A short history of Racing in the Far East

When you read about racing in Asia, it will invariably be about the Sepang F1 GP in Malaysia or the Shanghai GP. Or, if it’s more “hardcore” then it’ll be about Macau and Formula 3. Modern-day racing is all about safety, where cars are deemed safe and sex dangerous. Wasn’t the case in the ’60s and ’70s in Southeast Asia, where Castrol R and acetone mixed with lovely sunsets, gin and tonic, colonial architecture and pedal power. With the planter came his gin and tonic and his Bentley (or Alvis or MG). The DNA fingerprint had been firmly established.

The very first attempted race meeting in Asia was the Bangkok Grand Prix in 1939, the brainchild of Prince Chula, cousin of Prince Birabongse Bhanutej Bhanubandh (aka Prince Bira). However, the race never materialized because of impending war. The next attempt to hold anything amounting to a proper race was in November 1946 when Sultan Sir Ismail of Johore, in West Malaysia, agreed to support a race on the grounds of the city of Johore. The top three finishers were all Malayan-built Specials. The early Johore races (1949–1953, 1960–1964) set the stage for what was to become the Golden Age of Racing in Malaysia and Singapore in the ’60s and ’70s.