Leona Chin: the Malaysian speed queen dominating the racetrack

Free Malaysia Today

Malaysia’s very own female motorsport athlete, with a career spanning over 18 years, outpaces the guys in style, bringing home numerous trophies along the way.   Written & presented by: Theevya Ragu Shot by: Fauzi Yunus Edited by: Aisha Husaini   Read More: https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com/category/leisure/2024/05/26/leona-chin-local-speed-queen-dominating-the-racetrack/   Free Malaysia Today is an independent, bi-lingual news portal with a focus on Malaysian current affairs.    Subscribe to our channel - http://bit.ly/2Qo08ry   ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Check us out at https://www.freemalaysiatoday.com Follow FMT on Facebook: https://bit.ly/49JJoo5 Follow FMT on Dailymotion: https://bit.ly/2WGITHM Follow FMT on X: https://bit.ly/48zARSW  Follow FMT on Instagram: https://bit.ly/48Cq76h Follow FMT on TikTok : https://bit.ly/3uKuQFp Follow FMT Berita on TikTok: https://bit.ly/48vpnQG  Follow FMT Telegram - https://bit.ly/42VyzMX Follow FMT LinkedIn - https://bit.ly/42YytEb Follow FMT Lifestyle on Instagram: https://bit.ly/42WrsUj Follow FMT on WhatsApp: https://bit.ly/49GMbxW  ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ Download FMT News App: Google Play – http://bit.ly/2YSuV46 App Store – https://apple.co/2HNH7gZ Huawei AppGallery - https://bit.ly/2D2OpNP  #FMTLifestyle #LeonaChin #MalaysianSpeedQueen #Female #MotorsportAthlete

Transcript

00:00 [ENGINE REVVING]

00:05 That is Bayona Cid, Malaysia's very own female

00:09 motorsport athlete.

00:11 [MUSIC PLAYING]

00:19 [ENGINE REVVING]

00:26 [TIRES SCREECHING]

00:29 [ENGINE REVVING]

00:33 For around 18 years, Chin has been the force

00:36 to beat in Southeast Asian motorsports,

00:39 often outpacing her male rivals as the only woman on the track.

00:44 Fueled by a hunger for speed, this 37-year-old

00:48 has stacked up numerous trophies and podium finishes

00:52 and shows no intention of slowing down.

00:56 FMT Lifestyle recently witnessed Chin in action

01:00 at round one of the Malaysia Championship Series

01:02 at the Sepang International Circuit.

01:05 Having won overall first place in the series back in 2021,

01:10 Chin was all geared up to take down her competitors, many

01:14 of whom were international racers.

01:18 My mental state right now is super excited.

01:21 Yesterday, I didn't really get to drive much

01:23 because I had another driver to drive first.

01:27 And by the time when I reached and I raced,

01:30 I mean I got in the car, it was very short of a driving time.

01:34 So I only had like one full lap.

01:36 And then after that, there was a big accident.

01:38 And they called the race off early.

01:41 So I only had one actual drive, like one lap.

01:46 And it wasn't enough.

01:47 So there's a lot of fire in me right now.

01:50 And I'm going to go all out.

01:53 With her team's support, Chin geared up

01:56 for the one-hour endurance race, drove her neon yellow Suzuki

02:00 Swift to the track, and hit the pedal.

02:04 However, the race turned ugly when she

02:06 encountered an unexpected crash.

02:10 [MUSIC PLAYING]

02:14 [TIRES SCREECHING]

02:17 Yeah, I'm very upset.

02:28 And I got hit by I don't know which

02:31 competitor during turn nine.

02:33 But I was very devastated after that crash

02:36 because I already was somewhere in the middle.

02:38 I was like, OK, I can push further.

02:41 Small mistakes, it's caused big damage.

02:46 Do moments like these ever scare Chin?

02:50 No, I get more angry because I already lost a lot of pace.

02:56 And all I want to focus on is keep chasing,

03:01 keep overtaking the car in front.

03:04 It's clear Chin's far from timid.

03:07 Her fascination with cars and speed

03:09 began at a young age and intensified in high school

03:13 when she met a friend who was a drifter.

03:16 After participating in competitions,

03:18 Chin became known as the drift queen

03:21 before transitioning to racing.

03:24 In fact, you may have seen Chin's viral videos

03:27 pranking driving instructors in her nerdy getup.

03:30 [TIRES SCREECHING]

03:33 [MUSIC PLAYING]

03:36 But now as a professional racer,

03:48 she says it is completely different,

03:50 requiring immense mental strength.

03:54 Other team members, other team drivers,

03:56 cars will play mind games with you in the race.

04:00 Yeah, they might flash you.

04:01 They might try to make you offset yourself.

04:06 And this will eventually trick your mind

04:10 and cause confusion.

04:13 What they're trying to signal you,

04:15 what kind of signals you're getting in front.

04:18 They might block you, or they might pull a finger out,

04:20 like wave at you to confuse you.

04:25 So you have to be very mentally calm.

04:29 Although this race may have been a setback on the points table,

04:33 there's still the fourth round in September

04:36 to determine if Chin will be standing

04:38 on the podium of the Malaysia Championship Series,

04:40 setting an example for all girls out there

04:44 that the possibilities are indeed endless.

04:47 Siviragu, FMC Lifestyle.

04:50 (upbeat music)

04:53 (upbeat music)

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