Rose among the thorns - Jane Cheah

Ask Jane Cheah what she loves most about drifting, and sheíll easily give you this answer, "it's just amazing how you're meant to lose control of the car, and yet still be in control."

As the sole female driver in the Goodyear Drift team, Jane stands out like a ray of light amongst her male peers, and she certainly has the personality to match.

Vibrant, witty and chirpy could be words used to describe the petite drift racer, but her slight figure doesnít reflect her steely resolve, especially when she's on the track in her Nissan 180SX.

In a way, it's probably one of the reasons why Jane has already established herself in the local scene after just three years, even when half of that duration was concentrating on being a mother.

This year alone, she has competed in the MMU Autoshow Drift Challenge where she qualified best 14th in the expert category, the GRA Autokhana Round 1, where she won first place in the Novice Open Class and Fastest Women Award, and the GRA All Star Gymkhana, where she came in fourth.

Jane also competed in the recent Formula Drift Singapore ProAm Series.

ìI used to be a passenger when my husband started learning, but I had always wanted to get into motorsport," she said.

"After a while, I figured, ëhey, I could do this,í and got hooked on the thrill in drifting. It was pretty stressful when I was first starting out.

"Other male drivers were more hesitant about how I would perform "is she any good at all?" they'd think. But I've learnt to overcome any intimidation, and now I love to surprise guys.

"In a way, all this is good, and now, being a part of the Goodyear Drift team shows that I have achieved something, and people take me even more seriously now."

In fact, she now uses her position and gender to her advantage, training other female drivers interested to learn to drift.

"I get plenty of girls coming up to me, especially on Facebook," she said.

"And since I also run drift clinics, Iíve taught a few girls who have gone on to drift competitively."

One of the biggest misconceptions about drifting, according to Jane, is that it is expensive.

"It's one of the cheapest forms of motorsport - drifting is all about control. Itís also a great platform to use to get into motorsport," she said.

"Go-karting, circuit racing is expensive. To go drifting, we just rent a car park space, and go for it. You do need lots of practice and commitment to be good ñ but ultimately, itís all about practice."

When Jane isnít out on the track impressing her opponents and sponsors, she's home being a full-time mother to her 18-month-old baby daughter.

And her ride to run around in is another Nissan, the Frontier.

"It's a really useful vehicle, and a truck comes in very handy with my line of work," said Jane, who also runs drift events with her husband, top drifter Johan Ariff.

She's had the Frontier for almost three years now, and would love to upgrade to the new Navarro.

"The Frontier gives me 700km with a full tank, especially with the kind of driving that I do. I can carry so much," she said.

Janeís reason for choosing the Frontier is easy.

"I love that spare parts are affordable and easy to find," she said.

It's also for these reasons that both Jane and her husband drive Nissans when they go drifting.

"I used to drive a Laurel, it was my first drift car, but I sold it off when I had my daughter. And I picked up the 180SX when I started again. My husband drives the Silvia S13, so we can share parts. We even share rims," she said.

"Nissan makes good cars, said Jane, citing the R32 Skyline as a favourite.

"The cars offer good chassis for drifting, they do so well at drift competitions." 

Next up for Jane is the upcoming Formula Drift Malaysia. But she has even bigger plans for next year.

"I would love to do more, maybe circuit racing. I am competing in GRA autocross, and am currently the fastest female driver, and in the top 5 overall," she said.

"I'm lucky because Goodyear performance tyres can be used for all types of motorsports, and as a Goodyear driver, I get the companyís full support and am able to test out the tyres - I get to explore and expand my other interests in motorsports.

ìBut having said that, drifting is my forte. Always."

Catch Jane in action at the upcoming Goodyear Formula DRIFT Malaysia from Dec on Dec 19 to-20 at the Malaysian Agro Exposition Park in Serdang.

Formula One or WRC?

WRC. Iím too old to be in F1!

Best Formula One/WRC driver?

Louis Hamilton. He reminds me of Tiger Woods, he is so focused.

City driving, or country driving?

Country driving. I love the back roads from Sepang to Port Dickson.

Who makes better drivers?

Men, in general. But women can be good drivers too. Look at all school bus/mini drivers ñ plenty of them are women. Women are more careful, and having said that, most crashes are caused by men.

Sexiest car ever?

The Mercedes-Benz CLS.

Next car if budget wasnít a problem?

The Porsche Cayenne Turbo, otherwise Iíd be happy with a Nissan Navarro.

Dream road trip

A pilgrimage to Japan, on a road trip where we all drive the AE86 to Ebisu for the weekend drift festival. We take a lot of road trips, in fact, every trip is about driving!

What kind of driver are you?

A careful one, especially since my daughterís always in the car with me.

What do you love/hate about Malaysian drivers?

I loved it that our drivers would stop to let me cross the road when I was pregnant, and hate that most never signal when theyíre going to turn.

What's your car like?

My car is like me, because it's... simple. In my car, you will find... my daughter's Recaro child seat and plenty of tools.