Mido on Tour 2009 – Eco, Scenic and Camaraderie

The unmistakable orange of Mido’s corporate identity dominated Novotel’s lobby on Sunday morning.



At the same time, Mido has taken up a billboard advertisement (outside the hotel) at this hotspot in Kuala Lumpur next to Pavilion.



We wanted to take a group shot with the Mido advertisement in the background. Hence, the drivers stepped out of the hotel to check the surroundings near the billboard.



We returned to the location in full strength (with passengers and families) and parked our cars strategically for these all-important photographs.



After the formality, the convoy drove to a nearby hot spring for a deserving foot-spa treatment.



The eco-nature drive continued slowly along this narrow road towards Sungei Gabai.




After parking our cars, we held each others’ hand and strolled romantically towards the waterfall.



Watchmaker Lee Eng Yeow and his wife became holiday makers.



And the Lo family adopted the train formation for this photo.



Back on the road, the convoy drove past the water catchment area in Negri Sembilan and into the town of Seremban for a lunch stop. By now, many fellow participants now became good friends.



Young men became ‘brothers’.



BIG Rallye’s very own songbird, Emily, provided live entertainment at the restaurant.



On the last day, while touring Malacca, we made a mandatory stop to purchase local products - tit-bits and snacks.



Of course, we ate the Chendol.



Best of all, most enjoyed the complimentary massage at this parlour.



We gathered for one final group shot in this nonya restaurant before heading home.



It has been another successful event by BIG Rallye. We are thankful to Mido, official partners and everyone in the convoy for making this ‘Driveaway that other Driveaways talk about’.

Mido on Tour 2009 – Right on Track

On 11th Dec 2009, the participants assembled early in the morning at Stamford Tyres Jurong Retail Centre.



We took off promptly and proceeded along the North-South Highway . Seen here is Car # 2 (blue VW Tiguan Sport) along the Nilai exit road. It was probably the newest car in the convoy.



Full-course Chinese lunch was waiting to be served at the Nilai Convention Centre.





Due to its close proximity to Sepang, official venue for the Malaysian round of F1 Championship, our lunch location is frequent by seasoned trackies. But for many of participants, this was to be the first visit to a racing track. Better still, we were going to drive round the circuit. Inevitably, the excitement was building up while we waited along the pit lane for clearance to enter the track.



It was indeed a rare opportunity to drive on a world-class F1 circuit.



Along with the speeding cars, the cameras were clicking too.





During the interval, drivers exchanged notes and passengers who had ‘enough’ chose to stay at the pit building




Without doubt, the lapping exercise was the highlight of the trip. It was a memorable experience to the world of motorsports. Perhaps, for the next driveaway, we could introduce some off-road activities.



We spent the rest of the afternoon onboard Cruise Tasik for a water tour around Putrajaya - Malaysia ’s latest administration centre.





The river cruise offered a splendid view of newly completed government buildings.



5-star accommodation was provided for the night at Shangri-la Putrajaya.



In addition, special lots within the hotel compound were reserved for our convoy.





Lawrence and Shirley (at the waiting lounge) appeared to be pleased with the hospitality provided by the hotel.



We gathered on the next morning for this casual group shot.





Thereafter, all participants checked-out and took one more group shot at the hotel main entrance.



It was a 40-minute drive to the Kuala Lumpur City Centre (KLCC). The convoy is seen here while travelling on Maju Expressway. Note that the headlights were switched on (for visibility and safety reasons) whenever the convoy was on the go.



All of us took extra care on the unacceptably narrow driveway in Novotel KLCC Hotel car park.



By looking at the expression of the Lo family, the lunch at the hotel must be rather delicious.





Many spent the afternoon shopping either in Pavillion or Twin Towers . Others almost lost their way during sight-seeing.



The participants had a free-and-easy evening in the heart of Kuala Lumpur .

Mido on Tour 2009 – Pre-event Ride

On 6th Dec 2009, main participants of Mido on Tour gathered early in the morning for a pre-event exercise.



We warmed-up by cycling through the residential area in Yishun.



At this junction, the convoy regrouped and headed along Mandai Road .



The road is famous for its continuous flow of undulations and it proved to be a good testing place for our fitness level.




Our rest stop location was Mandai Orchid Garden (near Singapore Zoo). We took some memorable shots, ….




…a candid shot, …..




… and gave Carrera a birthday surprise.




Heading backing to the end point, it was no less challenging encountering the earlier mentioned undulations. Throughout our route, this sight of the orange bike convoy stood out among other road users. It reflects well on the colour chosen by Mido for its latest corporate identity.

Mido on Tour 2009 - Conceptualization

The Multifort was launched in 1934 and its aviation-inspired design and style are largely due to the influence of Walter Schaeren, the son of Mido’s founder. Walter was a military pilot who once commented that “the real quality of a watch reveals itself in extreme situations”.




Last month, Mido celebrated Multifort’s Diamond Julilee in Kuala Lumpur . The President of Mido, Mr Franz Linder, graced the occasion and here’s an extract of an interview by a local lifestyle magazine.




In tune with today’s demand, the latest Multifort watches are sized at 42mm (regular automatics) and 44mm (automatic chronographs) respectively. Yet, to reiterate the brand’s long standing philosophy to produce watches with timeless design and traditional value, Mido has aptly chosen this old locomotive as its advertising theme.




One look at the image of the charging train triggered my mind to think about land travel. Shortly, after a discussion with Mr Heng Wei Hun (Regional Manager, Mido) the concept of ‘Mido on Tour’ was thus initiated.




For the event, this orange dri-fit shirt (right) with mandarin-collar was chosen as the official attire.