Published on December 16th, 2016 | by Daniel Sherman Fernandez
0The LEGEND who is still the best rally driver Malaysia ever had
Karamjit Singh is Asia’s most successful rally motorsport driver but to date most Malaysians, corporate Malaysia and even the Ministry of Sports have forgotten this driving legend. He has won multiple championships throughout the region and has been ranked number one in the region many times. No other Malaysian or even Asian driver has been able to outrace/beat him on the gravel, tarmac and wet race tracks.
If he was given the financial backing and sponsors 25 years ago, we are quite sure Karamjit would have been in the top three of the World Rally Champion (WRC) legendary driver lineup.
We met this legendary driver some 30 years ago when he first started rallying and winning race after race with little financial support or a class best rally car. He has raced against so many professional drivers and had them smelling his exhausts corner after corner, race after race.
Karamjit was among Malaysia’s top sportsmen and was Malaysian Sportsman of the year in 2002.
The super fast and talented Karamjit became World Champion in the FIA Production Car World Rally Championship in 2002 on his first attempt at the championship, also winning the FIA Asia Pacific Rally Championship that same year. He was the first Asian to ever become world champion in a motorsports world championship series.
Karamjit made his rally debut some 31 years ago in 1985 in the Castrol Daylight Rally, thereafter spending the first two years of his remarkable career competing and winning local rallies as a privateer (yes Karamjit continued to race without major financial support and sponsors).
Karamjit then later joined the PETRONAS Eon Racing Team (PERT), a super successful partnership which through the years propelled him to achieve extraordinary feats in the world of rally and motorsports.
His dedicated approach and rigidly religious focus on his driving has earned him the respect of the global motorsports fraternity. The unassuming, disciplined and always devoted Karamjit Singh, whose other passion is golf, is always feverishly challenging himself to outdo his last milestone with the ultimate goal of pitting his skills and winning against the world’s best, the attribute of a true professional world class sportsman.
Karamjit has won the Malaysian National Rally Championship a record 10 times, despite staying away from the championship to concentrate on his international rallies between the years 2000 to 2006. He returned to the national championship in 2007 and promptly won, retaining the title again in 2008. Karamjit currently leads the Malaysian Championship and continues winning relentlessly in Malaysia.
Achievements and career highlights:
Ten (10) times Malaysian National Champion driver
Asia Pacific Production Rally Champion 1997
Thailand National Rally Champion 1998
Asia Pacific Production Rally Champion 2000
Champion Sepang Endurance Race 2000
Asia Pacific Rally Champion 2001
Asia Pacific Rally Champion 2002
World Champion (PWRC) 2002
2002 NST Malaysian Man of the Year
2002 National Sportsman of the Year
2002 Malaysian Sikhs Association Man of the Year
2002/03/04 Malaysian Motor Sports Man of the Year
Asia Pacific Rally Champion 2004
Works driver – KST Ralliart China 2006-07
Conferred SIS title by HRH Sultan of Selangor
Conferred AMN title by HRH King of Malaysia