True to the Blue Jackets name and like every trip the club has ever made, this trip covering Thailand, Laos and Myanmar was also driven by charity.
Last December, 17 members of the Blue Jackets Society revved up their 14 supercars and drove over 7,100km in the short span of 2 weeks.
Making pitstops in the major cities of Thailand, Maynmar and Laos, the trip was made to feed their love for fast cars with a side of adrenaline from driving those supercars across Malaysian borders. The trip is what is known today as Three Kingdom Rally among its members and followers, serving as a nod to the 3 main cities the drivers stopped at.
Leading the entourage was Erwin Azizi, co-founder of the brotherhood banded together by the love of roaring engines.
“I love my drives, whether it’s 1 car, 2 cars, 5 cars or 10 cars,” he says. “That’s why I started this.”
The Three Kingdom Rally is the latest of the many trips the Blue Jackets Society has taken. Annually, the supercar club makes trips all over Asia, leaving first from home in Kuala Lumpur to explore new and foreign regions reachable by land and, more importantly, by car.
But there is more than just the thrill of the speed and mileage for these guys. With every trip, they seek to give back to local society of the destination they visit.
The Blue Jackets name has long been associated with charity work in Kuala Lumpur. This time, going beyond the borders of Malaysia, it is a small primarily untouched town of Chiang Rai in North-East Thailand that the Blue Jackets Society has their eyes on.
3 kingdoms. 2 weeks. 1 cause.
Chiang Rai is home to a small clan of indigenous locals referred to as the Long Necks. Cut off from the bulk of modernisation that has seen Thailand rise as a leading tourism hub in Asia, they continue to live life the way their ancestors have – benefitting from the land and their natural environment.
‘I knew about these villagers is from this friend of mine, Count Gerald,” Erwin discloses, referring to Count Gerald van der Straten Ponthoz, the Belgian national billionaire who took to Thailand so much – Chiang Rai in particular -- that he moved to the sleepy little state and built his empire.
Under the Count's care, where he introduced various education and coaching programmes to the locals, the state and its people saw vast progress in its socio-economic facets.
When Erwin was interested in stopping by the villages of the Long Necks, Count Gerald welcomed his crew with open arms so that the Blue Jackets Society could share a very special afternoon with the locals.
“We wanted to take the local kids out for an afternoon, to learn their culture and give the kids the opportunity to sit in a supercar,” tells Erwin.
They had to first get the permission from the different chiefs of the villages. A short recce trip was done before everything was in order and they got the consent they needed. When the day came, Erwin and his crew were just as excited as the children.
“The locals prepared a huge feast for us, inclusive of souvenirs. They got the kids to practice their tribal dances,” Erwin shares. “When we arrived, there were over 100 over kids queueing up for a ride in our cars.”
Ride after ride was given out and Erwin told of each one with the proudest glimmer in his eyes.
“We took them for a ride till about 8-9 at night and they were so happy, they didn’t want to stop,” he tells with escalating excitement in his voice.
“It was a really good feeling because this is their first time meeting people outside of their village. They’ve never met any outsiders.”
Giving back through the love of the ride
Charity has always gone hand-in-hand with the driving motto of the Blue Jackets Society, particularly those concerning children.
When the club was first founded on 13 January 2011, Erwin was a treasurer with the Make-a-Wish Foundation. Hence began Blue Jackets Society's strive to always help the needy out where ever possible. Erwin did everything he could to realise the many plights Make-a-Wish receives from children suffering from terminal illnesses.
“It takes so little to put a smile on children’s faces,” says Erwin of the matter. “To a lot of children with terminal illnesses, you need to give them something to look forward to so they will have the will to fight. You need to give them hope."
"That is why I do this."
Beyond Make-a-Wish, Blue Jackets also collaborates with many different homes and charity bodies to raise funds. However, above monetary funds, though essential, Erwin believes more in sharing something more treasured and much more valuable – his own time.
“It doesn’t cost you anything to spend just half a day with these kids. Just taking some time out to bring them to the water park, or for a ride in the cars, that’s all it takes to make their day,” he elaborates.
He does it all for the simple satisfaction of being the one to put a smile on a child’s face.
“In Kuala Lumpur, there are a lot of homes that are unfunded. But we also have to be realistic,” he discloses. “It’s very time-consuming and it’s not an easy exercise to undertake. We try to do as much as we can in the capacity that we can."
He cannot cover all grounds if he tried but anytime a car is needed to make a sick child’s day, he’ll make every call that is necessary to find the car. He cannot raise all the funds to put an end to poverty, but he’ll try his hardest to raise hope.
“This is something that money cannot buy,” he says.
“The cars are just the means to an end. It’s always been about the hope you give to these children.”
(Photos: Blue Jackets Society)
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