EVERYONE hates getting poor directions, especially journalists who have to visit new places almost every day. It’s frustrating.

But when R.AGE set out to find a car workshop in Section 23 Shah Alam, Selangor, we figured we wouldn’t have any such problems considering we got the directions from a rally driver.

This is a person who is able to navigate effortlessly through some of the most difficult race routes in jungles and whatnot, both as a driver and co-driver. He’s even co-driven for French driver Thomas Duroyon at the Malaysian Rally Championship (MRC).

But after 30 minutes of turning and U-turning to various vague directions over the phone like “just go straight all the way when you see Petronas”, “just go straight all the way when you see MBSA”, or “just go all the way down when you see the UMW building”, we decided to rely on our trusty journalistic instincts (and Google Maps on the iPhone) to find the place.

When we finally found it, we realised what our problem was. The racer, Kenneth Koh, just got his driver’s license a year ago.

“I started racing last year when I was 17. I never raced before because I couldn’t get my driver’s license, but I’ve been watching races with my father since I was five,” said the baby-faced teenager.

Immediately after getting his license, Kenneth started getting involved in the local rally scene, renting a car to take part in the 2008 MAM-SIC Rally X series.

Rallying is a motorsport most famous for its ruggedness. Rally races aren’t held in the controlled environment of race circuits, but on challenging sections of real roads, which are often just mud and gravel. The routes are so challenging, a co-driver is needed to give drivers advanced instructions on the turns and ground conditions coming up.

“Rallying is my passion. I love rallying more than anything else. I don’t know what it is that makes me love it so much. Maybe it’s the adrenaline rush,” he said.

Kenneth Koh

Though Kenneth might still lack the experience on normal roads to even give decent directions, he quickly proved to have more than enough talent for rallying.

“At my first race at Rally X, I got first place in the junior category, which is for those aged between 17 and 25, and second in the 1.6 engine class category, which is open to all ages,” said the Form Six student of Klang High School in Selangor.

Even when driving for fun at a go-kart track, Kenneth managed to break the track record – on his first try ever.

His potential did not go unnoticed. GSR Pennzoil Racing Team managing director and professional rally driver Gunaseelan Rajoo offered him a place in his junior team.

Since then, Kenneth has been posting consistently impressive results in the Rally X series, moving on to the more competitive RallySprint series – even though he still has to juggle between racing and his studies.

“Two days before a race, I usually go to the workshop to check my car, drive it around the area to see if everything’s okay. A day before the race, there’s usually testing sessions, for drivers and their co-drivers to go through the route and take notes. Then on the race day, I’ll be at the track the entire day,” Kenneth said, explaining his race routine.

Fortunately for Kenneth, his family has been supportive of his passion.

“Family support is very important (to succeed). My family goes to all my events. Sometimes we turn it into a sort of camping trip.

“My father even buys car parts for me. He is one of the old-timers on the rally scene. He’s been involved since the 1980s,” he said. Now, Kenneth has his sights firmly set on becoming a driver at the Asia Pacific Rally Championship (APRC). But more importantly, he hopes to get more young Malaysians involved in the sport.

“My goal is to represent Malaysia at APRC. I want to make Malaysia proud. The only rally driver at APRC now is Karamjit Singh, but I think it’s time some younger drivers stepped up to keep flying the flag,” he said.

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