Singapore’s only public go-karting facility Kartright Speedway continues to achieve new milestones as it holds the first Ladies’ Night this weekend. The brainchild of Cheryl Tay, only full-time female motoring writer and motorsports blogger in Singapore, Ladies’ Night @Kartright is a two-hour karting course for women only, especially those who have always wanted to try karting but are too shy to do so in the presence of males. Initially planned for Friday night (25th February), the first Ladies’ Night is now extended to Saturday night (26th February) as well, due to the enthusiastic response.
The track will be closed for this event and participants will be karting in the company of other ladies, hence not having to worry about being laughed at by men for being slow. For $90 each – $80 if they bring a girlfriend along – the ladies will receive professional guidance in theory and practical from multiple British karting champion and Formula 3 driver Richard Bradley as well as national veteran karting champion Kenny Yip. In future, the course might progress to intermediate or advanced levels.
“I’m delighted with the response to Ladies’ Night at Kartright. Seeing many women step out to be involved in motorsports is very encouraging. Motorsports is a male-dominated industry, but there is still a place for women on the track and not just as a grid girl or spectator,” said Cheryl Tay, who has been sharing her experiences and thoughts on her website at www.cheryl-tay.com.
“It has always been my aim to get more women into motorsports and the time now is perfect, after I left my stable job at an international hotel chain last year, to pursue my passion fully,” she added.
Ladies’ Night @Kartright is also part of the process of recruiting drivers for the all-girl team that Tay is putting together for the inaugural OCBC Corporate Karting Challenge 2011. There will be an official selection round but potential talent might be spotted from Ladies’ Night. The team will consist of six drivers, of which four are main drivers and two reserves.
Anyone with an addiction to speed and a passion for motorsports is welcome to try out. Prior racing experience is not necessary, so long as candidates show promising talent, is a team player, is committed and has the required fitness levels.
“I was thinking of entering an all-female team for the OCBC Corporate Karting Challenge when MindChicClub.com (MC²!) approached me and offered to sponsor a team for the Challenge through me. That gave me the last shot of confidence I needed. We will be entering two teams – all-female and also all-male – and we will do our best to be competitive,” Tay concluded.
