Adele Lew is a Malaysian circuit racer who went from watching her father compete at Sepang International Circuit as a toddler to becoming the first female participant in Toyota Malaysia’s Rookie Racing Programme — a trajectory that, in hindsight, looks inevitable, even if she never planned it that way.

EARLY YEARS

From the age of three, Adele Lew was a fixture in the paddock at Sepang International Circuit, there every weekend to watch her father, Eddie Lew, race. [1] Eddie has been involved in Malaysian motorsport for over 30 years and remains an active competitor — still sharing grids with both Adele and her brother. [2] Growing up in that environment made the sport feel less like a career choice and more like a fact of life. “Racing has always been part of my life,” she told Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia. “Growing up around the track made racing feel natural — it wasn’t just a sport, it was family.” [2]

What she did not anticipate was becoming a driver herself. That shift happened during the Covid-19 lockdown, when she was 19, and — by her own account — out of sheer boredom. She and her father started karting together, training nearly every day, talking through driving techniques, and sometimes heading out late at night to tracks in Johor to race each other. [1] The lockdown sessions turned out to be the foundation of a competitive career. Toyota Malaysia took notice and selected her for its Rookie Racing Programme, where she became its first female participant. [1]

OTHER INTERESTS

Off the track, Lew runs an advertising agency with her partner and creates content for brands. [1] Her off-track schedule, as she described it to Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia, includes work, shoots, meetings, gym sessions, golf, and meals, alongside time on racing simulators to keep her skills sharp. [2] She also fits in pickleball sessions between gym workouts, and told The Peak that she enjoys guitar, films, and visiting new restaurants. [1]

EARLY SUCCESS

Adele Lew entered the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge in the Rookie Class, and her first confirmed podium came in 2022 with a third-place finish in Race 2. [3] A secondary source places her in the series as early as 2021, though that earlier participation has not been independently confirmed by a primary result record. [4]

By 2023, she was competing in the GR Vios Sprint Cup alongside co-driver Kenneth Koh, with the pair appearing in official timing records for a practice session. [5] The following year, racing in the Sporting Class for BAE Racing by ES Yang in Season 7 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge, she won both races in Round 2 — a result reported in race coverage of what was a wet-weather event. [6] For 2025, she was listed among the Sporting Class entrants, competing under Team Fokus. [7]

Competing in Thailand on unfamiliar circuits, without speaking the language and against drivers who had far more experience on those tracks, was something she described to The Peak as a meaningful test of her growth as a driver. [1] She has also been open about the specific texture of the barriers she has encountered: being the only woman among 20 male drivers, having her mistakes judged more harshly, and watching her achievements get attributed to her car, her setup, or someone else’s influence. Her stated response to all of it is to focus on performance. [1]

NOTABLE ACHIEVEMENTS

• 2022: Third place in Race 2 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge Rookie Class — her first confirmed podium. [3]
• 2024: Double race winner in Round 2 of the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge Season 7, Sporting Class, racing for BAE Racing by ES Yang. [6]
• No date confirmed: First female participant in Toyota Malaysia’s Rookie Racing Programme. [1]
• 2025: Listed among Sporting Class entrants for the Toyota GAZOO Racing Vios Challenge with Team Fokus; a qualifying time of 2:55.758 recorded for Adele Lew Zhi Yu. [7] [8]

INSPIRATIONS

Her father is the central figure in how she talks about her development as a driver — the person who taught her what she knows about driving and who first brought her into the world of motorsport. [1] Beyond family, she has cited the talented female drivers she competed alongside in Thailand as a source of inspiration. [1] On the subject of representation, she is direct: “Representation means showing that talent and dedication matter more than gender. If seeing someone like me on track encourages even one young girl to believe she belongs here, too, that already means everything.” [2]

REPUTATION

Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia profiled Adele Lew in December 2025 as part of a feature on women breaking barriers in motorsport, identifying her as a Malaysian racing driver. [2] The Peak has also covered her career, reporting on the logistical reality of what she and her partner manage alongside the racing itself — sponsorships, race preparation, media commitments — in a sport that demands as much financially as it does physically and mentally. [1] She told Harper’s Bazaar that precision and reaction time are skills outsiders often underestimate when they think about what racing actually requires. [2]

FUTURE GOALS/PLANS

Her stated ambition is to reach a podium where the weight of the sacrifices and challenges behind it is fully felt. [1] The Peak reported in July 2026 that her GR86 Cup season was a step toward future ambitions in GT racing, and she has named the Porsche 911 GT3 as her dream track car. [1]

References:

[1] The Peak Magazine
[2] Harper’s Bazaar Malaysia
[3] Malaysiakini
[4] Speed Queens
[5] Timing Result
[6] Mota Auto
[7] Motorbugs
[8] 51GT3 Lap Times Database