“This has not been an easy journey. By its very nature, motorsport is a tough and all too often brutal business that can take its toll on you, physically and mentally. As a young woman climbing the ladder in this predominantly male arena, I’ve faced my fair share of challenges,” says Samantha .

Samantha  started racing at an early age, her major influence being her father. “I got interested in racing because of my dad. I spent a lot of time with him growing up, so his interests had a big influence over me, which sparked my passion for cars and racing. I used to watch Formula One, go karting and attend  track days with him, so I learned to love the feeling of speed at a young age. When I was 14 years old, I attended the Ferrari Driving Experience at Circuit Mont Tremblant in Quebec, Canada, and was the youngest ever participant. At the end of the event, attendees were offered to sit passenger in a Ferrari 458 Challenge race car for a hot lap with a pro driver. Needless to say, I jumped at the opportunity. I vividly remember the extremely late braking, intense G-forces and acceleration. I was strapped into a 5-point harness, but being so little, my legs were still flailing around and I had to brace myself by gripping onto the belts. Although some people may find this terrifying, I remember having the biggest smile on my face. It was an incredible, unforgettable experience that ultimately inspired me to seriously pursue a racing career myself. I started racing when I was 16 years old in regional races around the US, and also competed in my first full national series, the Canadian Touring Car Championship, that same year in 2014. I moved to Pirelli World Challenge in 2015 and competed in the TCA Class with Kinetic Motorsports in a Kia Forte, and continued to compete in PWC for the next 6 years. Since then, I’ve been competing with BMW, created our amazing race team, Samantha Tan Racing, and won multiple championships. It’s been one hell of a journey, but I wouldn’t have it any other way!”

She started off her racing career with a Mini Cooper S in the 2014 Canadian Touring Car Championship and moved on to a Kia Forte Koup in the 2015 Pirelli World Challenge. After that she closed in on BMW as her brand for future races. “When we started the race team, it was around the same time as the launch of the BMW M235iR programme. My dad and I have always been BMW enthusiasts, and I already had plans to move up to TC. BMW was the only manufacturer that was supplying factory built race cars for TC and the BMW M235iR was very competitive that year. It was the best option at the time for us. It perfectly aligned with my future goals as I also wanted to make the transition back to RWD race cars.”

 Through the ages, racing has predominantly been gender biased and there are many misconceptions about female drivers. But Samantha has a great outlook on this divide. When we asked her about this, she said, “I get this question a lot, and I always like to start off with saying that one of the reasons why I love racing is because the car doesn’t care what gender or race you are. It only cares about whether you can handle it well.

“I have personally never been told that I couldn’t race because I’m a female. However, the gender discrimination that I, and many others, have experienced presents itself in more subtle ways, such as when we are judged or evaluated solely on our appearances, rather than the elite skill level we compete at. When people in the paddock question why we have been given a ride, or in other words, the opportunity to race. When people get offended by the fact that it’s my name over the door at Samantha Tan Racing. When people whistle at me wearing my driver’s suit. When I’ve been pushed off track, ending both of our races, because they couldn’t deal with getting beaten by a girl.  When people have tried to make me feel like their racial/sexual comments are compliments or that it’s ‘okay’. I can’t count the amount of times people have doubted the fact that I’m a driver, saying things like ‘ but you’re so small, so pretty, so gentle’ or ‘you’re more of a model than a race car driver’. My dad has been asked many times why he allows his daughter to compete in such a dangerous sport, and time and time again, he asks ‘would you question this if she were a boy?’. The fact of the matter is he raised my brother and I the same, as every parent should.

“I recently hosted BMW USA’s International Women’s Day event, and I wanted to share some words from the speech I presented there. ‘This has not been an easy journey.

“But I race because I choose to. Because I yearn to.  Because I aspire to prove that motorsport is no longer the boys club it once was. It’s a battleground that only the hungriest and most dedicated people – men AND women from all walks of life – can compete in nose-to-nose, and come out on top.

Tyres play a crucial role while racing, how do you as a racer manage to keep the race tyres at their optimum performance level?

One of the quintessential skills of a good racing driver is the ability to be at the limit of the tyre everywhere on track. To keep the tyres at their optimum performance level, you have to factor in everything: ambient temperature/track temperature, tyre pressures and degradation, avoiding pickup, heat cycles, throttle application and braking management.

