Woman who swapped racquet for race car

SEPANG: Never tell Geraldine Darlene Read that racing is a “man’s sport” because as the 36-year-old points out, a race car does not discriminate between genders.

“So, why should we?” said the former national squash junior athlete.

Any woman who wants to race should just go out and do it, said Read, who is juggling careers between the oil and gas industry and motorsports.

“Do not let anyone tell you otherwise,” she said.

Read, who hails from Kuching, said she had watched another female driver, Claire Jedrek, tearing up the track in 2015 and it gave her goosebumps.

“I thought to myself that if Claire could do it, I could too and I just focused all my energy and extra time on racing,” she told The Star at the Sepang International Circuit (SIC).

Almost all of Read’s time off from work is spent on the track taking part in race championships in Malaysia.

“I got a spot on the Red Bull Rookies team in 2014 to race in the Sepang 1,000km Endurance Race and I was hooked from then.

“It wasn’t easy at first and it is still not easy,” she said.

Read is one of 23 drivers taking part in the Malaysian Championship Series support race at the circuit for the final Formula One Petronas Malaysia Grand Prix today.

“I am excited and sad at the same time as this is the last F1 race in Sepang.

“When they announced that we would have a slot to race this year I was really excited.

“It is my first outing in the Toyota Vios for the Excel Racing Team with another driver, Datuk Nasri Said,” said Read, who spent most of her teen years representing the country in squash tournaments around the world.

“Being an athlete, I managed to bring my strengths into my career in motorsports.

“When I first got into racing, I did not tell my parents. When I finally told them, my mum was thrilled,” she said.

Her parents have been supportive of her career in motorsports.