Roll With It
Malaysian race driver and friend of Corum, Weiron Tan reveals to Tien Chew what it takes to make it in such a high octane world
harismatic and chirpy, the Malaysian professional racer Weiron Tan meets the Tatler team at a cafe overlooking a quaint and quiet go-kart track. He arrived wearing a smile and his eye-catching Corum Admiral’s Cup Legend 47 Squelette; after introductions, he begins on his journey as a race car driver. “Every Sunday I would go to the kart track for fun. I then realised that I wanted to try my hand at professional racing and gave it a go,” says Tan. Competitive by nature, Tan began to realise that he had quite the knack for karting and started racing in the local scene. “I was winning locally before going on to race in other parts of Asia around the time I was 15 or 16,” he adds. A figure that helped Tan get to where he is today is his father, as he credits his old man for allowing him to pursue his passion. “He gave me a choice. He never knew that I was going to do it, but he knew I shared the same interests as him and inherited some of his talents as well. He believed that I would fare really well in the sport and I can’t thank him enough for giving me the support all these years,” Tan says. “That’s the strongest drive for me.” Coming from a family with a background in the real estate industry, Tan is the firstgeneration professional racer and is proud that he has managed to achieve success in the field, and make his family proud. During Tan’s earlier days, well-known Malaysian driver Alex Yoong also mentored and accelerated his career to greater heights. Tan soon left to Europe to further his studies and hone his driving skills, being selected to sign on to the Caterham F1 Academy in 2011. According to Tan, there were seven drivers from around the world who were picked to be part of this driver’s programme, and he was the only Malaysian selected. “That was quite an experience, to be associated with an F1 team at a very young age. I got to use their simulation facilities and be part of the team. That was one of my biggest achievements thus far,” says Tan. Making his debut in the Protyre Formula Renault 2.0 UK, Tan bagged the position of vice champion. The following year, the driver development programme at Caterham came to a halt but Tan continued onwards with Formula 3 races, bagging a couple of wins and five podium finishes. In 2015, Tan made his way to the US to become the lead driver for the Pro Mazda Winterfest Championship and the Pro Mazda Championship, making history as the first Malaysian to win in the US. With a string of incredible achievements, it is clear that Tan has an appreciation and passion for cars that runs deep. “I don’t know what it is I like about them (cars) but I just find the mystical bond between man and machine alluring. Every time I get behind the wheel of a car, I feel I can do something extraordinary,” says Tan. “I can’t explain it but there is this connection. Anything that has four wheels, I’ll go flat out for them.” Tan also admires the engineering part of automotive sports and observes how the industry grows. His love for mechanics and engineering extends to the world of horology as well, as he is also the first friend of Corum in Southeast Asia for their Admiral’s Cup collection. Tan’s rule of thumb when it comes to watches are: it must look classy, and he prefers rose gold, which suits him well.
“Every time I get behind the wheel of a car, I feel that I can do something extraordinary”