It's not a man's world after all

Tom spends hours and hours waxing and polishing his car when it gets dirty, searching high and low for the best cloths and shampoos. Offending drops of freshly splattered bird bombs would be immediately cleaned off, and the spot would be scrutinized to see if there's any severe damage. Large amounts of money would also be spent to further enhance the look of the car with the help of paintjobs, body kits, spoilers and the works.

Then, when the girlfriend goes for a manicure, he says it's a "waste of time and money".

I know a handful of ladies who also put their rides on a pedestal. From the unmistakable Hello Kitty stickers, to pink accessories and lots of bling, there are also those who have impeccable taste in choosing the designs of the body kit for their cars, resulting in a fierce-looking combination of style that invokes higher street cred.

Pop the bonnet and you might be surprised to find more poison than the usual blokes' on the street. After all, we females do our research before spending our money.

One prime example of such a respectable female figure is Team Goodyear's driver, Jane Cheah (left). A Malaysian and the wife of fellow drifter Ariff Johanis, Jane was the only female driver who participated in last month's Formula DRIFT ProAm Series 2009. When asked how it feels like to be the "outstanding one", she has this to say: "I see myself as the one setting the pace among females in this unique sport, and I hope I inspire them to participate more actively. There's no categorization for male or female, making this a level playing field across both genders - and also more interesting for me! At the same time, I do want to rise above the rest of the guys."

So the next time you see that monster approaching in your rear-view mirror, don't automatically assume that it belongs to some ah-beng - the driver might be a gorgeous babe who knows how to take care of her ride... and herself.

Credits: Story by Melissa Cheng, pictures courtesy of Oneshift.com archive