World rally champ a Rawang-born racer
BEIJING: A Rawangborn racer has made the country proud in the world of motorsports.
Chong Kah Woh who teamed up with China national Xu Weitai, has won the Baja Poland Rally – the fourth round of the gruelling 2018 FIA World Cup for Cross Country Rallies.
The duo raced under China’s Hangzhou Flying Rally Team banner with the 52yearold Chong being the codriver.
Chong, who is based in Kunming in Yunnan province, is the first Malaysian to enter the competition.
He attributed his success to Malaysian rally champion, the late Jimmy Low, who was his mentor.
“It is sad that he is not around to see me receiving the cup,” he said.
Chong said he met Low through a common friend some 30 years ago.
“I was a problematic teenager involved in illegal racing.
“When he got to know about it, he said he could train me
“So I started off as a racer in my 20s,” he said and added that after spending some 15 years behind the wheel, he discovered that he was a better navigator.
“In 2002, I was forced to navigate for another racer whose codriver was sick.
“From there, I realised my actual talent and made a switch,” said Chong who is better known as Malay Chong or Ma Lai Zhang in Mandarin in the motorsports circle.
“The Chinese gave the nickname to differentiate me from others who shared the same surname,” he said, explaining that the word Ma Lai was derived from Malaysia.
Chong lamented that Malaysia’s rally scene used to be the second best in Asia after Japan, but that was not the situation anymore.
He pointed out the nearzero sponsorship has sent talented people in the field, including him, overseas.
“There are quite a number of Malaysians, who have gained a name for themselves, but none raced for the country.
“I wish to bring back the glory and look forward to the day when I will race in a car bearing the Malaysia flag,” he added.