KARAMJIT SINGH IS THE UNDISPUTED CHAMPION

TITLE NO 12 AND YET HE IS NOT ABOUT TO GIVE UP



11 December 2011, JEMPOL - The Flying Sikh wrapped up the fourth and final round of the Malaysian Rally 2011 in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan today to finish unbeaten over two days of rallying which in the end also gave him the overall crown too.

His two victories in Jempol over the weekend saw him collect a total of 44 points over the four roundsof competition held in Johor Baharu in April; Kangar in July; Malacca in November and then Negeri Sembilan with defending champion Rafiq Udhaya finishing second on a total of 42 points.

Karamjit who drives under the GSR Pennzoil bannercame to Jempol trailing Rafiq by two points and deep inside knows what needed to be done.

Obviously he responded to the occasion and conquered the opening day on Saturday in the 63.5km stage in his Mitsubishi Lancer. And again he was in fiery form yesterday, sweeping past all and sundry in the 46km stage to finish unbeaten again.

All in all Karamjit and his Indian co-driver Viviek Ponnusamy clocked a total time of 1 hr 36min 13.2secs while Rafiq and his partner Sean Gregory in a Subaru Impreza, who finished second on both days, returned a total time of 1hr 42mins 25.5secs.

Third overall is Mike and Manuthi Arokiasamy in a Proton Satria in a time of 1 hr 46 mins 09.5secs.

"It has been a long hard season. I am happy that I have picked up title No 12 but it would not have been possible without the help of my teamates support.

"It was a team effort and I am looking forward to title No 13 next year. I believe I still have a few more years lef t of rallying in me," said the 48-year old Karamjit.

For Rafiq, losing the crown doesn't mean he is a loser either.

"I lost to a better driver. Simple as that. Karamjit is an extraordinary rally driver and to lose to him is no shame at all. Hopefully next year we will try to win the crown again." he added.
And the organiser of the Malaysian Rally, Wheel Sport Management, has annnounced that
the 2012 season will have five rounds instead of the present four, a development which has earned the praise of the competitors.

Five is just ideal. Four is a bit too little is the response from those who are taking part.

-ends.

KARAMJIT IS UNBEATABLE

10 December 2011, JEMPOL - Karamjit Singh and his Mistsubishi Evo was just unstoppable as he charged to victory in the opening day of the fourth and final round of the Malaysian Rally 2011 in Jempol on Saturday.

Together his co-driver Vivek Ponnusamy, they completed the 63.5km stretch of the race in a total time of 52min 22.5sec, leaving the defending champion Rafiq Udhaya and his Subaru Impreza trailing in his wake and a good five minutes behind.

Karamjit is looking forward to the overall title and only Rafiq is standing in his way but after the opening round victory, the Flying Sikh, as he is more popularly known, has taken a step closer to the crown.

As things stand before the start of Saturday's race, Rafiq has a total of 30 points while Karamjit has 28 and Karamjit knows that unless he beats the leader, the title won't be in his possession.

"Round one is completed and eveything went well. I got a good five minutes lead going into Sunday's race and I know if I stay out of trouble tomorrow, I am confident I should be able to win the overall title.

"But you never know. The weather is unpredictable and the condition varies. Today was fine but once it rains the scenarios could change. The track becomes soft and slippery and it would put a real strain on the engine," said Karamjit who has won the overall title a total of eleven times so far.

No 12 beckons and Rafiq knows he needs something spectacular on Sunday to keep Karamjit at bay.

"Karamjit drove flat out today and I expected that. He needs to beat me to win the title and if he does so he deserves it because he is such a talented driver," said Rafiq.

Rafiq is lying second on a total time of 57min 24.9secs while Mike Arokiasamy in a Proton Satria is third on a total of 58min 55.2secs.

A total of 25 cars were on the starting grid.

-ends.

AN EXCITING FINALE IN JEMPOL

9 December 2011, JEMPOL - Defending champion Rafiq Udhaya and challenger Karamjit Singh are both headed for a nail biting finish over the weekend as the Malaysian Rally 2011 enters it's decisive race in Jempol, Negeri Sembilan.

As things stand, Rafiq and his Subaru Impreza are the current overall leader on 30 points after three rounds of races, Johor Baru, Kangar and Malacca but 11-time winner Karamjit Singh is lying second on 28, a mere two-point difference as they both square off in the fourth and final round.

The rest of the field gathered in Jempol today, totalling 25 all in all, knows they are not going to be able to catch up with the two leaders, given the gap in the points accumalated so far.

Australia's Cody Crocker, a former Asia Pacific Rally Championship winner could have been in contention with the 16 points he has after his performances in Johor Baru and Kangar in the opening two rounds but sponsorship issue has forced him out of the race in Malacca and he is not coming to Jempol either.

Then there is the Japanese combination of Aji Kim and Noriko Takeshita in their Proton Satria Neo who are lying third alongside the young Malaysian pair of Kenneth Koh and Nicole Gill, on 10 points each.

Count them out too because whatever happens, Aji or Kenneth are not going to overhaul the two pace setters, given that there are only a total of 16 points at stake in Jempol.

So the stage is set for a Rafiq versus Karamjit duel and revenge is certainly on their minds.

Rafiq and his co-driver Sean Gregory in their Subaru Impreza, wants to prove that they can get the better of Karamjit and consolidate their reputation as a worthy overall champion.

