Born in Macao in 1984, she started in karting at ten years old. She was champion of China Formula Campus Challenge in 2008 and vice champion in 2009, before moving to Formula Renault Asia and Asian GT Series.

How did you get into motor sport?
Diana Rosario: "I started karting as hobby in the summer with my brother and cousin when I was 9. After this first experience I totally fell in love with the sport. I was 14 when I had my first race in karting. From 1998 to 2004, I achieved several titles in the Macau Karting Championship. Then in 2000 I had a serious accident during a practice where I broke my collarbone and had to recover for 3 months. My instructor thought it would be the end of my career, but I would not let the accident stop me. Learning from the accident made me more mature in my driving. In July 2004 I stepped into formula racing with FRD, through their training course. 2008 and 2009 were the critical years in my career, especially 2009. I won the title of Ford Formula Campus with 7 wins in 8 races. With the encouragement from Kenneth Ma, President of FRD I continued my formula racing in Asian Formula Renault and had my first taste of GT racing in 2010. Since then, GT racing has become my main focus."

How are things for female drivers in motor sport at the moment?
"In this male dominated sport, being a female driver is never easy. Female drivers need to continue to work even harder to keep ourselves competitive in the races. It is also the only way to break the discrimination set on female drivers. My passion is racing, and the support from my fans is the motivation that always keeps me going in this sport."

How did you come to hear about Asian Le Mans Series?
"I heard about Asian Le Mans Series before it was announced. There was a rumour going around among drivers that 2013 would have an Asian Le Mans Series, but no one could confirm that before the official release."

What is your opinion on the rule that every car has to have at least one Asian driver, and a combination of amateur and professional drivers? Is this something that appeals to you?
"For sure, I am really interested in the series. I think this rule makes the series even more exciting and attractive. It gives a chance for drivers to work with other drivers of different levels, and speed will not be the only factor to determine the winner of the series; good teamwork and communication will be critical factors as well. This will make the series great to watch and to participate in."

What opportunities does Asian Le Mans Series hold for Asian drivers and Asian motorsports as a whole?
"It will be a good opportunity to show and improve our driving skills, as we will be competing with and against many different great teams and drivers. I think others will have the same positive feelings I do. It is always good to have more series’ to choose from, and especially such a huge and competitive one. With the China racing industry still in the development stage, I expect the series will bring in a lot of knowledge and technology from Europe, which can make racing in China more organised."Luna Yang