The tyres have to be at the right temperature and pressures to be at their peak performance. This means avoiding the curbing during the outlap when the tyres are cold to prevent damage to the sidewalls and ensuring a proper warm up to bring the tyres up to temperature. As the tyres begin to wear, you have less grip and have to worry more about unnecessary understeer and oversteer, or in other words, not overdriving the car, because it’ll put additional temperature into the tyre and wear it out even faster. Braking progressively also adds additional heat into the tyre.

Ultimately, it’s about balancing the car, keeping it at the limit of adhesion and maximising the grip of the tyre by adapting to track conditions.

Over the years that you’ve raced, have you experienced how different tyres behave on a track and do the changes in the Pirelli tyres make a difference in  the years gone by to the current ones?

I have experienced different tyres and their unique behaviours on track! For example, I have tried both slicks and rains from manufacturers such as Pirelli, Hankook, Michelin and Toyo. They all have their own distinctive characteristics and feel on track, but they also all share something in common: the manufacturers are always working to improve the composition and structure of the tyres. As the cars consistently get faster, the tyre compounds must also improve to match that performance increase.

Starting a racing company while still getting a graduation from college must have been tough. Could you take us through your thought process, the hurdles and the overall vision you have for yourself and the team?

It was extremely difficult balancing school and racing. When I started racing in 2014, I was transitioning from my last year of high school to university. I actually missed my high school graduation because I was competing at the Toronto Indy event in CTCC! I completed my degree in economics at the University of California, Irvine last year while still full-time racing for the past five years. There were many times that I would have to study in the car on the way to the racetrack, or do my homework in between sessions, or finish a race weekend and have to fly out that evening to make a final exam the next morning. I had to find the time to train, travel to race events, go to lectures, finish homework, study for exams etc... It was really tough, but it all came down to good time management, negotiating with my professors and relying on some of my college friends to help me take lecture notes. I definitely still had that college experience with multiple all-nighters, but it’s made me stronger as a person and I’m very proud to have finished the university.

My economics degree has helped my ventures with the race team. Initially, when I was in college, I just focused on my role as a driver instead of a team owner. However, after I graduated, I took a more central role and managed publicity, logistics, sponsorships and my own personal brand. I definitely could not have been as successful without my dad guiding me along the way, and am forever thankful for what he has helped me achieve.

Ultimately, my goal is to race in LeMans and to be the first Asian woman to win there. I hope to bring my amazing team with me, as one of my favourite things about racing is sharing the podium with my racing family!

What has been your biggest career high so far, and what do you have planned for the future in your bucket list?

As a driver, my biggest career high is split between winning the 2021 24H Dubai and winning the 6H Abu Dhabi. I was the first Asian woman to win the 24H Dubai and first woman to win the 6H Abu Dhabi! These were both my first ever pro racing wins, so they mean a lot to me. It was a culmination of all the hard work I had done in the previous years and I’m so proud to have shared it with my own racing team. I can’t thank my teammates, Nick Wittmer, Jon Miller and Chandler Hull, enough for putting their faith in me and helping me develop as a driver.

They played the Canadian national anthem on the podium at Abu Dhabi and raised the Canadian flag behind me as I took my trophy. It almost made me cry, I was so happy!

As a team, I think our career high was winning both the 2019 Pirelli GT4 America SprintX West Driver’s Championship and Team Championship! We were finally given credibility and recognition that we had fought for against established teams that had multiple championships on their records.

Do you have any words of advice for women who think of getting into racing but are too afraid to?

The biggest obstacle in racing is finding the funding. Racing is an extremely expensive sport and it requires a lot of sponsors, because if you don’t have the proper funding, it can be a major challenge. You really have to learn how to market yourself, build your brand, fight for recognition and seize any and every opportunity that you can.

Whenever you try anything new, you’re going to fail a lot of times and you’re going to make mistakes. You have to learn to be okay with that. Failure means that you’re trying. You fail and you eliminate a method that won’t work. From failure, we learn, grow and succeed.

As Joanne Molinaro has said, “It’s so much easier to listen to the voices that are telling you ‘you’re not good enough. You’re not smart enough. You’re not strong enough.’ You might even feel tempted to agree with them, just to shut them up. But just when you feel like giving in to those voices, I want you to remember: you are fierce. You are strong. You are a fighter.” Because success is out there for those who fight for it. (TT)

As part of a strategic effort to increase its presence in the region's premium original equipment (OE) market, Kumho Tire has confirmed its plans to establish its first tyre production facility in Europe by 2027.

