YS Khong: A tribute to William Mei – race & rally champ, teammate & friend
YS Khong · Jun 5, 2021 08:30 PM
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Yesterday, 4th June 2021, Malaysia lost a race and rally legend, and I lost an ex-team mate, and good friend. William Mei, passed away peacefully at the age of 77, after fighting valiantly against the Big C.
1984 Mitsubishi Tredia Celebrity race, Malaysia team. From left: Garry Chua, Zul Hassan, Yoong Yin Fah, YS Khong, William Mei. Car 1 is William Mei
William Mei started racing from a very young age, running his Cooper S on a shoe-string budget, but from even his early days, it was clearly evident that he was a gifted driver.
Dec 29th 1968: William Mei receives trophy for 1st in Class win with his BMC Cooper in Race #6 Tiger Balm Saloons Race at the Shah Alam Circuit. Image: Hanifah Yoong
I first saw a glimpse of him when I was driving a backhoe working on the road construction project at the old Damansara road, and from where I was, I saw him tinkering with his car at his home just off the main road. Still vivid in my memory was a Mini bonnet hanging on his garage wall.
Image: Azad Jasmi, Facebook group 'Motorsports News - Race, Rally, Drift, Go Kart, Gymkhana and others'
I got to meet him when I started racing in the mid 70s, and by that time, William had found fame with his Mazda RE painted in Code 10 colours.
William Mei with his famous Code 10 Mazda RE, Penang Grand Prix. Yes, Penang used to host a Monaco / Macau GP-style street circuit race. Image: mysportsflame.com
Later on, I got myself a Mazda RE too, and we became competitors, and I remember coming second to him twice, in 1976. The second time I led from early on in the race in the wet, but when it dried up near the end, William passed me on the back straight to win again.
After that race, I managed to join the Asia Motors Mazda Team, and from then on, the wins were between William and me. We became close friends, and on weekends, we would get together with a bunch of other drivers, Harvey Yap, Eric Ooi, and a few others for beer and Mahjong.
WillIam Mei's Code 10 Mazda RE, Penang Grand Prix, 1978
We would meet every now and then in his Jalan Gereja Kuala Lumpur office to have lunch. Once, when I dropped by, he asked if I would like to follow him to Ipoh to investigate an insurance claim (he was the claims manager for an insurance company) – it was one very quick dash up and back again in his Fiat 124 Sport, and I still remember my heart being in my mouth many times.
Car 2, William Mei and Yoong Yin Fah, 1984 MMSC Round 1
Later on, after our racing stint, we again became team mates in the Toyota Team Malaysia Rally team for a while, and then in 1985, William left to join Team Ford, and we became competitors again. We were still friends, though, but back in those days, everybody had a sense of camaraderie that does not exist now.
William Mei and Hanifah Yoong Yin Fah. Image: Ian Khong
There was fierce rivalry between the Ford and Toyota teams, but that never stopped us from being friends.
Like a true racer, Mei raced anything on four wheels. Fast or slow, big or small, he would race it and win it
After I quit the racing scene to get on with my life, we kept in touch, but it was not as often as before, and now that he has left, I wish that we could have kept in touch more. Still, William added a lot of good memories, not only for me, but for the entire racing and rallying fraternity as well. He will be missed.
YS Khong is 5-Time Malaysian Rally Champion and Winner of many Saloons races at Malaysian race circuits. He takes life and driving seriously and believes that driving skills can be acquired. YS also believes we should enjoy every driving journey, just as we should enjoy our life journey, and knowing how to handle a vehicle well will make driving more fulfilling.
