Torque de Force

Well-known Malaysian race car driver Alex Yoong reveals to Tien Chew some of the things that make him tick

Alex yoong is a man who possesses many caps: the first and only Malaysian (so far) to have raced in the coveted Formula One, plus Audi ambassador an R8 LMS Cup participant and champion, past Southeast Asian (SEA) Games water skiing gold medallist, Fox Sport’s Race Day co-host and F1 pundit, father of one and this writer’s former neighbour. Known for his affable nature, laughter and merriment were aplenty the moment Yoong stepped into Tatler’s office to speak to me on the many eventful things that have taken place in his life. With a keen aspiration to become a race car driver at the age of three, this man’s dream eventually turned into a reality due to a single life philosophy. “What’s kept me going during times of difficulty is the fact that I can’t live with regret. I often say yes to situations I should say no to and I often overreach because I don’t want the chance to pass me by,” confesses Yoong. “It’s a weakness and a curse and I still live by that. To be honest, the failures teach you a lot more than the successes, because quite often success can be just sheer luck,” he adds. He cites his 2011 SEA Games as a prime example of his inability to let go of an opportunity, thus participating in the water skiing event and emerging victorious with a gold medal despite the possibility of failure. That being said, and as talented as he is, Yoong isn’t gifted with the Midas touch and has revealed that even he too fails at times, though having tried his best. In his younger days, he paints a more egotistical picture of himself, opining that his desire to be a race car driver was an obsession and not a passion. “The highway to Formula One is littered with families and drivers who have lost everything and still can’t make a living. That’s what obsession does to you. People talk about passion… it’s not passion, it’s an obsession,” says Yoong. However, he can safely say that his obsession has shifted gears, into becoming “just a passion.” And it seems to be that passion allows him to enjoy what he does to a greater degree. “Most importantly, I still enjoy it (racing) and I’m still winning so why not keep doing it? It’s fun,” he adds. His successes on and off track have seen him assume the role as an Audi ambassador, which he describes as a fitting partnership, taking him back to his love of rally and his admiration of the Quattro philosophy. “Road cars are compromises and you need to do so for speed, luxury, strength, weight saving and all those sort of stuff. I find that Audi does that better than any manufacturer and it really shows in their products,” says Yoong. Although the caps (or rather helmets) he wears the most involve driving, there are inevitable moments where Yoong needs to switch gears between professions and responsibilities. Focus is one of Yoong’s strong suits and while he doesn’t have a problem compartmentalising different skills and switching caps, he admits that it has become a touch more difficult as he ages. “Once I get into the swing of stuff the memories come back. It becomes trickier to remember the skills you need for each job and it is something interesting I’ve noticed with age,” he says. As for the foreseeable future, Yoong enjoys not having concrete plans, and no direct goals to focus on. In fact, the last four years have seen him going with the ebb and flow of life. “I enjoy not having my future mapped out, as I’ve always had it planned,” he confesses with a sigh of relief.

“People talk about passion…it’s not passion, it’s an obsession”