Women Spotlight Wednesday – Samantha Tan
- Zoha Wyne
- Jul 16
- 3 min read
Written by Zoha Wyne, Edited by Vyas Ponnuri
Women have played an influential role throughout the history of motor racing. Many have taken to the wheels of motorsport machines, while numerous figures have worked tirelessly on the sidelines in various roles, shaping the motor racing world to the present day.
Woman Spotlight Wednesday aims to take a look at the tales of these superwomen, who have surpassed various hurdles to reach where they are today. In this article, we spotlight a young individual breaking barriers as she takes on the world of motor racing.
From first-time karter to international team principal
Born in Canada to Malaysian-Chinese parents, Samantha Tan is one of the few women in motorsport who isn’t just driving cars, but also is building an empire around them. At just 27, she became a GT and endurance racing champion, founded a title-winning team, and served as a BMW M Sport global ambassador.
Her dual role as driver and team boss isn’t just rare, it's transformative. Tan’s story is one of visible representation, tactical excellence, and a clear belief that success in motorsport doesn’t have a fixed mould. “I want to show people that motorsport is for everyone,” she said in a recent interview, “not just the few, but the bold.”
A late start but rapid rise
Unlike most racers, Samantha Tan didn’t grow up in go-karts. She entered the sport at 16, relatively late by motorsport standards, but after falling in love with driving at a track day. That passion quickly snowballed into competition.
She began in the Canadian Touring Car Championship behind the wheel of a Mini Cooper, before joining the Pirelli World Challenge (now GT World Challenge America), racing a BMW M235iR. Early results were solid, but more importantly, she was learning and definitely thinking long-term.
In 2017, she co-founded Samantha Tan Racing alongside her father Kenneth Tan, which would become the foundation for her future dominance.
Championship gold with ST Racing
In 2019 and 2020, ST Racing made its mark in the Pirelli GT4 America series, winning the Pro-Am SprintX championship. Tan, still in her early twenties, was leading from both the cockpit and the pit wall.
By 2021, ST Racing stepped up to international endurance racing, and they didn’t just participate. They won.
The team took on the 24h Series, and at the Dubai 24 Hours, Tan made history as the first Asian woman to win the event. ST Racing went on to claim the drivers’ and teams’ titles in the GT4 class that year, with further victories in Abu Dhabi sealing their status as a powerhouse.
Tan credited her success not only to preparation and performance, but to perspective: “This is proof that women — and especially women of colour — can succeed at the highest levels of motorsport. We just need the opportunity.”
Taking the ambassadorial seat
Later that year, BMW M Motorsport appointed Tan as a global brand ambassador and the first female person of colour to ever receive the title. With the badge came a new role: advocacy.
Tan embraced the chance to use her platform to support underrepresented talent in motorsport, becoming an ambassador for the AAPI Victory Alliance and speaking out frequently about the importance of inclusion.
“Representation matters,” she told Forbes in 2023. “When I was starting out, I didn’t see anyone who looked like me. Now, I want to be that person for the next generation.”
Returning to IMSA and eyeing Le Mans
In 2025, Samantha Tan Racing committed to a full-season GTD-X campaign in the IMSA VP Racing SportsCar Challenge, fielding the No. 38 BMW M4 GT3. Tan scored Bronze-class wins and podiums early in the season, showing her continued competitiveness in a stacked field.
But her biggest leap came in June, when she made her debut in the Road to Le Mans and the support event for the world-famous 24 Hours of Le Mans.
She partnered with Swedish driver Gustav Bergström in a BMW M4 GT3 entered by Team WRT, placing her on one of the most iconic circuits in motorsport history. It’s a stepping stone toward her long-held dream of contesting the 24 Hours of Le Mans itself.
Legacy in motion
In an industry where gatekeeping and tradition still dominate, Samantha Tan has refused to conform.
She drives, builds. She advocates and leads from the front.
She is, as many now say, representation in motion. Motorsport may be a space built on engineering and execution but Samantha Tan reminds us that it’s also built on evolution, as she sits behind the wheel of a racing machine.
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