She conquered the Asia GT Festival in her own way at the Sepang International Circuit over the weekend, enjoying podium finishes in the Super Street and Saga Cup and bagging the best woman driver award in the Saga Cup.
Race car driver Leona Chin now hopes her outstanding performances will open the eyes of sponsors as she seeks to burn rubber in more races.
“It was a good weekend not just in terms of results but also because I got to meet a lot of important people from the industry,” says Chin, who won the SIC Motorsports Association of Malaysia’s Most Inspiring Female Motorsports Athlete a month ago.
“I have been spending a lot of time preparing proposals to potential sponsors but it is always good to back up my propositions with podium finishes.
“Finishing as the top female driver is a bonus but as I told Twentytwo13 before the race, I am determined to prove I belong in the sport.
“To finish third overall in my category in the Saga Cup, beating some of the male drivers, is a great feeling,” she added.
“Women can drive fast too.”
The 32-year-old finished 27th out of 65 cars which started the Saga Cup in Race 1 and 15th in Race 2.
But after segregation of classes (casual, intermediate, advanced and professional) she placed third overall in the advanced class despite suffering mechanical issues at the start.
“I have to thank my team as they worked very hard to get the car sorted out after a difficult start.
“That is why teamwork is very important in motorsport. It is not just about the driver.”
Chin also finished third in the Super Street Race 2 in her ‘Silver Samurai’ – her first podium finish in that category.
“We had some minor electrical issues but managed to pull through.
“Once again, the importance of teamwork helped me get good results.”
Chin, who is hoping to compete in either the China GT or Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series, says a third option of competing in the Malaysia Championship Series (MCS) is also on the cards.
“There are five rounds of MCS with two races each weekend. That means 10 races over a span of five months starting next month,” said Chin.
“It only costs about RM200,000 for an entire MCS season while the China GT and Lamborghini Super Trofeo Series are about RM300,000 per weekend!
“I have a really fast car ready for the MCS and am confident of getting on the podium but need to find a backer.
“Hopefully my performance last weekend will boost my chances of doing so.”
Image by Leona Chin
