Allen Oh will part company with Malaysia’s top rally driver Karamjit Singh at the end of the year.

Allen's decision to quit competitive rallying will mark an end to an era in the country’s most successful partnership in the sport.

The final round of the Asia Pacific Rally Championships (APRC) in India on Dec 4 and 5 will be the swansong for the Karamjit-Allen.

Allen has spent nine years as the co-driver and navigator for Karamjit, who previously had Zuber Ismail and Ron Teoh as his partners.

It was after he struck up the partnership with Allen in early 1996 that Karamjit's international success took full flight. The pair hit it off from the start, notching back-to-back wins in the Rally of Thailand and Rally of the Philippines.

They continued their partnership under the PETRONAS EON Racing Team (PERT) banner to bag numerous honours for the country.

After winning the overall and Group N titles in the APRC in 2001 for the first time, Karamjit-Allen received their biggest break the following year when they were given the chance to compete in the production car category of the World Rally Championships (WRC).

They took the rally world by storm in their debut season – becoming the first Asians to win the overall world production car title. They also defended their overall title in the APRC and regained the title in October this year with one round to spare.

Having achieved what they had set out to do, Allen, a qualified accountant by profession, feels that it is time to retire from the sport.

“I think we have done our best. Every time we race, we give our best to bring glory to Malaysia.

“I'm not getting any younger and all the travelling we have to do each time we go somewhere was what prompted me to make the decision (to quit). The past one year has also been uncertain times,” said Allen, 55.

Karamjit-Allen went through trying times this season – struggling to raise sponsorship money for their campaign in the APRC. Proton and Petronas backed them in the WRC.

Said Allen: “I wish to express my gratitude to the Prime Minister, Datuk Seri Abdullah Badawi, the Youth and Sports Minister, Datuk Azalina Othman Said, the team manager, Datuk Abdul Razak Dawood, and the Malaysian public for coming to our support. Without the government's aid, we would not have been able to secure a third overall title in the APRC.”

Allen said that he planned to contribute back to the rallying scene in a way. “I will not be competing for one full season but anyone who wants to learn rallying and need a partner for a one-off race, I am willing to help,” he said.

On his memorable achievements with Karamjit, Allen ranks their wins in the Rally of Cyprus and the Safari Rally of Kenya in 2002 among the better ones. The victories set them on the road to become Malaysia’s first motorsports world champions.

“The rally in Cyprus was the opening race of our first season in the WRC. We also won the Rally of Kenya, considered the world’s most gruelling event. Only a quarter of the field crossed the finish line,” he said.