[Ryoga]

'Racer chick’ Betty wants to apply skills to acting
BY AUDREY EDWARDS

PETALING JAYA: Given the chance, Betty Banafe would like to put her “racer
chick” skills to good use by bringing them to the silver screen.

“I am an adventurous person who likes action-packed activities. I am a
racer chick who loves sports.
“I would love to apply all of this to my acting,” said Betty, 28, during a
photo session for DaimlerChrysler Malaysia's hip Smart car at Menara Star
here.

Betty, who is of Arabic, Javanese, Dutch and Malay descent, said the two-
seater 1.88m high car was “cute and sporty.”

“It looks like it is suitable for women,” she added.

A Satria GTi 1.8 Turbo owner, she said stability was important for her in
choosing a car.

“Brands do not matter to me. I am fine as long as it is stable. It also
has to have a good body. This is because I want to feel safe when I am
driving fast.

“I am planning to change my car but am not sure what I want to buy yet,”
she said.

Betty, who played the sultry seductress Zaitun in U-wei Shaari's movie
Buai Laju-Laju, also rides two-wheelers and used to join motorcycle
excursions in her university days.

Being a motor racing fan, she said that given the chance, she would race
in local events.

“The usual reaction I get from people who sit in my car is, 'Cepatnya
sampai' (That was fast),” said the actress, model and singer who was first
featured in the drama series Nur Penyuluh Alam on ntv7 in 1999.
Betty, who speaks fluent Indonesian and Arabic and plans to release an
album in Arabic next year, said: “I am not a softie. I have an open mind
and always say what is on my mind.”

The Smart car turned heads when it first took to the streets last week.

The 660cc car comes in an eye-catching design and boasts a sturdy metal
body structure.

It comes with Tridion Safety Cell in black or silver coupled with
fiberglass body panels in the freshest colours of the season – stream
green, phat red, lite white, bay grey metallic and jack black.

“Many have found the Smart car to be a refreshing sight and an expression
of life, which is very much in line with what the Smart brand was intended
to provide,” said DCM president and chief executive officer Frank
Steinleitner.

The on the road price for the Smart car is RM86,157.20 with insurance.