Fellow Motorist: Gladys Lam, race car driver, content creator, hamster rescuer, and member of the Shane Ang Racing team
Gladys Lam, 31, a content-creating and hamster-rescuing professional race car driver, talks us through how she pushed through her boundaries to become one of Singapore's most recognised racers and online personalities.
This Fellow Motorist story is part of a series featuring the racing drivers from the Motorist-supported Shane Ang Racing team, a group of Singapore's best drivers who battle it out on track in some of Asia's toughest motorsport competitions.
Do you remember your first car?
Yeah, it was a Fiat 500, but it was quite short-lived, I only had it for a handful of months. My parents ran into some financial difficulties, so we had to let it go. I didn't have a car for years after that, but I never stopped loving driving.
I'd drive literally anything I could get my hands on: the family's company van, lorries, everything, hahaha (maybe that's where my love for driving manuals comes from). Maybe not having a car made me want to drive even more.
What bikes have you owned so far?
Only my Yamaha R3! I already have my Class 2 licence, but the R3 is such a good all-rounder for Singapore. I've had it for the past four years, but I recently sold it right before its COE expired. So I'm bikeless for now, but I'm still looking around.
Do you prefer riding or driving in Singapore?
Can I say both? It really depends on the day, the time, what I'm doing, and where I'm going. Sometimes I just want the convenience and freedom of the bike. Other times I genuinely want to get in the car and enjoy the drive. Depends lor.
What do you like and dislike about being a motorist in Singapore?
Singapore is small, so I love that everything is accessible! You're never really thaaat far away from anything. And if you look hard enough, we actually do have some pretty nice roads to enjoy. But honestly, I do wish the condition of some of our everyday roads was better. I do notice them getting rougher and bumpier over the years.
Besides that, the fact is, being someone who really loves cars and bikes in Singapore can also be expensive and painful sometimes.
Gladys raced extensively in fun-kart events like these early in her career.
What would be your number one dream car and dream bike?
Car: Porsche 997.2 GT3 RS. To me, that's the pinnacle of that analogue era of cars.
Bike: A bit hard for me (because I'm vertically challenged lah), but if height magically wasn't an issue, Yamaha R1.
How did you start racing with the Shane Ang Racing team?
It actually goes all the way back to my first track day in 2017, if I remember correctly. Shane was the organiser, and back then the team was still called Team Supersonic. I remember thinking that they were the coolest bunch in the motorsports scene. Even Kenneth. I thought he was the coolest in the group, nonchalant and unbothered. But now that I know him more, he's basically my idiot brother, haha!
So around the Circuit Breaker era, Shane organised a lot of fun-kart events, and I joined almost every one. Yeah sure, I've always wanted to be part of Team Supersonic, but I never really directly asked. Also, maybe because I still didn't feel good enough or experienced enough or even worth their time. But I just kept showing up and continued racing on my own.
Eventually, Shane asked me to do a 25-hour endurance race with them in Thailand. He took a chance on me, the whole team did, and wah, I worked insanely hard because I wanted to prove that chance was worth taking.
I guess I exceeded their expectations enough because now it doesn't even feel like I "joined" a team. It's more like now we are one family. Wah, so cheesy.
Gladys (middle) and the rest of her teammates pose in a photoshoot ahead of the 2024 Super Endurane 25 Hour race.
What has been the most rewarding part of racing for you?
Seeing myself get better. Results are obviously nice, but there’s something much more satisfying about seeing progress. I look back at the driver I was a few years ago, and I realise, wow, I would absolutely destroy her on the race track right now.
But of course you will also always meet someone else that's faster than you, so you know there’s always so much more to learn. I love that chase for progress!
And what's the most challenging part about being a racing driver?
Well, there are so many things outside your control. You can prepare perfectly, feel great, be fast, and then one mechanical issue can change your entire weekend.
For example, at my last race weekend, I couldn’t set a lap time in qualifying because of a mechanical issue, so I started dead last in P20, and had to fight back to P8. So I guess racing teaches you very quickly to focus on what you can control, but also to adapt and be ok when things don't go your way.
Gladys (right) battles with fellow teammate and competitor, Ken Hooi, during Race 4 of the 2026 PT Maxnitron Racing Series.
How does it feel to have become one of Singapore's most recognisable female racing drivers, and does that come with additional pressure?
It’s still quite surreal because I never started racing thinking I would represent women in motorsport or become known for it. I just really wanted to go racing, haha. But yeah, sometimes there is that little pressure because I know younger girls are watching now, but I would say I don't really let being “the female racer” become my whole identity.
I want to be respected for my driving first (before my gender). But if seeing me out there also makes another girl think she can try it, that’s a really cool bonus!
How did the creation of Dorifto! come about?
Dorifto! was started by us, a small group of race car drivers, and the idea came from wanting to build something automotive that is fun for everyone. Not just racers or car people. We wanted families, kids, etc., and even my girl friends who maybe don't even have a driver's licence – literally anyone – to be able to come and still have fun.
What do you do to relax in between races?
When I actually have time for myself, to be honest, I love being home. I travel so much that being home feels like a luxury now. I also run an animal welfare group, Hamster Society Singapore, and we rescue/foster hamsters, which is probably as far away from race cars as you can get. So most of the time if I'm really relaxing, it's just my rescued hamsters and me. If I have my own bed and nowhere I need to be, I’m very happy.
Gladys gives educational talks to students as part of her role in Hamster Society Singapore.
What's next for you in your racing journey?
Just keep getting better. I still feel like I have so much to learn. I want more seat time, more races, different cars, different circuits, and to see how far I can take myself as a driver. The immediate next race for me is the Songkhla Grand Prix in October.
And outside my own racing, I’ve also started The Racer Tour with my teammates because so many people have asked us over the years, “How do I start racing?” So we decided to actually bring people into our world and let them experience what it is like to have a race weekend themselves.
What would you say to people who want to race like you?
You've got to want it enough to create your own opportunities. Racing is amazing at giving you reasons why you can't do it. Money, opportunity, experience, connections. I had all of those problems.
I just kept finding another way in. Like a cockroach, haha. Every time I failed, I learnt. Sponsorships taught me how to pitch for myself, brand partnerships taught me how to create content, and every chance to drive gave me a little more experience. So somehow, every obstacle gave me a skill I didn’t have before.
Nobody wanted me on that grid more than... Me. So if there isn’t a path for you, you need to build one.
Catch Gladys in action in her #19 Honda Brio race car at her next race in Songkhla, Thailand, October 16-18, 2026.
[All photos courtesy of Gladys Lam and Bing Han Visuals.]
Read More: Fellow Motorist: Kenneth Ho, race car driver, entrepreneur, and member of the Shane Ang Racing team
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