The company has shortlisted Poland, Serbia and Portugal as possible locations for the plant, which is projected to need an investment of more than KRW1 trillion (USD 705 million). The decision is closely linked to Kumho’s ambition to strengthen its partnerships with European automakers and was revealed by Kumho Tire CEO during the South Korean premiere of Kumho's new Ecsta Sport tyre line.

Kumho has recently secured OE supply contracts with major brands such as Mercedes-Benz, BMW and Volkswagen Group. At the moment, Kumho runs eight tyre production plants in China, Vietnam, South Korea and the US. Its capacity to compete in the premium OE market, however, has come to be perceived as being constrained by the absence of a European production base. Through the benefits of local production, the new facility will improve response to European client requests, save freight costs and shorten delivery times, all of which will strengthen the company's partnerships.

Sentury Tire USA has opened pre-enrolment for its two associate dealer programmes (ADPs), the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program and the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program, underscoring the company’s commitment to rewarding dedication and partnership to the Landsail and Delinte brands.

The ADPs, which are customised for each brand and intended to encourage dealers, will formally start on 1 June 2025. Both programmes give dealers access to special benefits, incentives and strong tools to help them expand their businesses. This involves dependable customer service, effective marketing and worthwhile financial incentives to promote dealers' success at every stage.

Beginning in Q3, dealers may earn up to USD three per tyre through the Delinte HYPERDRIVE Associate Dealer Program. Dealers can receive retroactive benefits for purchases completed in Q2 if they register before 1 June. The awards are available for all Delinte PTR, LTR and the new DV3 LMD AS last-mile delivery tyres. For all Landsail PTR and LTR tyres, independent dealers that sign up for the Landsail Elyte Associate Dealer Program can also earn up to USD three per tyre. For customers who sign up by June 1, the new LMD 100 AS last-mile delivery is also eligible for the benefits and will get the same early bird incentive for Q2 2025.

No initial order is necessary. Dealers only need to register to begin making money. According to the monthly programme rewards structure, 48 tyre purchases each month are eligible for a reward of USD one per tyre, 120 tyres are eligible for a reward of USD two per tyre and 240 or more tyres are eligible for a reward of USD three per tyre.

ENSO, a London-based tyre manufacturer engaged in the production of sustainable tyres specially designed for electric vehicles (EVs), has launched its new ENSO Premium range of EV-specific ultra-high-performance (UHP) tyres aimed at drivers of high-performance EVs such as the Tesla Model 3 and Model Y.

Specifically designed for electric passenger vehicles, the ENSO Premium range comes with A/A EU-label ratings for both energy efficiency and wet grip. The tyres are designed to provide safety, increased range and a reduced total cost of ownership. Conventional tyre designs frequently fall short of the special performance needs of electric vehicles, which include greater vehicle weight, regenerative braking and higher torque loads. By lowering tyre wear and rolling resistance, ENSO Premium takes care of these issues.

The company is an authorised provider of replacement tyres for LEVC's electric taxis and has partnered with Uber to install its tyres in high-mileage metropolitan areas. The company now plans to grow throughout Europe and North America, and with ENSO Premium, it is now offering its services to individual EV owners throughout the United Kingdom. According to ENSO, the range offers advantages including longer tyre life and fewer replacements, lower energy usage, fewer charging stops and lower CO₂ emissions and tyre particle pollution.

Gunnlaugur Erlendsson, CEO and Co-Founder, ENSO, said, “We’re plugging a long-standing gap in the tyre market by offering EV drivers a purpose-built, affordable, premium EV tyre alternative that matches the innovation of their EV.”

Kraton Corporation, a leading global sustainable producer of specialty polymers and high-value bio-based products derived from pine wood pulping co-products, has announced a general price hike in North America for its SBS, SIS and HSBC product lines with effect from 1 May 2025.

Following a careful analysis of the effects of recently implemented tariffs, related cost increases and a conclusion that the company cannot independently absorb these repercussions, Kraton is adopting these pricing hikes, according to a company statement. The company further said that it will keep an eye on the scene and reassess these measures promptly in the event that conditions and US import tariffs alter.