Malaysian Rally Championship Round 2 at Negeri Sembilan Day 1 – Karamjit Let Fly His Evo!
In the tight and narrow paths of the rubber estate, almost all drivers cautiously raced through it, especially when approaching a jump. Except for one man, and that one man is none other than Malaysia’s legendary rally driver, Karamjit Singh.
The Flying Sikh, as he is better known, were flying through the first day of Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC) Round 2 at Bandar Seri Jempol, Negeri Sembilan. At one point, he was literally flying in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo, reminding everyone that he is still a force to be reckoned with.
Representing the GSR Pennzoil Racing Team with red and yellow livery, Karamjit looked like a man with a mission after his car let him down during the MRC Round 1 at Kota Tinggi, Johor. The multiple Malaysian and APRC champion was in a superb form, setting the best time in all 6 stages and finished the day in a time of 1.13.09.6s.
Katsu Taguchi and his co-driver Jagdev Singh.
Such a fast time even pre favourite Japan’s Katsu Taguchi couldn’t halt the supremacy of Karamjit. The Japanese started the weekend as the man to beat, having triumphed in Round 1 under the APRC category.
But luck was not on his side as his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo suffered a mechanical problems, preventing him from challenging Karamjit. As a result he ended up the day in 3rd place, nearly 10 minutes adrift.
In 2nd position is team principal and leading driver of MRU Motorsports, Rafiq Udhaya. Spotting his trademark red and white Subaru Impreza, he navigated the course well enough to earned a respectable time of 1.22.38.6s, which will surely encouraged him to pushed even faster in Day 2.
Katsu Taguchi’s flag-off.
New rally talent Francis Lai in his Proton Satria.
The day started with a flag off ceremony, starting with Taguchi as he rolled out as the driver seeded No.1. With a clear weather ahead, all the cars then went straight towards the rally courses, some of it were staged in the rubber estates and others in the oil palm plantations, utilizing the existing gravel roads.
The damages on Wan Mohd Hafiz’s Proton Satria, bad enough to put him into an early retirement.
Peugeot 206 of Yasutaka Mizuno was also badly damaged.
There was plenty of drama during the event, notably 2 separate heavy crashes. The first one involving another Japanese driver, Yasutaka Mizuno in his Peugeot 206 and another one was when Wan Mohd Hafiz went sideways his Proton Satria into a tree, damaging the left part of the car. Luckily his co-driver did not suffer any serious injury.
Sri Lankan Ashan Silva in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo.
Rally driver from Sri Lanka, Ashan Silva drove his Mitsubishi Lancer Evo into 4th overall, while another MRU Motorsports’s driver, the up and coming Francis Lai rounded off the top 5.
General Classification After Day 1 :
1. Karamjit Singh / Douglas Pickering GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
2. Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya / Sean F. Gregory MRU Motorsports
3. Katsu Taguchi / Jagdev Singh GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
4. Ashan Silva / Muhd Sabry Abd Salam
5. Francis Lai Yew Guan / Ong Boon Keat MRU Motorsports
6. P. Nandakumar / Suresh Parkash Sharma GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
7. Andrew Miller / Manohar Menon MRU Motorsports
8. Faidzal Alang / Hazwan Fauzi GSR Pennzoil Racing Team
9. Jamaluddin Tukimin / Rozita Tukimin
10. Muhammad Siraj Abdullah / Abi Ridzuan MRU Motorsports
11. Azizul Jamin / Rohasreen Abu Hassan
12. Syahabudin Mohd Mazhor / Adnan Anuar
13. Raymon Tan / Christy Goh Siau Hoon
14. Wan Mohd Hafiz Wan Mohd / Syed Mohd Jefri Tuan Ahmad
15. Mike Ariokiasamy Ratnam / Maruthi Ariokiasamy MRU Motorsports
16. Muhd Rizal Wahid / Asrizal Saharudin
17. Yusof Tumin / Nazrie Yusof
18. Yasutaka Mizuno / Kamarul Anuar Mohd Razali
19. Sanjay Takle / Musa Sheriff
Tune in for Day 2 photo report of MRC Round 2.
Photo / Editorial : Nazim Idris
