INTERVIEW WITH THADDEUS LEE

An interview with Senior Category Class A Championship Leader, Thaddeus Lee.

Team: AutoInc Racing Age: 20 years old Karting Experience: 9 years

“Racing is in the blood.” This perfectly describes many world famous father and son drivers we know – Keke and Nico Rosberg, Mario and Michael Andretti etc. On our sunny island, on a smaller scale, racing also runs in the Lee family’s blood. Thaddeus and his father Paul Lee are both avid karters with impressive records. It’s therefore not surprising to see Thaddeus on the top of the Championship Standings. Let’s see what he has to say.

Q: You are the leader on the board, how are you going to defend your position? A: I am going to try to do what I did in Round 2, to be as consistent as possible for the remaining rounds of the X30 Challenge Singapore.

Q: How has leading the championship changed your perspective on the upcoming rounds? A: After winning Round 2 and taking over the lead in the championship, I think it has further motivated me to make sure that I continue to perform well and hopefully, to secure the championship.

Q: In terms of race craft, who is your biggest competitor in your category? A: I think that anyone within the top 6-7 has either won a race before or is capable of winning one, so I wouldn’t count anybody out. It is a very competitive grid and the timings are super close.

Q: Round 3 & 4 are going to be clockwise, which is different from Round 1 & 2. How do you feel about that? A: To be honest I don’t really have a preference in terms of which way the track would be run, but I think that clockwise has a lot less overtaking spots as compared to anti-clockwise, so qualifying would play a bigger part in the clockwise rounds.

Q: Do you prefer to totally dominate or have a bit of fun? Why? A: To win is great, but I think winning with a bit of battling would feel a lot more rewarding than to lead the race from the start to finish.

Q: Your dad, Paul Lee, is also your team boss. How do you manage the 2 different roles that he plays, especially on race days? A: On race days, I usually have a mechanic attached to me and I would work closely with my mechanic on the kart to see where I can improve from there. We discuss about my driving and kart set-up. I only consult my Dad on major issues. He looks after the entire team and we stay professional on our respective roles when on track.

Q: Paul was a great driver during his racing days. Was he a big influence in your driving career or do you think you set your own goals? Why? A: Of course he influenced me! He was the one that got me into karting and also guided me on the foundations of racing when I first started. He has a lot of technical knowledge on karts and I would still try to learn from him to further improve my technical knowledge.

Q: What do you have to say to your potential sponsors? A: Come check out X30 Challenge Round 3 for yourselves and see how your brand can be affiliated with the excitement of motorsports!