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Bianca Bustamante, the First Filipino to Join W Series, talks to Tatler about being a champion at 16 years old, the pressures of the sport, her inspiration, and more
"Racing is a drug," Bianca Bustamante says candidly. For the past few minutes, she had been sharing her experience on the racing track with such fresh enthusiasm radiating through the screen as we spoke over Zoom. She continues, "It really is adrenaline; it's one of the best feelings in the world. When you're just driving, everything kind of goes silent and you can't hear your fears anymore".
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Sure enough, Bustamante faced these fears head-on as early as 6-years-old after finding inspiration in her father, a karter. Now, she's a race driver herself.
Photo: Instagram / @racerbia
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They were always open to the possibility of Bustamante joining the W series. Her manager, Darryl O'Young, was merely in talks with the W series about getting her into the selection test, but even then, she couldn't keep her excitement at bay. "If I were given this opportunity, I would work my whole life off, I would push hard and do everything I can to make this dream happen."
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Some may have only heard about Bustamante recently, but this 17-year-old has been making headlines in previous years, championship after championship.
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She had won her first Jr Asian Karting Open Championship in 2018 and again the next year. "It wasn't an easy path to winning a championship," she says.
"It was one of the toughest years of my life," she recalls. "I was racing every weekend all over Asia, I was doing national, international races, and at that time I was only 14. I had to do it with so much pressure".
Bustamante's parents, though supportive of her ventures, were also concerned about her safety, knowing the dangers of the sport. Apart from accidents, it does have an effect on her mental wellbeing.
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"I was given the opportunity to fly out to Arizona for the selection test. . .I realised I had so much more to work on, I had so much to learn as a driver. It was a big step coming from karting, I never had any experience outside of it, so driving an F14 [car] for the first time. . .mentally, I was a bit shocked, knowing that this is what it took to be a professional race car driver and to be the best in this sport," shares the young driver. "There was even a day that I remember thinking to myself: do I even have it in me to pursue this sort of life? I was working out every day, I was at the track, I was driving, and [during] my whole three months in America, my focus was getting that seat. And at times, I would get drained or think to myself that I'm just so tired and I don't know if I could push anymore".
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"I think pressure is one of the things that we racers and athletes need to battle. . .being so young, and you need to do all of that, it kind of messes you up mentally sometimes. Pressure is great, it pushes you, but sometimes, it can push you past your limits. I've been pushed past my limits like a few times but I only just said to myself that 'it might be painful now, but it's gonna be rewarding once you cross that finish line."
That she did, several times, earning her a spot at the W series as the first Filipino to ever join the championship. She had just been selected to be part of the W Series Academy. It's a feat for all Filipinos and women who have always wanted to pursue the sport.
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"Back when I was karting, people didn't like the idea of a woman dominating a sport such as racing," she shares. "It's always been mainstream as a male-dominated thing to do. Especially here in the Philippines, where people aren't as open-minded yet about a topic like this. It was tough for me to get opportunities that I think I deserve but many people would just say that I wasn't fast enough, strong enough, good enough, brave enough. And I would often just push past that, realising that if I love the sport truly, why can't I do it? I have the guts for it, I have the discipline for it, and it's something that I'm willing to put my life on."
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This season, Bustamante will have a greater opportunity to prove herself during the W series. Happily, the race driver will be representing her country as she competes with other talents from across the world.
As she would put it: it is only the beginning, and we cannot wait to see her conquer every track she's on.
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Images: Courtesy of Craft Bamboo
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Christine Andas is a features writer and the style lead of Tatler Philippines. She mostly covers style-related content but enjoys writing about space, sneakers, and her favourite stars. She acquired a master's degree in Creative Writing at the University of Santo Tomas and has written young adult short stories which can be read online.
