In most instances, you’d never think that your high school teacher could be, would be, a racing car driver. More often than not, our general idea of a high school teacher would be a stern-looking man with a fierce demeanour, probably a rotan in one hand – and we expect that this person would spend his weekends dressed in a sarong at home, engrossed in a crime novel, occasionally pausing his read to reheat leftover curry chicken from two nights back.
But not Suresh Naidu. This is a man who knocks those preconceptions right out of your mind and into next Tuesday. This is a high school teacher who, six times a year, metamorphises into a highly competitive racing car driver, wading deep into thick door-to-door dogfights with 60 other cars at a time, six times a year. Seriously. Who would have thought so?
Suresh is an avid car fan and takes his driving seriously. So serious is he, that he invested in a Lotus Elise a few years ago, without argument one of the most rewarding, engaging, immersive driving experiences ever.
From there, his passion continued to develop and together with a bunch of other Lotus Club members, he took the dive into the Malaysia Speed Festival (MSF) Racing Series in 2016 in the most competitive categories of all, the Saga Cup category – which sees up to 60 cars scrambling for position at every corner for five laps at a time, twice per round.
But there is a lot more to Suresh Naidu. His story is one of strength, determination, and willpower; kindness, an honest interest to share knowledge and develop the next generation of Malaysians, and an affable personality that his students have come to adore. This video – part of a series created in collaboration with PETRONAS – is his story, of his passion for life, and of a life chasing his passion.
MSF Finale 2017 takes place on December 2 to 3, 2017 at Sepang International Circuit. On top of the usual door-to-door racing with up to 177 cars, there will also be MSF Drift Gonzo, a first-in-Malaysia target drifting competition. Also taking place is a superbike track day, the MegaLAP Time Attack and the McClubz Showdown car show, happening all on the same weekend.
Access to the Grandstand is free, with a water park set up in the Grandstand area featuring a eight-metre pool and water slides for all the family to enjoy. As for Paddock access, tickets will retail at RM10 on Saturday and RM20 on Sunday. For more information, head over to the official MSF Racing website.
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Thank you Suresh Naidu, you make Malaysians proud. We know you work hard and you fight against all odds and you have done well.
Keep up the good work!
Hah look at all that smog. Probably most of them are de-cat and probably not puspakom legal.
Look closely. They all have roll cages. It was never puspakom legal in 1st place.
and do you know why is that? have you asked puspakom?
Im glad u asked. Its ekceli becoz when these kinda car crashes, it will take forever for bomba to cut thru the roll cages.
Proper cages r made of steel harder/thicker than the body itself. Some might be filled with concrete to increase stiffness which hampers car occupants extraction. Those made of mild steel instead only gips false sense of security and causes the driver to speeding but no safety at all. Deswai roll cages was banned from public roads.
smog? i think someone blew his engine on the front straight.. thats oil smoke. they are race cars btw.. in case you didnt notice. and these cars are very old.. they never came with a cat anyways.
very inspirational.
Not bad for a teacher to owns lotus. This shows regardless of what profession, as long as you are car enthusiast I’m sure you will find a way to get your dream car.