Entrepreneur rediscovers her need for speed

Ms Janice Oo lives out the famous line from the 1986 Hollywood flick, Top Gun, when the lead character "Maverick", played by Tom Cruise, declared: "I feel the need, the need for speed."

- Chong Jun Liang

The 37-year-old entrepreneur is an avid motorsports racer on land and sea.

She wasted no time in putting pedal to the metal when a friend lent her his car the day she got her driving licence. As a young and inexperienced 18-year-old behind the wheel, she said she was "taking corners with no fear".

Her friend, who was in the passenger seat, gave her an earful about her antics after the drive.

Upon obtaining her driving licence in 2005, Ms Oo started hanging out with friends who were into Japanese domestic market (JDM) cars. She learnt about modifications and car set-ups.

She buys only cars with a manual transmission, and the brake system is always among her first upgrades.

"I never do any modifications that are 'LTA-unfriendly'. I don't like to have to worry about passing vehicle inspections," she stresses. She notes that the type of cars she drives tends to be the models that Land Transport Authority (LTA) officers may be more likely to single out for checks.