Yulina – a female in a man’s world

By: Patrick Beech

Yulina had a dream and was determined to go all the way to fulfil it.

Today, she is among the few female motorcycle racers in the country and to keep the dream alive, she works 14-16 hour shifts daily.

She works eight hours as a casino dealer and another eight waiting tables so she can afford to pay for championships.

“It’s a very expensive sport. It’s mostly done by people who come from affluent backgrounds,” she said.

She said she worked as a grid and umbrella girl before and later bought a 250cc motorcycle.

After some time, she visited a go-kart track in Sepang that allowed casual racers to practice.

After that life-changing experience, Yulina started taking more steps to pursue her dream of racing.

She first joined unofficial racing academies and then competed in her first race at a fundraiser in 2017, where she won first place, which led her to start racing in sanctioned races.

Yulina confesses that she still has a lot to learn and that it is not as easy as it seems.

“My goal has always been the same which is to compete in national championships.

“However, the costs are very high, and I am considering taking one or two seasons or years off racing to work again so I can ultimately join the national championships,” she added.