SINGAPORE — It all started when he watched a documentary on the late Formula 1 champion driver Ayrton Senna. Then just three years old, Andrew Tang had no idea what the film was really about. But he was captivated by the footage of F1 cars racing on the track. The seeds of his love for motorsport were sown.

Fast-forward 18 years, and Tang is now racing on the same tracks as the world’s best F1 drivers. 

Since winning a regional talent search by Porsche last December — an achievement that earned him a one-year contract with Porsche China Junior and a sponsorship of 1 million yuan (S$205,000) — Tang’s star has risen significantly as he continues to impress in this year’s Porsche Carrera Cup Asia (PCCA).

The Singaporean rookie has defied pre-season expectations to mount a serious challenge to the PCCA drivers’ championship — he is third in the standings on 132 points, just six off leader Maxime Jousse of Kamlung Racing.

Tang may now be a rising star in Asian motorsport following his PCCA exploits, but the journey has been a long, hard and often lonely one.

A DOMINANT FORCE EVEN IN THE EARLY YEARS 

Like most drivers, Tang started out through karting. But it was not a smooth start for the then seven-year-old. 

“I remember being quite afraid when I first started, so I went around the track very slowly,” he said. 

“Nonetheless, I loved it, and so I went back all the time. When I was eight, my dad decided to enter me in some competitions in Malaysia just to see my progress, and I got absolutely thrashed. 

“But it was also a good experience, because we realised then that the real competition was overseas. So that’s when we started to drive every weekend to Malaysia to practise and race. That’s how I got better.”

As he gained more experience, Tang’s natural ability saw him rise to become Asia’s top junior. His exploits did not go unnoticed, and he was soon offered a chance to race at a higher level in Europe with Sweden’s PDB racing team, which is run by former world champion karter Peter de Bruijn.

“By 11, I had won nearly every (junior) competition in Asia,” said Tang. “And PDB Racing asked me to drive for them in Europe. But at that age, I wasn’t sure as it was very far away from home.”

Tang also began feeling the effects of intensive training and racing. He eventually gave up.

“I had to sacrifice so much of my time and life,” he revealed. “It got a bit too much so I decided to stop racing when I was 11.”

THE RACING ITCH RETURNS, MCLAREN CALLS

Tang’s hiatus from the racing lasted three years before the itch returned with a vengeance. This time, he was determined to go as far as he could in the sport.

His decision was vindicated as he was picked up by British F1 team McLaren to join their young driver development programme.

The catch? Tang had to move to Guildford, England. It meant leaving his friends and family in Singapore, as well as having to complete his IB education with St Joseph’s Institution International via an online plan designed by the school.

Nonetheless, it proved to be one of the best decisions of his career as he experienced what it was like to be a racer at the highest level.

“It was an eye-opener because, prior to that, there was no structure for me at all,” explained Tang. 

“All of a sudden, I had this fixed schedule for training, simulator work, mental training ... there were also specific rest days and instructions on what I needed to do on my rest days.”

But his move to McLaren was not a bed of roses. “Obviously, as a 15-year-old, I was terrified of being alone overseas,” said Tang. “But my dad decided that if I really wanted to be a professional, that’s how it had to be. Being so young, it was difficult. There were a lot of distractions there and it got really lonely at times.

“But that stint helped to build my character. I got fully acquainted with the European racing scene and it was amazing being able to train in the same place as racers like (Jenson) Button.”

However, just as things seemed to be looking up for Tang, his racing career screeched to a sudden halt as he was called up for his two-year National Service (NS) stint.

RESTARTING HIS ENGINE WITH PCCA

During his NS stint, Tang thought his racing career was over. So when the regional talent search for Porsche came up, he seized the opportunity by taking leave from NS to race. The rest is history.

This Sunday (Sept 18), he will be competing on the Marina Bay Street Circuit for the very first time and, if results go his way, he could find himself on top of the PCCA drivers’ standings after the race.

“It’ll be especially meaningful if I could win here because it’s my home race,” said Tang. 

“We have four more races left this season, so I’ll go as hard as I can in each race, but also be smart and play it cautious because we still have the title at the back of our minds.”