MALAYSIANS KINI There is more than meets the eye when it comes to 25-year old Siti Fatimah Husna Muslim. Behind her nerdy glasses and tudung, the ever-smiling Husna is a machine.

Every evening, she undergoes a fitness test with her coach and at night, she works out at the gym. And over the weekend, she gets on her motorcycle and blazes down a racing track underneath the scorching sun, while her team looks on.

Last year, Husna beat all 20 racers to be crowned overall champion of the supermoto CKD category of Malaysian Supermoto Championship Series. She was the only female racer.

Recently, a picture of her in a racing suit courted criticism - mostly from men, who feel she is not adhering to Muslim standards of how a Muslim woman should dress.

To this, she has one thing to say: “If you think you are better than me, come find me and we will settle it on the track.”

A picture of self-confidence, the racer said she consulted an ustaz on the matter five years ago and received the green light.

“Sometimes it’s just humans who try to punish another person. On what basis? I don’t know,” she added.

Racing has also led her to her soulmate - fiancé Saufi Abdul Rauf, 30, who was also present at the interview.

“I didn’t know that she was a racer initially. I was shocked,” said Saufi, who is also building his career in the sport.

Although Husna is getting married in less than a month, she is not settling down any time soon.

Even if she does, it would be on her own terms, at her yet-to-be formed academy for female riders, teaching them the ins and outs of the racing world.

Husna is a devoted Muslim, a loving partner, and a full-time Cub Prix racer. This is her story in her own words.

I STUDIED IN THE ENGINEERING FIELD because my father pushed me to do so as he was previously working at the Works Department in that field. So he wanted me to inherit his talent.

But my real interest was in the motorsports field. Even when I was schooling, I was riding a motorcycle.

After SPM, I followed my father’s footsteps but when I got out (of university) I knew I wanted to be like my brother. I wanted to be like him one day.

I GOT RESISTANCE from my parents. They did not want me to get involved in motorsports because I fell and got into an accident when I was in school. So they did not want any of that to happen to me.

Furthermore, the field of motorsports risks my life and safety so my mother did not want to accept it.

I could only rely on my brother’s support. I got my licence from my brother. He was my support system in terms of finance, to the fixing and modifying of the motorcycle.

All of it was my brother. He saw that I was not giving trouble to anyone else, so he did not mind and just let me go on with it.

A year after that, my mother, thankfully accepted my profession and from then on she was more open-minded. She said, “Okay, it’s all right. If my daughter enjoys doing it, I’ll just go along with it.”

MY MOTHER ADVISED ME, “You are like a male. (So) pick someone who understands your profession, who won’t condemn or judge you.”

So when I got a fiancé like that, it strengthened me to be someone who can make a Malaysian proud. That is my dream.

I am engaged and will marry in a month’s time if God is willing. After getting married I will go on with my career.

My fiancé’s parents are very religious. They are very strict with religion so when they see that they will have a daughter-in-law (like me), they said, “It’s all right. Stick with your religion and just go on.” They gave the same advice as well. They accept me.

I KNOW THIS IS A MAN’S FIELD. I just tell myself, ‘If a man can do it, why can’t I?’ It’s the same actually.

There are many fields once considered to be exclusive to men what are now monopolised by women. So for me, why can a man do it and I can’t?

PEOPLE ARE NOT GOING TO LIKE EVERYTHING WE DO. There are those who will dislike it but we should follow our heart.

We all have our own religion. If it does not go against our religion, let’s just continue with it. Humans can judge but we just follow God’s will. For me it is like that if people want to condemn me.

I HAVE FALLEN BEFORE. Don’t even talk about the injuries. There really are a lot of injuries. I still have scars. I broke my right hand in 2015 and I had to take a break for two months.

So my advice on falling or getting injured is that it is all a learning experience. If we don’t fall we won’t be aware of our basic techniques. For me it is like that.

A lot of people will say, “Aren’t you afraid of falling? Aren’t you afraid of this or that?”

For me, just turn your hobby into your job and with God’s will, you can do it.

I AM A BRAVE PERSON. My heart is tough but I am confident in what I do. Really confident.

I have be prepared both physically and mentally. My body has to be constantly healthy to take part in this sport. This is a dangerous field of work. A very dangerous field actually.

IT HAS ALWAYS BEEN MY AMBITION to open an academy, like a riding school that is specially for women riders. I will seize the opportunities that I have now one day to open my academy.

I have only been in this sport for six years. So for me, I’m still a newbie. So I want to gain more experience with the help of senior riders and take their experience to one day open this academy of mine.

MOTORPSORTS IS AN ELITE SPORT. It really uses a lot of money. That I cannot deny.

Of course, when starting out I had to use all of my savings. More than RM30,000 actually to be at my level and I know I have suffered before, thinking of ways to progress.

My intentions are to help women who dream of racing, to provide them with an easier path to explore their talents.

Who knows, through my academy I may find more female riders who don’t know the extent of their talent, when in they are in fact very talented but just don’t know how to be a rider.

So with God’s will, and with my dream, I get to grow the sport and have more women in the sport.

With God’s will, one day.

MALAYSIANS KINI is a series on Malaysians you should know.

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