Chinese-Canadian professional racing driver Samantha Tan could not have dreamed up a better start to 2021. The 23-year-old returned victorious from the United Arab Emirates last weekend after making history as the first Asian woman and part of the first Canadian team to win the Dubai 24 Hour Race, and the first woman to win the Abu Dhabi 6 Hour Race in her GT4 class. While securing pole position in her first full 24-hour campaign is already a remarkable feat in itself, Tan races for so much more. “You know how there’s that stereotype that Asians are bad drivers? So I’ve been trying to prove that stereotype wrong my entire life,” Tan told the Post . “[That’s] to push and pursue my personal goals, but also to inspire others who can relate to me as a young, Asian female. When I first started racing, I didn’t really think about gender issues because it wasn’t about being the best female driver – but being the best driver out of everybody. “As I progressed, I realised how many young girls or women came up to me to say how much of an inspiration or role model I was for them. I have a platform and I want to utilise it to empower people. I’ve really come to realise how important it is for people like me to be successful in, for example, a male-dominated industry. To show that we can do it. “I didn’t have that kind of role model when I started so it was always about proving to myself that I could do it and it wasn’t my gender or race that was inhibiting me.” Born in Gormley, Ontario to immigrant parents, Tan said she “really almost cried” as she stood atop the podium, Canadian flag raised, national anthem blaring, with her ST Racing teammates Jon Miller, Chandler Hull and Nick Wittmer by her side. It is testament to the work she has put in since being introduced to racing at the age of 16. “We’re the first Canadian team to run in the 24 Hour series and to start the season with two wins for Canada was just a very, very proud moment,” said Tan, whose BMW-driving team are also two-time reigning Pirelli GT4 America Sprint X Silver Class champions. Tan and Co had actually competed in last year’s Dubai 24 Hour before it was red-flagged after an uncharacteristic torrential downpour. She explained that Wittmer had broken the GT4 track record and the team were very hopeful of a win. The delay and extra Covid-19 precautions only makes victory taste much sweeter. “It was rained out last year, crazily enough. Dubai is in the desert and nobody packed rainboots or jackets. That was a great start to 2020 to set up all the other bad experiences,” Tan recalled, adding that they still managed seven podiums last season. “We came back this year hoping just to finish the race because 24 hours is very challenging on the drivers and crew, so to finish it in first is a dream honestly. We had to test and quarantine for 10 days before heading to Abu Dhabi and won that as well. “So it’s been a great start to 2021. As you know, it’s Chinese New Year soon and it’s the Year of the Ox – which is my year – so I have this great feeling that it’s going to be an incredible year.” View this post on Instagram A post shared by Samantha Tan (@samanthaatan) Tan’s typical Chinese-influenced superstition likely comes from her parents. Her motorhead father Kenneth – “my biggest support, my rock” – is a Philippines-born Taiwanese, while mother Sarah is Malaysian. “They both ended up emigrating to Canada when they were very young. Both my great-grandparents on both sides fled China way back for Southeast Asia. I’m no stranger to the immigrant story,” she said, adding that she picked up some phrases having grown up with a Hokkien-speaking father and Cantonese-speaking mother. “I’ve been very fortunate to have parents that support my passions. There aren’t many Asian drivers in the motorsport industry – only 3 per cent are female and an even smaller amount are Asian.” Now that she has proven to herself, family and several aspiring drivers hailing from marginalised demographics that she is the real deal, Tan turns her attention to Italy and the Mugello 12 Hours in Tuscany, scheduled for March – Covid-19 willing. For the long term, let’s just say her recent knack for blazing trails and making history is but only the start. “These two wins were actually some of my first wins in pro racing. We’re a very small team and don’t have the biggest budget, so for us to go up against some of these big-name European teams with some factory drivers, we are fighting for recognition and credibility and really showed we have the drive to bring excellence. Big shout-out to my team,” she said. “Definitely [24 Hours of] Le Mans is the end goal. I want to be the first Asian woman to win Le Mans. They started to run full-female teams so hopefully I’ll be a part of that – to represent women and Asia in motorsports.”