Weiron Tan might only be 15 years old, but he is already making waves in the go-kart racing scene in South East Asia. Not only was he the first Malaysian to become champion of the Yamaha International Challenge, he was basically underage for the senior category (meant for boys above 17 years old) he was put into, as he exceeded the weight limit for junior. Since he started racing competitively in 2009, he has had podium finishes in all the races he has entered, including the Asian Karting Open Championship (AKOC) in 2010. What’s remarkable is the fact that he began racing just two years ago when he was 13, but has advanced beyond some of his karting peers who started at age seven or eight.

Having raced in Malaysia, Macau, Thailand, Philippines and Indonesia, he recently just left for Europe to face an even tougher field of competition. But before that, he managed to squeeze in one last interview with KLue.


I put a Hello Kitty sticker behind my helmet. so when drivers see it, they get soft. It’s to distract them. I also sleep early and eat good food in the morning.

Why go-karting? 

I like cars, motorsports since I was young. I’ve been watching Formula One since then. But I didn’t know what were the steps to get into the scene of Formula One car. So at 13, my dad brought my brothers and I, four of us to Shah Alam Go Karting track, just to get a go in those funkarts. Well, he saw potential in me while we were having fun, so he asked me if I wanted to go further into this sport. Buy my own kart start racing. And yeah, I was interested. And so from there, we progressed.

Favourite F1 drivers

Ayrton Senna. I’ve seen his videos, the way he raced. it inspires me because he’s just really talented and his race craft is really good. To me he was the best F1 driver out there that you’ll ever find.

Daily routine

School, tuition, gym, sleep.

Favourite makan spots

The curry laksa in a coffee shop in Seapark market area and roti cannai at Kumarani.

Places to go

Well, I don’t really hang out much with my friends around here, because I don’t have the time, with racing, helping my team with the kart, going to the gym and catching up with studies. If I do have time, I usually catch a movie at either Pavilion, 1Utama or the Gardens.

Hero scars/injuries

I’ve flown in my car, bent the chassis, destroyed the engine and tires, but I was okay, besides a few bruises here and there. I was protected by the suit, gloves, shoes.

Track getup

It is hot and sometimes heavy with the whole attire. You’ll get used to it when you’re using it all the time. After every race, i will lose some weight.

Average lap time

Some tracks, one lap is about 50 seconds, some 40 plus? So it depends. And when you’re racing, you’re fighting here and there. It depends on what track and how competitive the field is. But on average, we finish one final in say, 15 to 17 minutes?

After go-kart, what’s next?

Formula one lah!

 

We’re keeping an eye out for him and hopefully we will see him racing at Sepang driving a F1 car soon!

 

Text JuEnn & Shantee

Posted in Sport.