AS A brash, young man in the 1970s, Richard Tay used to tear around the old Thomson Road circuit in his Mini Cooper S, winning several trophies during the old Singapore Grand Prix days.

Though age has caught up with him, the 57-year-old now indulges in his passion for fast cars in another way.

His firm, YHI International, recently inked a US$6 million (S$8.3 million) deal to supply lightweight racing rims to the Toro Rosso Formula One outfit.

At last weekend's Australian Grand Prix, the company became the first homegrown name - through its house brand, Advanti Racing - to appear on the F1 machines.

Tay's eyes twinkle when the subject of motorsports is brought up. And he proudly proclaims to be a huge fan of McLaren driver Lewis Hamilton "because he's young and aggressive".

The Briton would certainly remind Tay of his younger days.

"I stayed in Geylang in the 1960s, and many of my friends drove Mini Coopers," recalled the group managing director.
"My father was in the tyre business, so we became the supplier for many of them."

His interest was piqued at the age of 18, after he was exposed to the souped-up cars.

Tay bought his first car in 1970 - a Morris 1300 GT. Two years later, he switched to a Mini Cooper S and immediately modified the engine and carburettor.

"Every day, I'd be thinking of how to make my car go faster by just that split second," he said.

"That meant spending away most of my pocket money."

When he was not helping out in his father's business, Tay would go for street races at Thomson Road and Malaysia's Batu Tiga circuit with a group of fellow enthusiasts.

In 1973, he notched victories in Singapore and Malaysia in the Mini Cooper events.

Then, two things happened that persuaded him to give up racing.

First, he met his wife-to-be, Dawn, who chided him for his racing addiction, saying it was "too dangerous". They were married in 1978.

Next, Tay decided to concentrate on the family business.

Today, it has grown from a sole proprietorship to a public-listed company that distributes automotive and industrial products to over 30 countries. Among the brands it represents are Yokohama tyres and Enkei rims.

And YHI's decision to move into F1 was an easy one to make, given the estimated 500 million television viewers worldwide that the sport commands in a season.

Tay now lives with his wife and three children - son Ryan, 25, and daughters Sue Anne, 28, and Sue Jean, 20 - in a three-storey house in the West Coast area.

Though he has long given up racing, his passion for driving fast and powerful cars is still going strong.

He has driven a Lotus, a Toyota Supra and a Nissan Fairlady. Nowadays, he usually moves around in a Mercedes CL 500 or an S-Class.

And he owns a Ferrari that he uses "a few times a year" in Malaysia, when the need for speed surfaces.

"The blood is still young, even though I'm old," he quipped. "And it's probably my last chance to own a fast car."

This article was first published in The Straits Times on Mar 22, 2008.