I

t may be deafening for some, but the engine roar from a MotoGP race is an addictive melody of thundering sound for racing aficionados.

"The loud sound from the race engine drives me to the circuit here every year," Malaysian Azmie Mustafa told The Jakarta Post during the Shell Advance Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix in Sepang over the weekend.

Mustafa says he has never missed a race, be it Formula One or MotoGP, since the races were first brought to the Sepang International Circuit in 1999.

"On television, we can only watch the race, but to feel the soul of the race, we have to watch it live," said the 40-something insurance worker, an avid supporter of Formula One's Ferrari team.

He said he was once a wannabe-racer 20-odd years back.

Mustafa might not be aware that a typical Formula One car or MotoGP bike can produce sounds with the audibility level ranging between 110 and 130 decibels (dB), while according to www.dangerousdecibels.org, sounds of 85 dB or stronger can cause permanent damage to the hearing, depending on the length of time one is exposed to the sound.

The site suggests, for instance, the permissible exposure time to a continuous 115-dB sound, the equivalent of a rock concert, leaf blower or chain saw, is only 30 seconds. A MotoGP race usually lasts around 50 minutes.

Besides the health risks it might pose, the sound delights fans such as Mustafa. All the seats at the Main Grand Stand of the Sepang track, which can accommodate 32,000 spectators, appeared full during race day on Sunday.

Mustafa, a supporter of Ducati's Casey Stoner, acknowledged that more people came to watch the MotoGP race every year.

"Today's race is more crowded than the previous years," he said.

"It's not just men, but also women and foreigners who are coming."

Singaporean Ayub Abubakar, who drove the 330 kilometers from the city-state, said the sound of the roaring 800-cc motorbike engines was like music to his ears.

"I come here every year, since the first race. The sound of the race engine is fantastic," he said.

"The sound of the engine makes a lot of difference as you can't get the sound from an ordinary bike," added Abubakar, who joined a motorbike tour from Singapore to Thailand last year.

Abubakar, who was eager to see Yamaha rider Valentino Rossi seal the MotoGP world championship, said before the race began, "This is an exciting race where you can conclude now who will be the champion.

"I don't want to miss it."

Rossi finished third, but the podium spot was enough to give him an unassailable lead - ahead of the last race in Valencia - and the championship title.

A motorcycling hobbyist, Abubakar said he even video-taped races back in Singapore to enhance his riding skills.

"You can see how the rider rides. You can see the technique," the hotel-line businessman said.

"You need to know that ... the upgrading of the engine and all that come from MotoGP."

First-time spectator Wayne Greenwood from Australia, who made the five-hour flight to Malaysia with four of his friends, said he was not irritated at all by the high-decibel din.

"The boys all had earplugs when watching yesterday's trials," she said. "But I find the noise okay. I find it fine."