Siti Shahkirah Binti Shaharul’s foray into motorsports had initially began when she was just six years old, on a go-kart track in Subang Jaya, in Malaysia.

Then, her father had bought a go-kart for her, as well as for each of her two brothers, and this had sparked Siti’s interest in the sport, as well as her initial discovery of her potential and talent in motorsports.

Said Siti, now 24, “My parents had inspired me in motorsports. They had put my two brothers and me into go-karts and that was how I built up my passion in the sport.”

Only South East Asian On W Series 

Today, the young Malaysian is an accomplished motorsports driver, having recently become the only driver from South East Asia to make it into the final list of the all-female W Series.

A newly launched international single-seater championship for women, the aim of the W Series is to help female drivers in their push to the Formula 1.

Said Siti, “I am really happy that I got selected and in being the only South East Asian representative. Somehow it gives me some pressure but I will try may best and work hard in making my nation proud.”

She added, “This is definitely the biggest highlight of my motorsports career because it could be the benchmark in competing single-seater as most women who got selected, come from a world-class championship like this one.”

Excited To Meet David Coulthard

The judges for the W Series will include former F1 race winner David Coulthard, former F1 team manager Dave Ryan who is the series’ racing director and F1 technical designer Adrian Newey.

And Siti is especially excited to meet the former F1 race winner at the W Series. She said, “Since I was small, Coulthard has been my favourite F1 driver. When I was young, I would adore his charming face but as I grew up, I liked how he drove in F1 in terms of his skills and how he carries himself as a professional racer and individual.”

She continued, “Although he has now retired from F1, he is still involved in developing young talent in motorsports and is also currently involved in the W Series. I am excited to meet him as he is one of the reasons for me to start racing.”

Other Accomplishments

Besides her achievement in making it to the W Series, some of Siti’s other accomplishments during her years in the sport also include being the youngest driver to compete at the Sepang 1000km race in 2011 at the age of only 17, coming in third at the Malaysian Super Series (MSS) Round 1, the support race of the Malaysian Grand Prix in 2011 as well as another third position in the High Performance Car Endurance 2011 race. And Siti was also chosen as the anchor driver of the Red Bull Rookies in both 2013 and 2014. 

Apart from being a competitive motorsports driver, she is also currently a Team Manager for Seven Racing, an international Go-Kart racing team based in Malaysia as well as a personal coach in karting and formula Renault. 

The Adrenaline Rush

What keeps her passion for motorsports burning? Said Siti, “I like the feeling of driving the fast cars. The adrenaline rush, g-force makes me want to go faster. This sport is male-dominated, too, and that keeps me wanting to be better every time I go out for a practice, so that I can keep up with the guys and race with them competitively.”

She added, “Generally, I think there is no difference between males and females. I believe that if the guys can do it, I can do it too. Being in a male-dominated sport does not stop me from giving them a challenge when I race with them, though sometimes they would push me out so that they wouldn’t lose to a girl.”

Gender Bias Still Exists 

She feels that such a gender bias exists in the sport because it’s human nature for people to invariably compare themselves with others. 

Explained Siti, “People start to compare with one another. For me, each gender has its own strengths and for me, if a man can do something, I can do it too.” 

Continued Siti, “And I take that as a challenge as people tend to question my credibility. In fact, I am always questioned about my ability in racing with other men, and they would only respect me after I beat all of them.”

Hopes To Inspire More Women To Race

Siti hopes that her achievements can inspire more women to race competitively in motorsports and to show all the girls out there that nothing is impossible.

She said, “I hope that this could be an eye-opener for the government and any organisation to see that there are women who actually can race competitively in international level. And I also hope that I can be an inspiration to the young girls who dare to be different.”

Dream To Make It To F1 Someday

Siti eventually hopes to make it into the F1 someday and by taking baby steps, she feels that she can achieve it.

Said Siti, “My dream is to become the first female Malaysian to drive and compete in the F1. I know the dream is big, but I believe that with determination and hard work, I can achieve it. I can say that the W Series gives me one step ahead into becoming an F1 driver.”

And she continued, “It is an norm that women are not given the right opportunities to race, but with the introduction of the W Series to motorsports, I believe that it can provide the platform to lady racers with no sponsors and no support, to be given the chance to race with the other men competitively.”

Photos are courtesy of Siti Shahkirah.