Inspirational Singapore motorcycle racing icon Looi Im Heok leaves indelible mark

SINGAPORE – When Shirley Looi was nine, Chinese New Year did not start with a visit to a relative’s home. Instead, her family would make the journey to the Little Sisters of the Poor Home for the Aged (now St Theresa’s Home) along Upper Thomson Road.

Every year without fail, until she moved to Australia in the early 1970s, Shirley and her father – renowned motorcycle racing icon Looi Im Heok – and the rest of the family would give each resident a hongbao and wish them a Happy New Year during the visit.

Giving back to society was something that Looi instilled in them.

Looi, also affectionately known as “Uncle Looi”, died in his sleep at his Tomlinson Road home on Oct 1 at the age of 95, said his family. He had been battling kidney cancer, which was discovered when he was 89. 

Shirley, 68, who is now retired and volunteers at Sydney’s St Vincent de Paul Society to help those in need, said: “My father always reminded us of the need to help the underprivileged. Even as he encouraged us to work hard, he would also remind us to go find work and then help those in need.

“Growing up, as we went out as a family, people would always recognise him and greet him. He certainly inspired me to continue giving back to society.”

Former grand prix racer Lee Chiu San, a retired car dealer and former motoring journalist, told The Straits Times that he will “remember Uncle Looi not just in motor racing, but for what he stood for as he always believed in social service”.

Recalling his childhood days, Lee, 78, added: “Uncle Looi would come wandering around on weekends to ask who wanted to watch him practise.

“Tommy Fang (Looi’s late son), myself, and the two older sons of Looi’s elder brother, would pile into his pick-up truck along with his motorcycles and we would go to secluded side roads where he would practise.

“Afterwards, he would always treat us to desserts at a hawker centre.”

Looi also left an indelible mark and inspired a subsequent generation of motor sports enthusiasts with his exploits, both on and off the track, said the community.

The rider who earned his nickname “Corner King” for his ability to negotiate corners expertly – no matter how sharp the angle – competed in motorcycle events at the Singapore Grand Prix, which was held at the Thomson Road circuit from 1961 to 1973.

He competed and won in several competitions, including off-road races. He also raced in the Selangor and Johor grands prix.

After he hung up his racing helmet in 1966 to focus on his workshop business, he remained active in grassroots work in Nee Soon, and was awarded the Bintang Bakti Masyarakat (Public Service Star) in 2017.

Looi was a founding member of the Lions Club of Singapore Nee Soon, a food distribution network for the underprivileged in 1988 and personally delivered food in his pick-up truck. It would later become the Lions Food Collection and Distribution Project.

Motor Sport Singapore (MSS) said in a statement that the racing community is “saddened to learn of the passing of a local motorcycle legend”.

“We offer our condolences to his family and would like to acknowledge his passion and contribution to local motor sport,” it added.

“As a pioneer racer he leaves an indelible mark and inspiration to subsequent generations of motor sports enthusiasts in Singapore.”

Law and Home Affairs Minister K. Shanmugam, who is also MP for Nee Soon GRC, shared anecdotes about his interactions with Looi on Facebook.

Describing Looi as a “respected community leader and champion motorcycle racer in the Nee Soon/Sembawang area”, Mr Shanmugam said that when he entered politics in 1988, “Uncle Looi” was there from the start and was “extremely active in the community”.

He added: “I will always be thankful to Uncle Looi for what he has done for me and the Nee Soon community. Even well into his 80s and 90s, he remained active, supporting community events. Always cheery.

“He enjoyed life and his food. He used to take two spoons of sugar with his coffee, which would already have condensed milk, and have several cups. His diet used to shock me, and we used to laugh about it – I would tell him he had good genes!

“He was in robust health for most of his life, living into his 90s. A humble man of action on and off the racetrack, Uncle Looi will be deeply missed.”

The ninth son of a rubber merchant father and a housewife mother, Looi learnt to ride as a teenager and when was aged about 20, he bought his first bike, a 500cc Norton Featherbed, for $1,650. He would then race every night from Bedok to Shenton Way.

In an interview with ST in 2007, Looi revealed that he has had at least 40 accidents. Later on in his life when he had stopped riding and moved to cars, he would stop motorcyclists on the road when he observed that they “do not know how to ride” to share safety tips.