Saladin Rallying

Saladin Rallying Leaves a Mark on Rally Raid

KANCHANABURI, THAILAND – Saladin Rallying made an impressive statement in its first-ever rally raid appearance after successfully completing Round 2 of the Thailand Rally Raid Championship (TRRC) this weekend in Kanchanaburi, Thailand.

Competing alongside his Thai co-driver, Saladin Mazlan delivered a determined performance over the demanding 108km stage on Sunday, clocking a time of 1 hour and 46 minutes to finish 8th Overall and 5th in the highly competitive T1 Class.

The result marked a significant recovery for the team after an unfortunate setback during Saturday’s opening stage, where the crew lost more than three minutes after missing a junction in the dusty and challenging terrain. Despite the time loss, the team fought back strongly on the final day, eventually finishing just behind the leading factory-backed works teams.

Rally raid racing, known for combining endurance, navigation, speed and survival over long distances, presented an entirely new challenge for Saladin Rallying. Nevertheless, the team adapted quickly and left a strong impression among the more experienced competitors.

The event, however, ended prematurely for the second Saladin Rallying entry of Ibrahim Saladin and co-driver Arish Qutb. After just 25km into the stage, the pair collided with another competitor who was reversing after overshooting a bend.

With visibility severely reduced by thick dust hanging over the trail, Ibrahim was unable to avoid a rapidly reversing car ahead as he came to the corner. The impact instantly damaged the rear axle beyond repair, forcing the young crew into retirement from the rally.

Despite the disappointment, the weekend provided valuable experience for the entire team, especially in understanding the unique demands of rally raid

Adding further pride to the Malaysian contingent was the outstanding performance of Mike Oii, who powered his Malaysian-registered Toyota Hilux to an impressive 4th Overall finish while also claiming victory in the T2 Class.

Battling against more powerful and heavily supported machinery, Mike delivered a fast yet composed drive throughout the rally, consistently staying among the frontrunners across the demanding stages in Kanchanaburi. His achievement not only secured a class win but also placed a Malaysian competitor firmly inside the Overall Top 5 — a proud and significant accomplishment for Malaysian motorsport on the regional rally raid scene.

A total of 14 cars successfully completed the rally.

Following an encouraging debut performance, Saladin Rallying has confirmed plans to participate in more rally raid events in the near future as the team continues to expand its motorsport programme into off-road endurance competition.

Terima kasih Mekanika

Thank you Pitstop TV 🤗

Another driver from Malaysia that will be competing alongside us would be Mike Ooi, a newcomer to the rally scene that has forged his own path in the world of Rally Raid.

He recently started training and learning under Saladin Rallying and has already shown improvement in the last event, where he finished first in class and 7th overall.

3 cars will now be flying the Malaysian Flag in this round of the championship, something we are very proud to do.