes place tonight.

Returning to a midnight start for the first time since 2006, the 11th edition is regarded as the stiffest ever with the participation of Audi works team, featuring Le Mans winners Frank Biela and Marco Werner as the hot favourites.  

“I like that fact that there are teams from other countries taking part in the race. The race will be featuring local and international talents and it would be great to watch them in action.

“I feel that this is a good exposure for the country, and the fact that they are coming together here to celebrate our Merdeka month with us is great. I’m sure it is good for our local tourism industry as well,” she said.