If you spot Gladys Lam in her Suzuki Swift Sport on the roads, resist the urge to challenge her to a race. She will not take you on, not because she might lose, but on the contrary, she will outpace you.
“I’ve no interest in illegal street races. Racing belongs on the track,” Lam asserted. However, she is happy to chat and take photos.
Lam, 30, is a professional race car driver, and currently the only active female racer in Singapore.
Former notable speed queens include Anne Wong Holloway, the Singaporean driver who won the Macau Grand Prix in 1970, and British-born, Singapore-raised Claire Jedrek, who made history by becoming the first woman to achieve podium finishes in the Malaysia Championship Series.
“I do hope more Singaporean females pick up motorsports,” Lam told CNA Women. “It is a big commitment. But to me, it is a dream worth chasing.”
FROM SIMULATOR RACING TO COMPETITIVE MOTORSPORTS
Influenced by friends who were into cars, Lam’s passion for motorsports began when she was a teenager. She spent years doing simulator racing and go-karting before taking part in her first race in 2019 at the Malaysia Street Festival Series race at Sepang International Circuit.
A last-minute spot to take part in the race, which fell on her 24th birthday, had opened up. “It felt like a sign for me to go big or go home,” Lam recalled.
She came in first in the women’s category. “The feeling of standing on top of the podium after a race was addictive. It made me want to chase that high again and again.”
