Inside the Homecoming Pre-Race Celebration for Samantha Tan at BMW
Professional race car driver Samantha Tan (Fete Chinoise Edition 9: Finding Momentum) is home in Toronto for IMSA's only Canadian race weekend, which also happens to be Samantha's first home race in 8 years! On July 9th, Maranello BMW in Vaughan hosted an intimate cocktail evening in support of ST Racing and Women in Motorsport Canada for over 150 VIPs, fans and car enthusiasts. It was a warm reception for the pro-racer who is passionate about advocating for more young women to have access to the sport and industry, which she shared about in her remarks. A silent auction featured prizes from Canadian brands including Ecksand, Ferris Wheel Press, and Sushi Yugen benefitted WIM Canada.
Guests enjoyed conversations, canapes and beverages alongside an impressive display of BMW M4 vehicles and the BMW S1000RR, as well as Samantha's custom designed race car and helmet. And what made the evening extra special is that every guest received a copy of the Fete Chinoise Book of Incredible People Edition 9: Finding Momentum, autographed by Samantha at the start of her story inside!
Photography: Wallace Wong
What is the IMSA weekend? The IMSA WeatherTech SportsCar Championship for exotic prototype and GT cars makes their only stop north of the border in Canada on July 11-13, 2025 as part of the Chevrolet Grand Prix. Be sure to get tickets to cheer on our Canadian talent Samantha Tan!
photography: Deborah Lau-yu
Canada's biggest sports car event features a world-class field of drivers racing iconic performance brands (including Corvette, Acura, Aston Martin, BMW, Ferrari, Lamborghini, Lexus, McLaren, Mercedes-AMG, Mustang, and Porsche) on CTMP's legendary Grand Prix circuit.
Photography: Lisa Fang
If you're interested in a VIP option to get closer to the action, you can also consider the Grand Prix Club tent, located trackside on the start and finish straight. The special Grand Prix Club Tent VIP Hospitality package includes: general admission, with access to the Grand Prix Club tent on the day(s) of your choosing. Access to the Grand Prix Club tent includes Continental breakfast, fully catered BBQ lunch, beer, wine and VIP Parking. Pricing and details are available at the Canadian Tire Motorsport Park website: https://canadiantiremotorsportpark.com/pages/chevrolet-grand-prix
I held my daughter’s hands as she steadily walked a wooden spoon of water to the foot of the King Camphor Tree. “King Tree,” she delightfully whispered as she poured the well water as an offering, with reverence and childlike wonder. The camphor tree stood in the heart of the central courtyard, the largest and most majestic of the ten thousand trees at Amanyangyun, with a weight of 80 tonnes and a trunk so thick, its circumference would take at least a dozen people to join hands in a circle to offer a full embrace. The King Tree has borne witness to time well before ours; estimated to be at least 1000 years old, it was alive when the Ming and Qing emperors ruled, and lived through regimes and changes that we can only read about in history books.