i’m in < R-AGE the star college issue >

Thursday October 25, 2007

Look boys, she’s drifting!

BY NASA MARIA ENTABAN

PICS BY SAM THAM

Not a car model… Leona actually owns this car and loves it to bits. Almost RM10,000 has come out of her pocket to pimp this baby.

WHEN Leona Chin Lyweoi walks into the room, her quiet steps can go unnoticed. However, put her in a car – say, her souped-up Nissan 200sx – and it’s almost impossible to ignore her … especially when she starts revving it up.

At college, her reputation precedes her. She’s a quiet person, but admits that everyone can hear her arrival at college as her loud engine roars into the carpark. The 21-year-old student is reading for her business degree at KDU College, but it is stepping on the pedals during weekends that truly gets her blood pumping.

Motorsports have been her obsession for a few years now, and she takes part in anything she has time for – from drifting events to car racing.

“I race at least once a week, but for the past few weeks my car was being repainted, so I’ve been a bit out of it for a while,” the Subang Jaya native explains. Now that she has her car back, she can’t wait to get going again.

You won’t see anyone else touching her car -Leona does all the dirty work herself.
“The first time I walked into a workshop to buy bucket seats for my car, the owner was really curious,” she explains as she sits among tyres and car parts in the workshop.

“He asked why I wanted them, and I explained that I wanted to soup up my car. He was quite impressed and has been helping me ever since.”

People always stare at her now white and orange car wherever she goes. They are even more curious when they see Leona step out of the car.

“I guess they’re assuming it’s my boyfriend’s car, or my brother’s,” she relates giggling.

But she is no stranger to such reaction, as she got the same response when she first started taking part in events and races.

Leona spends a lot of time in this workshop, looking for tyres and parts for her car.
“No-one could believe there was a female drifter on the circuit, but eventually they got used to it. But it’s nice to be known as one of the only females who drift,” she shares.

Her love for speed is such that even when she’s not driving, she indulges in arcade games (which involves cars, of course) and go-karting.

“I live for speed. I love the automobile industry and follow the Formula One championship and drifting competitions religiously,” says Leona.

One of her most recent and most exciting experiences was taking part in the Red Bull Female Driver Search.

She beat 600 participants to make it to the final 12, which made Leona’s day. But when it was announced that she has emerged as one of the four winners, her happiness soared.

“They called me up and told me that I would potentially be racing in next year?s Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race in the all-female team.

Leona in her car during a drift event.
“I can’t wait to start training,” she enthuses.

Of course, her first love will always be drifting, and she loves to test her wheels especially in the rain.

“Mainly because it saves my tyres,” she reasons. “During dry races you’ll go through two pairs of tyres by the time you’re done. But also, the ground is slippery which makes it easier.”

Do her parents worry for her life, drifting on the fast lane? Her eyes light up as she answers the question.

“No … My mother is my biggest supporter!” laughs Leona. “When my car was being repainted she kept asking me why I haven’t been drifting in ages and why it’s taking so long.”

Hitting walls and damaging her car during events no longer make Leona cringe, as she has become used to it.

However, she still does try to be more careful, as modifications, parts and repairs on her car have amounted to almost RM10,000 in the past few years.

She dreams of adding parts to her car, and has created a digital image of her dream car on her computer, looking at it every now and again for inspiration.

Her drifting stunts are on YouTube.com, and she says all you need to do to watch her videos are search for her name.

Leona hopes to one day become a professional race car driver, but for now, drifting will do.

We look forward to that day.

DBSG – Dong Bang Shin Gi love thier jap songs :)

i really like this song

they coming to malaysia~~ ^_^

Its out !

Sneak Peek on My Dear Kura-kura

My Car is coming back to me… After 2 months of Waiting… i will soon be reunited again with my new improved Pimped UP KURA!! OHYEA~

Warning : Spoiler Alert..

September *_* Days

KTV

MONOPOLY

Drift in Pandamaran klang

this is me at the brickfields temple playing with rabbits.. it was the day my eldest sister, Adeline became Mrs. Lim (25-9-2007).. her dinner wedding will be this month

Dreams Do Come True!

i’m so excited..

i just received the best news ever..

Dear Leona Chin

Congratulations! You are a Red Bull Female Driver Search winner! We are sure that you are proud to be part of this first-ever Female racing driver initiative in Malaysia.

Moving forward, Red Bull will now form a team of 4 Red Bull Female Rookie Drivers (which you are now a member) to debut in the Malaysian Super Series 2008, whereby your confidence and experience will be built-up and put to the test as the main objective is to prepare you and the team to race competitively in the Merdeka Millenium Endurance Race 2008.

Red Bull will provide the 2008 female rookie race team with an exciting brand new race-ready (Honda DC-2) competing in Class B.

Red Bull will work with our new motorsport partner to provide the Red Bull Female Rookie Drivers Team with a comprehensive training schedule 2008 whereby you will learn all aspects of driving (on and off track), clock actual Sepang track time and actual hands-on track practices, fully sponsored by Red Bull Malaysia.

On top of that, you will also be trained in enhancing your media interview skills and general fitness and team-building.

Please do make yourself available on Thursday, October 25, 2007 as we will be hosting a dinner to celebrate the occasion and to introduce our new motorsport partner with the 2008 training plans to you.

Christabel Wong of Red Bull Malaysia will personally call you to confirm the venue at a later date.

Once again we congratulate you and look forward to building together Malaysia’s very own Red Bull Female Rookie Drivers Team 2008!

Sincerely yours,

Red Bull Malaysia

TEAM RED BULL IS GONNA GET A DC2!!!! INTEGRA!!! OOOOOOOYEAAAAAAAA!!

Some more… we gonna join MSS!.. Super Series!!!.. This IS THE BEST EVER!!

THANK YOU RED BULL!

The STAR Sports Section 2-10-2007

The four girls to drive for Red Bull

PETALING JAYA: The search for the talented female drivers is over with the announcement of the four winners of the Red Bull Female Driver Search yesterday.

Norbaizura Ruslan, Leona Chin, Puteri Ayu Jasmin and Norlina Johor were selected after three stints of intensive driving programmes at the Sepang International Circuit, Port Dickson and Kuala Lumpur over the past two months.

The stints involved 12 Malaysian female drivers selected from a pool of 600 hopefuls to form a Red Bull race team for the Merdeka Millennium Endurance Race next year. AMN Motorsport co-coordinated the programme.

Fast girls: The Red Bull Female Driver Search winners (from left) Norlina Johor, Leona Chin, Puteri Ayu Jasmin and Norbaizura Ruslan.

Marketing director of AMN Motorsport Najmi Razak said: “We were pleasantly surprised with the level of talent out there. Choosing the final four from the 12 finalists was very tough. The winners demonstrated immense finesse and skill.”

The four selected will be trained and groomed by the team’s professional instructors and get the chance to be mentored by Red Bull X1R Racing Team drivers – celebrity Deanna Yusoff, Philippa Yoong, Hiroko Nakamura and Nurul Alis Kiki.

The team have been taking part in the MME since 2003 and their best finish was sixth in 2005.