Karamjit in his Pennzoil-backed Mitsubishi Lancer on the other hand, wants title No 12 to shore up his reputation as the man to beat in Malaysian rallying.

But the one factor that both man has no control over and which could play an important role in deciding which way the title is headed for, is the weather.

The current wet spell is playing on the minds of both competitors and given the experience they endured last year at the same venue, they know that once the skies open up, things are no longer the same.

"I know the conditions are going to be treacherous once it rains. I remember last year we were caught in some very slippery conditions when it started raining.

"The weather man are predicting rain again this time. So we have to be well prepared. I am excited over the prospect of challenging Karamjit for the title.

"He is a good driver and it's obvious that I have to beat him if I want to retain my title," said Rafiq.

-ends.

GREEN TEAMS READY TO RUMBLE!

8 December 2011, JEMPOL - Going green is catching on these days, judging by the response of team MRU Motorsports who is supporting the private entry of 2wd category RallyCross champion Magendran Arunasalam. Having expressed his interest in team 1 Malaysia Wheelspin Green Motorsports to the media

when it debuted two cars in the previous round of the MRC, team principal Mohd Rafiq Udhaya wasted no time in making sure the Proton Satria 1.6 driven by Magendran and navigated by renowned grassroots motorsports event manager Mohd. Faizal Tuah was prepared to run on Bio-Ethanol fuel.

Meanwhile, the two original cars which made their debut have been receiving lots of attention outside rallying with invites to car shows and various motorsport events. Driver Gina Finanza who secured a podium placing in her category with her Bio-Diesel Proton Satria GTDi has been offered to be the spokesperson for green motoring by two auto makers and other related manufacturers while Mohd. Shazly Ilias the

team manager of the other car, a Perodua Kelisa RS running on Bio-Ethanol fuel and prepared by students of Institute Kemahiran Belia Negara Termerloh (Motorsports Division) which is a subsidiary of the Ministry of Youth and Sports Malaysia, has been offered to test and co-develop a new generation of high octane Bio-fuel for motorsports use at Eastern Creek Race Circuit in Sydney Australia. Both of them are also are due to receive special acknowledgments by the Motorsports Association of Malaysia (MAM) for their efforts to take motorsports into the future via this endeavour.

Principal and founder of 1 Malaysia Wheelspin Green Motorsports, Jagjeet Singh is more than happy that MRU Motorsports has stepped in to support the project which will be officially launched along with other motorsports teams and vehicles in 2012. "Gina, Shazly, Magen and MRU Motorsports have shown that they really care about the future of rallying and motorsports in general here in Malaysia and are good ambassadors who think of Malaysia and Malaysians first" said Jagjeet of the drivers and team. Adding "I really hope the media and potential sponsors who care like we do take some time to talk to them and find out what our long term goals are. Who knows, they might just want to be a part of it as well"

-END-

Jelajah 1Malaysia

Pulse is honored to be a part of this year's Jelajah 1Malaysia, held from 8th to 13th March 2011. The event ranked 2.2 class by UCI (Union Cyclist Internationale) organized by Malaysian National Cycling Federation raced through difficult conditions starting from Johor Bahru and ending at Nilai, Negeri Sembilan.



Individual Malaysian Classification (White Jersey) - Amir Mustafa Rusli (PDM)
King of Mountain (KOM Red Jersey) - Muhammad Adiq Husainie Othman (MAS)
Individual Points Classification (Green Jersey) - Mohd Hariff Salleh (TSG)
Stage 6 winner, Individual Asian Classification (Blue Jersey) & General Individual Classification (Yellow Jersey) - Mehdi Sohrabi (TPT)
Best Team & Best Asian Team Classification - Tabriz Petrochemical Team
Best Malaysian Team - Terengganu Cycling Team.

congratulations to all the winners!!!

MRC 2010 Round 2 @ Bandar Seri Jempol, N. Sembilan

KARAMJIT SINGH WRAPS UP ROUND 2 OF THE MALAYSIAN RALLY CHAMPIONSHIP IN STYLE

BANDAR SRI JEMPOL, 18 July 2010 - Karamjit Singh wrapped up the Malaysian Rally Round 2 title at Bandar Sri Jempol in convincing style.

Together with his co-driver Douglas Pickering, they steered their Mitsubishi Lancer across the rugged terrains and came away unscathed to win the 155.4km race in a total time of 2hrs 07mins 30 secs.

Already they had won the opening round on Saturday and on Sunday they were quick off the mark, capitalising on their nine minutes advantage over second placed Muhammad Rafiq Udhaya's Subarau Impreza to taste victory again.

They clocked 54:21.0secs and add that to their opening round of 1hr:13 mins 09.6secs, Karamjit and partner were the clear winner.

"It's a satisfying victory. Things went well for us on both days and in rallying you need a little luck too. But I knew if we keep the car going without any mechanical problems, out overnight lead would be of great help," added Karamjit.

Finshing second is Katsu Taguchi and his co-driver Jagdev Singh in a Mitsubishi Lancer with a total time of 2hrs 18mins 40.9secs while Muhammad Rafiq and Sean Gregory was third in 2hrs 20mins 44.3secs.

For Taguchi, the winner of the Malaysian Rally Opening round in Johor Bahru two months ago, it was a sweet comeback as he overhauled Muhammad Rafiq yesterday to finish second after being placed third after the opening round.

Only twelve seconds separate Muhammad Rafiq and Taguchi going into Round two today but clearly the skills and experience of the Japanese ace, a former world rally championship participant, saw him through.