Filipina racing driver, the first Asian to compete in the W Series championship, actually began her racing journey in Singapore

SINGAPORE

Bianca Bustamante became the first Asian W Series racing driver at the tender age of 17. This weekend (30 September 2022) she will compete at the Marina Bay Street Circuit in her first-ever W Series race in Singapore.

The W Series  is a female-only racing championship where competitors are not required to bring any sponsorship. It was launched in October 2018, and provides equal opportunities  for women and eliminates the financial barriers that have historically prevented them from progressing to the upper echelons of motorsport.

This season, the W Series visits five new venues, which includes the Marina Bay Street Circuit as part of the Singapore Grand Prix on September 30 2022.

Bianca, who is no stranger to Singapore, first started her karting journey here at the age of 12. “I remembered back in 2013, it was my second International race here in Singapore. We were so out of budget that I had to wake up at 4 am to catch an hour’s train ride to the circuit. I used to sleep on the bench because we would get there super early before I had my drive, which was a really humbling experience for me”. She further added how nostalgic it was like coming back here. “I’ve seen lots of change. The karting tracks are so much better, everything is so advanced here, definitely for the better.”

Whilst Bianca is also good behind the wheel, she sure knows how to rock the chopsticks too. CarBuyer threw her a curve ball when we put her to the test of picking out her favourite Singaporean food. “Too tough! Satay, Chicken rice, Bak Kut Teh, I don’t know. I like Dim Sum as well.”

Sharing some advice to other female motorsports enthusiasts out there hoping to emulate in her footsteps, she said, “the sky’s the limit. Dream as big as you can, but make sure you put in the effort, the discipline, and the hard work to make sure you can achieve it. Dreams will only remain dreams if you don’t act on them.”

The W Series race in Singapore is the sixth of eight races which began in Miami, USA in May earlier this year. The bubbly 17-year-old is represented by Academy – a grassroots initiative that seeks to support the progression of young female talent across all roles in motorsport.

Catch all the action of the W Series championships this weekend on 30 September 2022.

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