Karamjit Singh, better known as our local Flying Singh recently took a win for Proton R3 during the second round of the Malaysian Rally Championship, in Johor. The recent downpours did not improve situations, as the supposedly gravel stage turned into a very slippery mud stage. That did not hamper the Flying Singh from driving hard and winning.
Over the 3 days the event was held at Johor Bahru and Kota Tinggi, Karamjit Singh won 9 out of the 14 special stages. Very impressive, considering that his 2WD 1.6L Proton Satria Neo R3 had the power disadvantage over the likes of Mitsubishi and Subaru. For the first time in 10 years of the Malaysian Rally Championship, a 2WD 1.6L rally car actually won against well established rally cars.
Chinese driver Fan Fan in his Mitsubishi Lancer Evolution X had a 1 minute 45 seconds gap between him and Karamjit. Kenneth Koh, the 23 year old Proton R3 Team Junior driver suffered a 5 minute penalty. Despite the penalty, Kenneth still managed to climb to 5th position by the end of Leg 1. Fan Fan finished in second place.
“I never drove so hard in a rally in a long time, it was very hard work.” said Karamjit Singh. “The Proton R3 team did a fantastic job and provided me with a car that was trouble-free all rally.” Unfortunately for Kenneth, a broken driveshaft forced the upcoming young driver to retire early in Leg 2.
The next round of the Malaysian Rally Championship will be held from 18 to 19 October 2014, in Negeri Sembilan.
