Why you need to know this Malaysian

race car driver’s name

AUGUST 15, 2016 PEOPLE
BY CHOW CING

Ambition is the fuel that keeps us going. To be ambitious doesn’t necessarily mean that you need
to set impossibly high goals, like climbing Mount Everest.

It means setting your sights on an objective that stretches your potential, encourages you to
become a better person, and gives you a sense of pride in accomplishing it.

Ambition requires dedication, motivation and time.

Just ask Daniel Woodroof, 20, a Malaysian-British professional car racer who started on this path
at the tender age of 12.

His ultimate goal? To become a household name!

“It’s good to know that people appreciate your hard work,” said Woodroof during a recent
interview at Menara Star in Petaling Jaya.

Woodroof’s passion for life in the fast lane was sparked during a family outing.

On one “boring weekend”, Woodroof, then 12, and his family decided to try go-karting in Shah
Alam.

image: http://cdn.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/str2_daniel_williamkee_2.jpg
Woodroof at the wheel. As a professional car racer, he lives life in the fast lane.

“It was really fun and I couldn’t stop. As a result, my father enrolled me in a go-kart academy in
Shah Alam. I learnt all the basics there, and won my first go-kart race in 2008 at Sepang,”
recalled the handsome young man, beaming with pride.

Ampang-born Woodroof recently finished his sixth form – also known as the A-level programme
– in Alice Smith School and is currently taking three gap years to pursue his racing career.

“I have a place confirmed at Southampton University for Mechanical Engineering in Britain, but
I will defer my entry to next year.

“I have given myself three years and this is my second year off from school. I have until next
September to work on my career.”

It is a long and arduous journey to become a professional car racer.

Presently, Woodroof is preparing himself to get to the Formula BMW stage.

Being a professional car racer, he needs to juggle everything well and have “the full package”.

What exactly defines the “full package” of a car racer?

image: http://cdn.star2.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/08/str2_ccdaniel_d_attach32.jpg

The handsome youth urged people to follow theirs own passion.

First of all, he needs a lot of practice, which is important because it helps him gain valuable
racing experience. At his level of racing, he needs to complete 15 laps within 30 minutes to
emerge victorious.
Apart from that, he needs physical training. Woodroof not only needs to complete tiring cardio
exercises as part of his training regime, but needs to work on his mental training as well.

“When I go for a race, I would actually Skype with my sport psychologist two hours before and
after the race. A lot of my teammates have sport psychologists on site to assist them,” explained
Woodroof.

He also keeps track of media reports, which is an important element in his career.

All of these, of course, will happen only if he has the funding to go forward. Sufficient financial
backing is the key factor in driving the progress of his career.

Whether his career progresses, or comes to an end, all depends on the funding he receives.

Though his training can get stressful,Woodroof assures me that it’s good stress which makes him
feel productive.

According to Woodroof, Lewis Hamilton has always been a source of inspiration because of his
success in attaining different goals.

“When I look at Hamilton – a triple world champion – he pursues things which are related not
just to motor sports. But at the end of the day, he will come back to racing, and that’s what I
really look forward to accomplishing,” he mused.

Woodroof has been born under a lucky star as he has his whole family – father, mother and
younger sister – to support him even though motorsport is quite an expensive sport.

He also has a good friend in Alex Yoong, a former Formula One driver, who advises him about
car racing matters.

“Alex is such a amazing person. He is a good guy who gives me advice openly and I really
appreciate that,” he enthused.

Woodroof’s passion for racing landed him the role as host of GoAsean’s travel show Go Fast Or
Go Home.

Travelling around Asia and mastering traditional sports in the region provided him with new
experiences.

These experiences allowed him to learn more about himself and taught him valuable life lessons.
“Do what you love and really follow your passion. Be nice to everyone because you never know
how they can help you in the future,” he concluded.

Read more at https://www.star2.com/people/2016/08/15/why-you-need-to-know-this-malaysian-race-car-

drivers-name/#qc6O8qETCiG3zhAA.99

Youth and Sports Minister Khairy Jamaluddin today expressed his support for a temporary halt to Malaysia
hosting the Formula 1 races.

Addressing the matter via his Twitter handle @Khairykj, the minister said there were many compelling factors
to support the idea, including high costs and limited returns. He said that when Malaysia first began hosting the
F1 races in 1999, it was the first Asian country outside of Japan to do so.

On a question as to why the Singapore Grand Prix had in contrast enjoyed success, Khairy said the Singapore
leg benefited from its novelty factor. “It’s a night race in the city (which is done) no where else in the world.
Even then, (their) ticket sales are down,” he said.

Khairy maintained that Malaysia should continue to host the MotoGP, which has maintained a sellout crowd.
The Moto 2 and Moto 3 races, he said, also has the added boost of having Malaysian riders. The minister said
SIC could instead also spend more on development and increase public access to track days.

“Local racers such as Jazeman Jaafar (pictured above), Nabil Jeffri and Akash Nandy are having a tough time
getting sponsors. A fraction of the F1 hosting fee can help them and more,” he said.

Jazeman is a driver with HTP Motorsports in the Blancpain GT Series and the Intercontinental GT Challenge.
Nabil Jeffri races for Arden Motorsport in GP2.

With regards to the F1 grand prix Khairy insisted, “Now, there are so many venues. There is no first-mover
advantage; it’s no longer a novelty,” he said.

Khairy cited reasons such as declining ticket sales and TV viewership figures, as well as foreign visitors now
having the option of seeing the races in Singapore, China and the Middle East.

His comments came in the wake of the revelation by Sepang International Circuit (SIC) chief executive officer
Datuk Ahmad Razlan Ahmad Razali, who said SIC is mulling the future of the race in Malaysia.

Razlan had said that a special meeting would be held this week with SIC’s major stakeholder, the Finance
Ministry, with regards to the future of the sporting event in Malaysia. He said consistently declining F1 ticket
sales and TV viewership figures were among the factors behind the move.

Meanwhile, Khairy engaged Twitter users on the subject, and fielded questions. He said SIC should bid for
less costly races, like the Japan GT, in response to a query on what can be done to avoid turning the Sepang
circuit into a ‘white elephant.’