Long before Malaysian motorsport began earning greater recognition on the international stage, Karamjit Singh was already making his mark.

More than two decades after becoming the first Asian driver to win the FIA Production World Rally Championship (PWRC) title, he is still doing what he loves most — racing.

At 64, the Malaysian motorsport legend continues to compete, recently adding another victory to his long and distinguished career by winning the Rally of Melaka 2026. Driving his 19-year-old Proton Gen2 4WD Turbo alongside his co-driver, Karamjit conquered the gravel stages around the Felda Tun Ghafar oil palm plantation to claim the win.

For most athletes, a career spanning more than four decades would be reason enough to slow down and look back.

But for Karamjit, better known as the “Flying Sikh”, there is always another race, another corner to take and another finish line waiting ahead.

Driven by a passion for speed, Karamjit rose from local rally stages to the world stage, helping put Malaysia on the motorsport map along the way.

From local rallies to the international stage

He made his rally debut in 1985 at the Castrol Daylight Rally, then spent the first two years of his career competing and winning local rallies as a privateer before joining the Petronas EON Racing Team (PERT).

And that was where things really began to take off.

The partnership would propel him towards some of the biggest achievements in Malaysian motorsport.

Over the years, Karamjit built an impressive record across regional and international competitions, winning titles including the 2001 FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship, the 2002 FIA Production Car World Championship and further FIA Asia-Pacific Rally Championship titles.

At a time when rallying was still relatively unfamiliar to many Malaysians, Karamjit gave the country another sporting hero to cheer for.

And he did not just compete on the global motorsport arena. He showed that a Malaysian driver could win on it too.

Life beyond the rally stages

But here's something many Malaysians may not know.

Karamjit Singh has also taken his driving skills to the big screen.

Since 1993, he has worked in stunt and precision driving, bringing his skills behind the wheel to commercials and films. His work has included everything from high-speed chase sequences to dramatic car crashes, and he has served as a stunt-driving double in several Bollywood productions filmed in Malaysia and abroad.

Among the films he has worked on are Mission Istanbul, starring Vivek Oberoi, and Don: The Chase Begins, featuring Shah Rukh Khan.

So, while most of us know Karamjit for conquering rally stages, his driving skills have also taken him to film sets and into some seriously dramatic action scenes.

It is another side of a career built around an extraordinary ability to control a car at speed, whether on loose gravel or in front of a film camera.

Bringing the Flying Sikh's story to the big screen

Malaysians will soon have the opportunity to discover more about Karamjit’s journey in Terbang, a new film from Astro Shaw and Woohoo Pictures.

Beyond celebrating a national motorsport icon, the film also revisits a time when rallying captured the imagination of Malaysian fans.

The local rally scene thrived during the 1980s and 1990s, producing drivers who competed on some of the sport’s biggest stages. While the scene has since waned, Karamjit hopes Terbang can bring the sport back into the spotlight.

More importantly, he hopes audiences will see the story as one about perseverance.

“I would say it’s a movie about self-belief and patriotism. It shows how we Malaysians went out there, conquered the world, and came back,” Karamjit shared.

Semangat Membara, Untukmu Malaysia

And perhaps that is what makes Karamjit’s story so uniquely Malaysian.

That same spirit of perseverance and determination lies at the heart of Semangat Membara, Untukmu Malaysia, U Mobile's campaign honouring the sacrifices, resilience and achievements of Malaysian sporting heroes. It is a celebration not only of the moments that brought glory to the nation, but also of the passion and persistence that carried them through every challenge along the way.

Head over to U Mobile's “Semangat Membara, Untukmu Malaysia” public installation at Bangunan Sultan Abdul Samad, running till 16 September 2026. Discover the defining moments, achievements, and inspiring journeys behind Malaysian sporting heroes who have given their all for the nation.