gefunden in einer alten Pattaya-Mail
Successfully Yours: Colin Marshall
by Mirin MacCarthy
There are many retired motorcycle racers, but not many like Colin Marshall who has kick started his way into a new life in Thailand.
Colin, born in Great Yarmouth in the UK, and still with a very English accent, followed his father’s love of motorbikes. “I started motorcycle racing at 17. I distinctly remember my first race, I was so sure I’d win. The lights changed to green and all the others were at the first corner and I was still wondering what to do. That’s when I realized it was a craft to learn.”
Colin had two things really going for him - belief in himself and the dedication to persevere. “I carried on and learned the business because I knew I could be up there. I scored 6th place in the world championship class 24 hour World Endurance in Belgium in1984. We had formed a team called the Bee Team and were graded second endurance team in the U.K.”
But for Colin, racing was more than a hobby. It was to become, and still is, his life. When he talks, he speaks excitedly of races, reliving each event as if it were yesterday. “In 1983, ’84 and ’85 I entered the Macao Grand Prix. In ’83 I finished 3rd in the 1,000 cc class, ’84 1st and ’85 1st. In 1987 I raced in Malaysia. I got my team partner to come out and we finished second and ended up being sponsored by Rothmans. That was basically the start of Asia for me, and that was when I fell in love with Thailand. I spent my prize money on a ten day holiday here and I have been here ever since.”
Well motorcycle racing may have got him here, but how did he stay? “When I came to Thailand it was just me and my motorbike. I started at the Pattaya Circuit in 1987 and became a household name because I was up there at the front and the only farang competing. At the time, many expats couldn’t get their expensive bikes to work so they persuaded me to start a business of motorcycle preparation. ‘High Tech Engine Developer’ is what’s on my work permit. From the first day I was never out of work and it helped pay for my racing.”
However, even Champions have to step down sometime - and usually after they step off. Colin was no exception. “My last race was in 1992. I crashed and realized you hurt more as you get older. I decided to run a team.” There was no way he could turn his back on his beloved motorcycles!
Colin is one of the few farangs here who has applied for and is being given Thai citizenship. He explains what inspired him with disarming simplicity, “I have no intention of going home. Principally I am happy with the place. I married my Thai wife Chaweewan 12 years ago. We have three sons, my family and business are here. Basically it is for the love of the place.”
For Colin, citizenship is not just a stamp in a passport, but is far more - it even means a new name, Phised Jaipisut. “I take my Thai name seriously. I chose Phised because it means special. I think I have to be special after fourteen years here. The girls in the office chose Jaipisut, which means good hearted, as I am always helping out people in trouble,” he grinned ruefully.
Colin, crediting standards given by his father, believes in doing things properly. “That is why I continue when sometimes business is difficult in Asia. If a job is worth doing then I do it 100%. That is what my life’s work is all about. To get the team right, the most professional team in Asia. I don’t want to save money - I want to be the best.”
And he has produced the best, including champions (even a Japanese girl Momoko Takahishi, who in ’96 set the world alight) and a Thai mechanic who Colin claims would be an asset in any world class team as well.
Success to Colin is wrapped up in the team. “It gives me a buzz to know I have played a part in the team winning. I pick the right people to win the championship. I am not stealing the glory; we have a good team, the requirements are high.”
What motivates Colin Marshall is just total absorption in what he is doing and he is proud of it. “My hobby is my business. I am one of the most fortunate people in the world who can say that. I am happy here. I am a man of my word, thanks to my father. If I promise anything it will be delivered exact and on time. I came here with 30,000 baht, I raced for seven years without anything. I’ve built a business and a world class race team and I’ve never ripped anyone off.”
To understand Colin is to attempt to understand motorcycles. “What can you really get out of anything else? The fear, the thrill, the erotic feel all in one. Something you can’t match, the lows so low you hope you never have to experience them and the highs so high you are on cloud nine.”
Colin Marshall, AKA Phised Jaipisut, may no longer sit astride racing bikes in competition, but that same man will be involved with bikes forever, in a country that has adopted him, just as he has adopted it.
Uibr Charly
