Allan Wu: 'Cool' to have women coaches

Allan Wu has no problems receiving driving advice from women.

The 44-year-old Singapore-based US actor-host, one of six contestants on Celebrity Car Wars, felt that it was "kind of cool" to have female coaches Gaby Dela Merced and Michele Bumgarner on the show.

He told TNP in a phone interview from Shanghai: "(Celebrity Car Wars) is about racing... so there's a lot of testosterone in the show. It's nice to see some girls (who) are actually qualified and are professional racecar drivers."

He added that Dela Merced and Bumgarner were also "eye candy" for male viewers and that he found such knowledge of cars to be an attractive quality in women.

But this did not stop Wu from getting as competitive with fellow contestants Andrea Fonseka and Joey Mead King as he was with guys like Thai DJ-host PK and Filipino host-model Marc Nelson.

He said: "I want to beat everyone. That's all there is to it. It doesn't matter whether they're a man or woman."

Wu feels that his ex-wife, local actress-host Wong Li-Lin, is just as good a driver as he is, but said: "I'm better at parking, maybe."

Likewise, Wu does not feel that women are generally poorer drivers than men.

What bothers him most on the road is people who drive slowly in the fast lane.

"That's the worst... if I were younger, I'd be honking at them and kissing their butt, just having my car right up to the back of theirs," he joked.

"You should have the common sense to realise (that you're driving slowly) and move over."

Added Wu, who does not have a car in Singapore but owns a Ducati Monster: "I prefer riding motorcycles than driving (cars)... you have the wind blowing in your face, you have the elements, the smog, the air, you feel alive."

This article was first published on Aug 29.
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