Behind the wheel, Yuey Tan reps the Lion City in motor races around the world. His love for fast cars and a knack for making decisions in a flash helped him become the first Singaporean to secure the Class B title in the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia series in 2015. In the past decade, he has also competed in 28 Formula 1 support races, four World Endurance Championship weekends and made a support race appearance in the Le Mans championship in Spa-Francorchamps.
Along with wife Claire Jedrek – presenter and Singapore’s only woman race car driver (girl power!) – the dynamic duo lead a high-octane life even off-track. They’ve just welcomed baby number two and plan on raising a new generation of racers. Splitting his time between being a husband, a father and a racer who’s leading the Porsche Carrera Cup and gearing up for the F1 Singapore Grand Prix (September 20 to 22), Yuey’s life is in the fast lane – and Claire is in on all the action.
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2019 Porsche Carrera Cup Asia. Credit: Thomas Lam
Hi Yuey and Claire! What gets you excited about Singapore?
Yuey (Y): As an event of global interest and scale, the Singapore Grand Prix is one of the most exciting parts of the year. It’s also my 11th consecutive race on the Marina Bay Circuit. Nothing beats the feeling of racing on the streets of our fantastic city.
Claire (C): There are endless things to do in the city on a whim – you can hit the beach, eat a phenomenal range of food, go karting, see a play, shopping at 2am in the morning. It really defines a city that never sleeps.
Tell us more about your cool jobs.
Y: I’ve been driving in Asia's Premier Motorsport series, the Porsche Carrera Cup Asia, for 11 consecutive seasons and it's been a blast to drive against some of the best drivers in the world.
C: I've just popped the last month, so I’m taking a year off racing. But I've been working during my pregnancy as a presenter for different international racing series, as well as an emcee, so life is never quiet for me. I also enjoy working alongside my husband Yuey, running a small and dedicated team for The Karting Arena at The Grandstand.
Have you always had a need for speed?
Y: I grew up in Adelaide where the Formula 1 World Championships season finale was held from 1985 to 1995. My interest in racing peaked during the golden era of Formula 1, watching the likes of Ayrton Senna, Nigel Mansell and Michael Schumacher.
C: I've always been involved in extreme sports since young, so the science of driving really intrigued me. I never looked back racing behind a wheel and talking about racing behind the microphone.
Thoughts on the motorsports scene in Singapore.
Y: We don’t have a permanent racing circuit and there’s a lot of education needed in order to understand the world of motorsport. We do have The Karting Arena, which is a fun way to sample racing but it’s not enough.
C: It's tough for such a small industry here to break out and find support and sponsorship. It takes time and importantly, finances to be able to participate. We've seen some incredible talent, like Yuey who started off on his own. And then there’s Andrew Tang and recently, a local carter Christian Ho who has had great backing from his family.
Any advice for serious karters thinking of accelerating into full-time racers?
Y: To get into racing, you have to understand the commercial side too. Choose the right racing series. Although I love driving the Porsche in the Carrera Cup Asia and Supercup, it also helps that Porsche has arguably the best marketing platform of any one-make series. Getting featured at some of the world’s biggest racing events among top-level drivers is a great way to attract sponsors.
C: You need some serious time commitment – market yourself, knock on sponsors’ doors (as they don’t just fall on your lap), and manage your finances.
What’s life like being a family and race car drivers in Singapore?
Y: Now that Claire and I have kids, we focus more on bringing up our family although we’d like to do more seasons. We love taking them to the Singapore Botanic Gardens and water parks.
C: It's a busy life, but a really fulfilling one. We've never felt more ready for kids, a business, and our own separate careers.
What do you enjoy doing off-track?
Y: To stay fit in order to motor race, I head to Bukit Timah Hill or the trail at Chestnut Nature Park every week to mountain bike.
C: We usually spend our time outdoors. Mountain biking and cycling have brought us to lesser-known areas and it's a passion we share together. I also love triathlons, so I'll be getting back to speed with training in a month plus.
Yuey Tan is participating in the support races for the Formula 1 Singapore Grand Prix from September 20 to 22 at the Marina Bay Street Circuit.
