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18th December, 2020
KUALA LUMPUR: Having achieved various accolades with Proton, national rally racing, legend Karamjit Singh has sentimental value for the national brand, as he looks to return to the motoring scene.
The 58-year-old rider, popularly known as the ‘Flying Sikh’, dominated rally racing in Malaysia in the 1990s, and subsequently won the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC) in 2001, using a Proton car.
“Personally, I really like driving a Proton, because I have been using it for over 20 years, and it has sentimental value to me,” he said after a sponsorship handover ceremony here yesterday.
He had previously stated his intention to compete in the APRC 2021 competition which is expected to begin next March, using the Proton Iriz R5 machine, which has been built in England by Mellors Elliot Motorsport.
However, he did not rule out the possibility of using imported machinery such as from Mazda or Toyota, as discussions with car manufacturers to find car sponsors were still ongoing.
In the ceremony yesterday, Karamjit received RM10,000 in funds from the investment company for the repair of a Proton Gen 2, which will be used in the 2021 Terengganu Sprint Rally on Feb 26.
The funds give Karamjit the opportunity to return to rally racing, as his last stint in the local stage was in 2018, while his last APRC outing was in 2012.
“Of course I need more funds, but for a start, I can use the money (received today) to prepare the car, By right, I need about RM40,000 to replace the tyres, fix the gearbox and so on,” he said.
The local media previously reported that Karamjit had to sell a Proton Waja car for RM7,000 to raise capital for the purchase of a new car to work as a Grab driver, in order to survive. – Bernama
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