Ho-Pin Tung had humble beginnings

Born in Velp, a relatively small town of around 18,000 citizens in the Netherlands, Tung’s family originated from Zhejiang, Wenzhou.

“My family was one of the only non-Dutch, non-Caucasian families within the environment,” said the 40-year-old, adding that the experience of being different “is an opportunity and also will give you opportunities”.

As a young boy, Tung loved to play with cars and took an interest in watching car races when they came on the TV. But what really got him in touch with motorsports was go-karting. “The first time I saw them [go-karts] in real life was probably when I was like four or five, but actually when I really started practising and getting more serious into the sport, I was already 14,” said Tung.

As with any professional sport, Tung explained how 14 was a relatively late age to start, but he was fortunate to have a rapid career progression. Having only done a few years of go-kart racing, Tung was selected and promoted to car racing by the industry’s talent scouting programme, which allowed his potential in the field to blossom into a professional career.

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His professional racing car career

In a nutshell, Tung has experience in everything imaginable related to racing car driving. From Formula One to endurance racing, he has left no stone unturned, accumulating accomplishments from multiple names in the industry.

His latest accomplishments include winning the Fia World Endurance Championship Super Season, securing victories at Spa-Francorchamps, Silverstone and Shanghai in 2018, and finishing second in the 2019 24 Hours of Le Mans. Tung continues to drive professionally today and was part of the Jackie Chan DC Racing team, which placed second in the 2020 24 Hours of Le Mans.

A race day for Tung comes with heavy preparation, with days spent in driving simulators, as car racing is one of the few sports where practice is limited by regulation due to the cost involved and to create a level playing field.

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Having broken one of his vertebras in a Formula 2 race in Budapest, Hungary, Tung mentioned how there’s always an element of risk and danger involved in car racing, adding that “it’s not only getting yourself in physical shape but also mentally in the right place”.

Currently, Tung sits on the board that scouted him in the early days of his driving career, KNAF Talent First.

He reflected on this full-circle moment, stressing the importance of mentorship, and expressing how rewarding it is to give back to society by sharing his experiences with younger racing car driving hopefuls.

From Formula One driver to property consultant

Tung’s switch to the business field was a long time coming. He had always felt that the university element was missing in his life, and as an effort to tick off a personal bucket list item, he decided to enrol for a joint Kellogg-HKUST Executive MBA during quarantine in 2020.

Speaking about applying a similar way of thinking to his duties at Knight Frank, Tung said, “We have to think with the customer and try to add value and try to support opportunities for that specific individual or family offers or anyone, wherever it is in the world, and then we are able to curate within the larger Knight Frank global network to service those people best.”

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Tung’s role as an F1 analyst has also equipped him with a “connect-the-dots” way of analysing the motorsport, allowing him to identify opportunities at Knight Frank as well.

What’s next for Ho-Pin Tung?

Starting a new chapter at Knight Frank, Tung shared how while the business field is new to him, he’s working on his new journey, which has “been very enjoyable”. With new challenges coming his way, Tung appears confident, saying he “likes to be challenged so that’s great”.

He also enjoys collaborating with others. Tung mentioned how he is looking forward to “identifying talent within the larger organisation, working closely with colleagues and trying to create this link, create this bonding and where you can then get add value to the other side”.

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But Tung has not arrived at this point of his life without trials and tribulations, saying, “The number of times I’ve walked into a wall and then try to walk through the wall again, has been too many times to count.”

As for advice to his younger self, and all the youngsters out there, Tung said, “I think one is determination. Second is perseverance because nothing will come as a given, right? It is often what you get out of it, not always, but quite often.”