Mrs Anne Wong Holloway was one of the few women racers in the 1970s.
Speed Queen: that was what Mrs Anne Wong Holloway, 67, was known as in her prime.
In the male-dominated sport of speedcar racing, she was one of the few female drivers, racing in Singapore, Malaysia and Macau in the 1970s. She became the first woman to win the Macau Grand Prix in 1970.
Although her performances at the Singapore Grand Prix were less memorable – she did not finish her first race in 1970 because her car engine broke down – competing on home ground was always special.
She got interested in racing because her father, Mr P.H. Wong, was in the business of preparing cars for racing.
She usually drove a Mini Cooper S. She says: “Motor racing has always been regarded as a man’s sport, from the days when cars were big, brutish and needed to be crank-started.
“They also needed to be repaired, which was a greasy, messy job.”
In her time, Grand Prix racing was very different from the “clinical, super-safe show that we see today”, she says. “In those days, the spectators got to see the action up close and knew all the people.”
Safety requirements were also less stringent and some drivers raced in shirts and trousers, instead of the fireproof driving suits typically donned today.
“These days, there are more rules and regulations.”
“F1 racing has evolved to become totally professional… but in the process, you lose some of the friendly atmosphere.”
She stopped racing around the end of 1974. After that, she worked in advertising, public relations, promotions and business development jobs. Her last job in Singapore was looking after advertising and promotions for Borneo Motors.
She is married with no children.
Now, she plays down her glorious racing days, saying: “Only the older people can relate to that era. Many of you weren’t even born then.”
She drives to get around now, but accepts that one day, she will be too old to stay behind the wheel.
“I hope that when I retire from driving, there will be a decent taxi, Uber or Grab service available.”
