Malaysia’s oldest racing team, Garang Racing, returned to the track in 2014 in fierce style when it clinched a hard-fought second place in round 1 of the Malaysian Super Series held at the Sepang International Circuit recently. The team’s Honda Integra driven by Tony Teo gave the team its first podium finish for the season in round 1 of the 2014 MSS that was held as a support race in conjunction with the Petronas Malaysian Formula One Grand Prix.
The opening race of the season had attracted a total of 33 cars with locals lining up alongside drivers from Singapore, Indonesia, Thailand and Macao. Teo had qualified fourth on the grid in the Malaysian Touring Car class with team mate Loy Chon Him, behind the wheel of a Suzuki Swift in 21st position.
Consistency was the game plan for Teo who took his time to mount an attack for the top position, and it wasn’t until the third lap that he overtook two cars for second position in the race. Teo pushed hard in the remaining laps of the race but eventually had to settle for second place, crossing the finish line two seconds shy of defending MSS champion Tommy Lee. Garang Racing team mate Low endured a tougher race in the midfield, and after fighting off a fleet of Protons, Mazdas and Hondas, had to recover from a late spin and settled for 26th place.
“Both drivers drove a sterling race against the backdrop of a very competitive field. Teo had to dig deep and make the most of his experience, and overall we could not have anticipated a better start to the year,” said OKI-Hyrax Garang Racing team owner and principal Zukifflee Hassan.
Formed in 1985, Garang Racing is regarded as the oldest and still most active racing team in the country, with team owner and principal Zulkifflee at the helm. A former banker, Zulkifflee left his profession to pursue professional motor racing and has been actively involved in racing since 1978. Today, he runs his own team and makes it a point to be active in all forms of circuit racing big or small. 2014 marks the 13th successive year of the MSS and will consist of 5 rounds. Round 2 will be held in May.
